{"id":3603,"date":"2023-01-11T11:07:01","date_gmt":"2023-01-11T16:07:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pestqueen.com\/?p=3603"},"modified":"2023-01-11T13:17:27","modified_gmt":"2023-01-11T18:17:27","slug":"does-peanut-butter-have-bugs-in-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pestqueen.com\/does-peanut-butter-have-bugs-in-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Does Peanut Butter Have Bugs In It?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you\u2019re like most Americans, then you grew up eating one of the country’s all-time favorite sandwiches \u2014 peanut butter and jelly. In fact, you may be a kid at heart and still enjoy having a PB&J to satisfy your stomach even to this day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But you’ve probably heard the rumors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Does peanut butter have bugs in it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, there are at least some bugs in your peanut butter. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allows companies to include insect parts in what is basically the country\u2019s favorite bread spread. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wait, what? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read on to learn the details!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Does Peanut Butter Have Bugs In It?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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When you grab a piece of bread or a cracker to spread some delicious peanut butter on it, probably the last thing on your mind is how many bugs you\u2019re also consuming. So, it may come as a complete shock to you to find out that you are, in fact, eating creepy crawlies along with your favorite snack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It may come as a complete shock to you to find out that you are, in fact, eating creepy crawlies along with your favorite snack.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

But before we really get into the rather disgusting facts of this, it must be said that nothing we eat is completely free of bugs<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, every single mouthful of food that you consume will contain a tiny amount of bugs, viruses, and bacteria \u2014 and sometimes even some fecal matter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yuck!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, you should also know that none of these things pose a real threat to your overall health. That\u2019s because our own human bodies form the habitat for many tiny spiders, lice, and microbial colonies, along with many different parasites that live in our intestinal systems. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, if you were completely unaware of this, then it can all seem a bit gross, and put you off of wanting to eat any food at all! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But now on to the main topic \u2014 peanut butter, the nation\u2019s favorite spread. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ll probably be pleased to hear that peanut butter is one of the most controlled foods in America. However, the FDA does allow food manufacturers to factor in what it calls \u201cfood defects<\/a>\u201d, or \u201cfilth\u201d, into the manufacturing of processed foods like chocolate, coffee, spaghetti sauce \u2014 and peanut butter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, what does the FDA allow into the average jar of branded peanut butter? Well, if you have a delicate stomach, then you should look away now \u2014 especially if you\u2019ve just finished eating some peanut butter!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Ick Factor<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Although peanut butter happens to be one of the most controlled foods that you\u2019ll find on your supermarket shelf, according to the FDA, manufacturers can allow an average of one or more rodent hairs, along with around 30 insect fragments in every 100 grams, which works out to 3.5oz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, what does this actually mean? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, with a typical serving of peanut butter being about two tablespoons, this means that you would be consuming around eight insect fragments, along with some rodent \u201cfilth\u201d, whenever you have an average serving of peanut butter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These insect fragments can come from ants, cockroaches, weevils, flies, crickets, aphids, beetles, moths, mealworms, thrips, mosquitoes, fruit flies<\/a>, stink bugs, and other creepy crawlies, as well as their eggs and larvae.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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These insect fragments can come from ants, cockroaches, weevils, flies, crickets, aphids, beetles, moths, mealworms, thrips, mosquitoes, fruit flies, stink bugs, and other creepy crawlies, as well as their eggs and larvae.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

And by the way, jelly and jam have even lower FDA regulations. So you can only imagine how many bugs you\u2019re actually eating in your average peanut butter and jelly sandwich.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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So, here\u2019s exactly what the FDA allows manufacturers to include in the average jar of branded peanut butter that you can buy at your local supermarket, according to its Food Defects Levels Handbook<\/em><\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n