Ma, I want a burger!

Food. It's something that concerns all of us. Well, most of us. Except for that man in India. But I digress. We all eat food, but seldom do we bother to ponder where it comes from and how it is processed before it gets on our plates. I'm here to tell you that maybe you should reconsider.

Of course the quality of food is regulated, and so is how it is processed. But it's remarkable how much that we'd consider harmful or just plain disgusting gets in. Awhile back I was watching a health show and the topic of the day was food; organic, natural, quality and all that good stuff. Apparently the FDA's standards are below what many people might think. Rotting fruits and veggies, small animals such as mice as well as their feces commonly make their way into processed foods, like peanut butter or tomato sauce. The processing plants' solution? Add more non-contaminated food to tip the ratio of good and bad. Who would've thought that rat poop was what made Skippy so tasty?

It gets worse when it comes to processed meat. Everyone has known for ages that Chicken McNuggets contain more than all white meat and that the beef patty in your burger was made of less than choice cuts of meat. But much like the low percentage of quality meat in our burgers, very few people comprehend just how down and dirty processing gets. Chances are that if you've eating or are eating a burger, it came from Beef Products Inc. Now, a few years ago, Beef Products had the genius idea of injecting fatty trimmings, hooves and all the leftovers that are used for pet food with ammonia. Studies showed that ammonia killed E. coli and salmonella. The USDA endorsed this method and burger joint giants such as McDonald's and Burger King have been using Beef Products' meat in their burgers. Can anyone say, "Pass the Windex?" Oh, did I mention that schools across the nation also used ammonia treated beef in the burgers they served? Well, they have, and E. coli and salmonella were found many times in their meat. Luckily, they caught the problem before you kids could eat it. Or so they claim.

Unfortunately, Beef Products is still selling their meat which means that people are still buying. And less that one percent of all of that meat is tested for contamination. So next time you're craving a burger, think twice before stepping into your favorite burger joint. And do some research. Maybe your favorite place doesn't buy meat from Beef Products. Maybe they do. That's what Google is for right? Go ahead. Type Beef Products Inc. in the search bar. You know you want to.