Are there bugs in my peanut butter? It’s true. We hate to say it, but there are bugs in your peanut butter, but the FDA clearly states that you’re only eating their parts (Feel better?). The government’s official Defect Levels Handbook notes an allowed ratio of 30 insect fragments per 100 grams of your yummy spreadable.
Annually, you eat an average of one to two pounds of flies, maggots, and other bugs without even knowing it, according to the Scientific American blog. But fret not—they are perfectly safe to consume. In fact, the Food and Drug Administration actually permits a small number of insects in food products, because it would be impossible to filter them all out.
So when do those bug parts get into the peanut butter (and other foods), anyway? FDA regulations permit insect fragments that may come from either pre-or post-harvesting procedures, or may occur during peanut-butter processing which allows for small pieces of insects to fall in. The same is true of organic peanut butter, almond butter, and almost every kind of butter.
The typical serving size for peanut butter is 2 tablespoons. That means each peanut butter sandwich would only have about eight insect fragments and a tiny bit of rodent stuff (!).
Are there bugs in my peanut butter? We can’t do anything the about crunched critters in your favorite spread, but we can exterminate those creepy-crawlers in and around your home. We’d love to help you. Contact us at ClearDefense Pest Control.
