TRUE OR FALSE: Chocolates Have Cockroaches?

Having a break, taking out stress, or satisfying your sweet tooth, candy bars especially chocolates are always by your side.

Usually, people see this sweet, rich, and comforting treat to ease their stress. WebMD, mentions that consuming the equivalent of one average-sized dark chocolate or candy bar each day for two weeks diminished levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

This indicates that eating your favorite candy bar, of course in moderation has an impact on your health. Delicious as it tastes and gives your heart joy, chocolate is loved by children and even adults. But what if I tell you that your favorite chocolate bar might have a surprise inside such as a cockroach.

ALSO READ: Chocolate Cake for Breakfast to Lose Weight? Here's What You Need to Know

The Truth

(Photo : Christopher Furlong)

Insect Cop reports that there is a certain amount that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allows chocolate products to have insect filth.

This means that the answer is: YES! There might be fragments of cockroaches in your favorite candy bar.

According to CPG Section 515.700 Chocolate and Chocolate Liquor - Adulteration with Insect and Rodent Filth, the FDA allows that chocolate in six, 100-gram samples contains an average of 60 or more insect fragments per 100 grams.

This may be shocking, but insect cop adds that the guideline by the FDA did not specify how large the insect fragment can be, but they emphasized that it is unlikely to witness a whole leg or wing in one of your beloved candy bars.

Why does the FDA approve them?

While this question lingers in your head, Green Queen answers that under the FDA guidelines, food manufacturers are legally allowed to produce food with traces of insects like cockroach part because they are considered natural contaminants and is believed to be safe for public consumption.

Medical News Today is highly considered as nutritional because the majority of them are rich in protein, healthy fats, calcium, iron, and is low in carbohydrates. They mentioned an FAO report that shows insects have the same nutrition as typical meats like beef.

Insect cop notes in their article that not only chocolates have these fragments, but almost everything people eat such as broccoli.

Is it safe to eat chocolate?

Insect Cop added that eating small fragments or a percentage of cockroaches present in your chocolate will not cause adverse effects on an individual's health unless they have an allergy. They also mentioned a study that demonstrates cockroach allergens cause asthma for 50 years, although this happens through inhalation of tiny roach fragments.

Insect cop also stresses that although cockroach fragments are present in the candy bar, they are in tiny amounts which will not cause any allergic reaction. Since bug fragments are in everything, Insect cop also pointed out that people with roach allergies would react to everything, not just chocolate when they eat.

Implication

In an interview with Green Queen, Morton Teich from Icahn Medical School of Mt. Sinai explains that preventing bugs from infiltrating harvest, will require the use of more pesticides which is known to be harmful to the health.

Although evidence states that cockroach fragments are present in your candy bars, their benefit may boost an individual's health, that is why cutting them from your diet might not be a good idea.

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