Filth in Food Guidelines

Filth in food guidelines in foods are controlled by the FDA. The following levels of contamination (insects, etc.) if found in food would be cause for the FDA to take legal action to remove the food from the supermarket.

This is just a small example:

Apricots:

Canned, average of 2 percent insect infested or damaged.

Coffee Beans:

If 10 percent by count are insect infested or insect damaged or show evidence of mold.

Citrus Juice:

Canned, microscopic mold count average of 10 percent. Drosophila and other fly eggs: 5 per 250ml. Drosophila larva: 1 per 250ml. If average of 5 percent by count contain larvae.

Peaches:

Canned, average of 5 percent wormy or moldy fruit or 4 percent if a whole larva or equivalent is found in 20 percent of the cans.

Popcorn:

One rodent pellet in one or more sub-samples upon examination of ten 225gm sub samples or six 10 ounce consumer size packages and one rodent hair in other sub samples; or 2 rodent hairs per pound and any rodent hairs in 50 percent of the sub samples; or 20 gnawed grains per pound and rodent hairs in 50 percent of the sub samples.

Asparagus:

Canned. 15 percent of spears by count infested with six attached asparagus beetle eggs or egg sacs.

Broccoli:

Frozen, average of 80 aphids or thrips per 100 grams.

Tomato Juice:

10 fly eggs per 3-1/2 ounces or 5 fly eggs and 1 larva per 3-1/2 ounces or 2 larva per 3-1/2 ounces.

Raisins:

Average of 40mm of sand and grit per 3-1/2 ounces or 10 insects and 35 fly eggs per 8 ounces of golden bleached raisins.

Wheat:

One rodent pellet per pint. One percent by weight of insect damaged kernels.

Brussel Sprouts:

Average of 50 aphids per 3-1/2 ounces.

Flour:

The FDA allows wheat flour to contain approximately 50 insect parts per 2 ounces of flour. These are harmless and will not affect your health.

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