The FDA's Guidelines for Eating Maggots
Looking for new ways to stymy your appetite? Try the FDA's Food Defect Action Levels Handbook, a great new diet book guide for food distributors and inspectors. It details exactly how many maggots a comestible good may contain before it gets banned for "aesthetic" reasons, i.e., "being too icky."
Examples of acceptable defects:
CURRANT JAM, BLACK Mold (MPM-V61) Average mold count is 75% or more
MUSHROOMS, CANNED AND DRIED Insects (AOAC 967.24) Average of over 20 or more maggots of any size per 100 grams of drained mushrooms and proportionate liquid or 15 grams of dried mushrooms OR Average of 5 or more maggots 2 mm or longer per 100 grams of drained mushrooms and proportionate liquid or 15 grams of dried mushrooms
POPCORN Rodent filth (AOAC 950.91) 1 or more rodent excreta pellets are found in 1 or more subsamples, and 1 or more rodent hairs are found in 2 or more other subsamples OR 2 or more rodent hairs per pound and rodent hair is found in 50% or more of the subsamples OR 20 or more gnawed grains per pound and rodent hair is found in 50% or more of the subsamples
ASPARAGUS, CANNED OR FROZEN Insect filth (MPM-V93) 10% by count of spears or pieces are infested with 6 or more attached asparagus beetle eggs and/or sacs
Does this mean vegans can't eat mushrooms, anymore? [FDA via Improbable Research, image via Shutterstock]