When ordering at a cafe or purchasing groceries, we typically don't expect to find surprises in our food. Yet, errors in production lines or daydreaming chefs can lead to inedible but intriguing things ending up in our food. Discovering items such as spiders, fishing hooks, or screws in your meal poses safety issues. Statistics show that approximately 600 million people fall ill after consuming contaminated food.
Given these potential risks, the Bored Panda team has compiled a list of photos showcasing some of the most unexpected items people were shocked to find in their food. Luckily, these items were noticed long before reaching someone's mouth.
It's a reminder to be extra observant the next time you sit down for a meal, and let’s hope you’re not snacking as you scroll through this list.
This post may include affiliate links.
Found A Treble Clef In My Arby’s Curly Fries Once
Food safety is one of the key areas of focus in public health as it affects every person around the world. When something gets into food that shouldn’t be there it becomes unsafe to consume. This can happen through biological, chemical, and physical contamination.
Biological contamination occurs when disease-causing bacteria or viruses infect food that is later consumed. The toxins they release often lead to food poisoning and can be very dangerous. Products such as meat, seafood, eggs, and dairy are more vulnerable to bacterial growth and are considered high-risk. Properly storing, cleaning, and cooking these foods at the correct temperature can help reduce the risk of biological contamination.
Chemical contamination happens when substances like cleaning products, non-food grade plastics, and pesticides get into your food. Additionally, physical contamination involves foreign objects like hair, pests, various materials, and dirt entering the food
While Eating A Piece Of Lettuce, I Discovered This Metal Object That I Almost Swallowed, But Fortunately, I Didn’t. I’ve Included A Banana In The Photo For Scale Reference
He’s So Adorable, Is This My Starter Pokémon?
The twitter story shows he kept the frog in a terrarium through the winter.
My Orange Had A Tiny Mini Orange Growing Inside Of It
Nowadays, we automatically expect that our eaten goods will be hygienic and only contain the ingredients labeled on the packaging. However, natural produce is not grown in completely sterile conditions, which means that our diet might occasionally include traces of soil, animal hairs, mold, feces, and insects. This has been acknowledged by the US government in the publication of the Defect Levels Handbook which defines acceptable levels of food contamination from sources such as maggots, insect fragments, rodent hairs, and animal feces. Crushed oregano, for example, can contain 300 or more insect bits and about two rodent hairs for every 10 grams.
Found A Perfect Salt Crystal In My Sea Salt Packet
I Almost Ate A Praying Mantis That Was In My Salad
My Chinese Food Has A Carrot That's Cut Up Like A Fish
According to the title if this article “ Unexpected Finds In Foods That Might Ruin Your Appetite”, I don’t see how this ruins mine 🤷♀️
Environmental pollution, though often invisible, can also find its way into our food. It enters through plants or animals that have been exposed to pollution in the water and soil. For example, water pollution may accumulate and concentrate in fish. In Japan, the release of industrial waste into the sea resulted in locals eating seafood containing mercury and later suffering from the neurological disease Minamata.
Found A Starfish In One Of My Mussels
I Bought Sausage, And Then Found This
Bizarre way to try to get a date. Usually they send a picture of their sausage.
O h my......you are brilliant hahahahaha almost spited my beer hahahavha
Load More Replies...Or what if it was porn? And not the good kind. Nice way to get put on a very specific list with a side of jail time.
Load More Replies...Maybe they had a safe machine which is not connected to the internet and in its own (digital) environment? I'd dig out one of my old laptops for this that have been wiped.
Load More Replies...They probably had a device that could not be corrupted, like an old computer that had been wiped
Load More Replies...that up there means “remote drive” in russian case anyone was wondering
The face of someone who just screwed someone else's sausage and not in the Grindr way but in the meat grinder way.
I bet he is in the witness protection program and he had to hide the flash drive quickly while working at the butcher shop, because the assassins came in and almost blew his cover.
Never put any unknown flash drive in your computer. They can be loaded with viruses.
Would have been way more hilarious if it was a Rick Roll. Hahahah!!
Even as a Russian, this thing surprises me (and yes, the writing is in russian)
Probably not Bluetooth ... the following pictures are showing them use the usb to see the downloaded jpg.
Load More Replies...The usb-thumb has an image of the painting : “ The Fallen Madonna With The Big B0obies”
I've no idea why you've been downvoted here. Probably by people who've never seen Allo Allo in their life. Upvote from me
Load More Replies...Frog Flavor
When we think of food poisoning, flowers rarely come to mind. Interestingly, a couple of species of rhododendron plants produce harmful toxins in their nectar. Bees collect it and produce honey that can lead to “mad honey disease”, causing symptoms such as hallucinations, nausea, and vomiting.
For this reason, these flowers were indirectly used to fight armies. In 67 BCE, Roman soldiers were deceived into consuming the honey, causing them to disorientate, which led to the deaths of over 1,000 troops. In Turkey, the same “mad honey” is available for purchase at 166 dollars per pound, and it is widely regarded as a long-standing tradition.
My Wife Cut Open Some Squid While Making Dinner To Find The Squid's Dinner
This Shell In My Sea Salt
That's some pretty strong provenance on it's authenticity right there.
Found A Pearl In My Oysters
A quick look at any ingredients list will likely reveal a few strange substances, and although some might seem unappealing, they may not necessarily be harmful. For example, shellac, commonly used for nail polish, is also employed to add gloss to food, such as apples and candies (listed as additive number 904). Substances like silicon dioxide, known as sand, are often found in everyday items like salt, soup, and coffee creamer to prevent dry components from clumping. Additionally, cellulose, primarily derived from wood pulp, is added to shredded cheese to prevent the strands from sticking together.
A Scorpion Tail Was Found In This Ice Cream
That's more than just the tail. I would sue for a lifetime of food-related trauma. 🦂
Couldn't Get This Beer Open For 10 Minutes Straight. Pried Off The Top To Find Another Top
With Added Ferrum
Cut The Top Of A Green Bell Pepper At Work To Find It's Smiling At Me
Found This Feathery Bastard Standing In My Dinner Last Night, He's Refusing To Move
Not all manufacturers disclose chemical additives to the government or consumers. The Food and Drug Administration has introduced a law that considers certain common food ingredients, like vinegar and vegetable oil, generally safe without needing a formal check. Over time, it has become a loophole, allowing manufacturers to decide the safety of their new chemicals in food without informing the FDA. Despite the FDA’s attempts to encourage the industry to voluntarily share all ingredients, people become worried about ensuring food safety in the industry. At this point, it's nearly impossible to determine if common household products do not contain chemicals that could have harmful effects.
Potato In My Potato Chips
Work In Food Production, Found A Baby Carrot We All Thought Was A Human Finger At First
My Ice Cream Was Solid Ice On The Inside
My Bag Of Mixed Veggies
Most of these unexpected discoveries in food could be prevented by taking some precautions. Gary Marnum, an instructor at the Marine Institute, advises that the safest thing you can do is to cook your food thoroughly and keep your dry products like flour in a dry environment. Fresh produce should be washed under running water with a good scrub, while items such as rice, grains, and beans can be soaked and cleaned in multiple changes of water. Though it might be challenging to avoid eating some dirt or a few bugs, taking these precautions can help increase your food safety.
Found The Spoon, Honey
Got A Surprise In My Pizza Tonight
I Found This In My Bag Of Cheetos And I Have No Clue What It Is
Sell it on eBay. There's always some idiot who buys odd food items like this.
I Found These Crystals At The Bottom Of A Bottle Of Maple Syrup That Sat In The Back Of My Refrigerator For A Few Years
This Egg Had Two Full Layers Of Egg Shell
My Kid Got A Box Of Onions Instead Of Nuggets In His Happy Meal
I Found A Single Piece Of Bicycle-Shaped Pasta In My Penne
Found A Living Black Widow Between My Organic Grapes
Found This In My Dinner
This Dijon Mustard Came Without A Lid, And The Expiration Date Was Printed Onto The Mustard Inside
My Oyster Had A Little Crab Inside Of It
I Just Bit Down On A Screw In My Bagel From Noah’s Bagels
I felt a sharp pain as I bit down and couldn’t believe what I just found. Location was in Sherman Oaks, CA.
This Beautiful Salt Crystal That Formed Inside My Instant Ramen's Sauce Packet
My Frozen Pizza Had The Cardboard In Between The Toppings And The Crust
Just Found A Lug Nut In My Fruit Bar
This Rotisserie Chicken My Sister Bought Came With The Rod Still Attached
Found A Dead Bee Inside My Honey
I Wondered Why My Chips Had No Flavor. All The Seasonings Were Clumped Together In The Shape Of A Rock
Today I Found A Tiny Shell In My Sea Salt
A Bullet Was Found In My Moose Ribeye
Found This In My Take-Out From My Favorite Chinese Restaurant
Found This Is In My Bag Of Peanuts Today
Found This Steel Plate In My Papa John's Pizza Takeout
Found A Live Spider In My Unopened Queso After Breaking The Seal
Found A Yellow Airhead Bite But It Doesn't Exist According To The Flavor Guide
Opened A Clif Builder Bar To Find A Piece Taken Out
It wouldn't be so bad if it didn't look like one of the factory workers took a bite out of it. Maybe send a forensics team to the factory to check for bite sizes. 😉
My Friend Ordered A Burger And It Arrived With A Metal Screw
This Folded Pringle My Friend Found In The Can
While Eating Lunch, I Found Glass In My Soup
A Side That Wasn’t Expected
I Found This Bumpy Thick Pringle In The Can
There Were (Literally) Whole Grains In My Son’s Cheerios
A Supergrape
A Pizza Restaurant Left A Pizza Pan In My Delivery Order
These poor forgetful employees must be severely overworked people just trying to get a minimum wage. And these mistakes must be costing them even more of their salaries. I feel sorry when seeing mistakes like this. Maybe OP can return the plate to them if the restaurant is nearby?
It’s (Still Joined In A Satisfying Arch) Spaghettis
Finding Out That My Delicious Mug Of Tea Was Actually Earwig Tea
My Mom Found A Whole Potato In The Bag Of French Fries Tonight
I’m Very Patiently Waiting For My Fiancé To Wake Up So I Can Find Out Why There Is A Bite Mark In The Butter
I Found A Latex Glove In The Pizza I Ordered From A Local Restaurant
I Ordered Some Food For Delivery Today And There's A Massive Metal Handle In My Food. Got A Partial Refund From DoorDash
Found This In My Funyuns' Bag. What Is It?
Found A Scorpion In A Crate Of Fruits From Mexico At The Restaurant I Work At
There Was A Piece Of Wood In My Vegetable Bag
Found This In My Box Of Wings From Publix
Sea Shell In My Sea Salt
Bread Tag In My Burger... It Was In My Mouth
This Is How My Deli Turkey Was Delivered To My Work. Opened The Tattered Box And Saw A Piece Of Broken Pallet Stuck Right Into It
"Gluten Free" Has Been Imprinted Into The Oreo Cookie Part. Didn't See Until It Hit Milk
Found A Penny In My Lunch
My Girlfriend Found A Band-Aid In Her Food. Well, In Her Mouth Really
This Sweet Potato I Found At Work Has An Ear
My Vegan Chicken Wing Had A Wooden Bone In It
This Pearl I Found In An Oyster I Was Eating
As this is the second one of these, and we have the same "they can't, yes they can" comments, I did some googling. It turns out, edible oysters can make pearls. However, the pearls they make are not valuable as the have no luster and are fragile. Who knew? https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/18/americas/new-york-pearl-oyster-scli-intl/index.html#:~:text=Edible%20oyster%20pearls%20are%20less,the%20same%20way%2C%20said%20Gray.
Cutting Up Some Cauliflower And Found This. Lost My Appetite And Developed A New Fear
After Eating Half Of My Banana Chips I Found This
I Cut Open A Sungold Kiwi To Find It Has No Seeds
Ordered Fried Oysters From A Takeout Restaurant And Found A Pearl In One
First Bite Of My Fast Food Burrito And I Felt Something Metallic Brush Against My Tooth. Spat Out A Screw
What Is This Thing In My Pop Tart?
My Sister Got A Mini Starfish In Her Mussels
Found Two Snails In My Publix Store-Bought Grapes. What Do I Do? Why Are They In This? Should I Be Worried? It’s Been In The Fridge Overnight
I was eating grapes and I found a shell in my grapes and thought, “that’s weird”. Then a snail came out of it. Now I feel sick, and then another one appeared…. What do I do?
Found A Screw In My Sweetgreen Bowl
My Girlfriend Found A Slug In Her Salad After She Ate The Whole Thing
My Boyfriend Found A Newspaper Print In His Chicken
Found A Grapefruit Inside My Grapefruit
Found Bug Eggs In My Thai Food
Ordered A Chicken Sandwich The Other Night And Cracked My Tooth On A Metal Screw Embedded In The Chicken
I Just Found A Wing Nut In My Water At A Restaurant
One Of My Pasta Noodles Wasn’t Cut
Found This In My Coconut Water After Taking A Sip
My Cousin Found A Piece Of A Snake In Her Can Of Green Beans
There's A Bee In A Raspberry
Second Bite Into My Calzone And I Found The Metal Wire From A Twist-Tie
Ate A Huge Bag Of Members Mark Trail Mix For About 1 Month. Got To The Bottom And Found 3 Rusty Screws
A Mini-Pearl I Found In An Oyster I Was Eating
I Found A Tiny Rock In My Potato
It’s more likely another tiny potato instead of a rock. A pregnant potato if you will
Started My Third Slice Of Little Caesar's At A Staff Meeting When I Finally Noticed This On
This One Completely Black Corn Chex In My Cereal This Morning
Found A Grasshopper Leg In My Frozen Peas, After We Had Already Eaten Half Of The Bag Earlier Today
Our Daughter Just Ran Out Into The Hall With Her Friend Screaming. Apparently, They Were Eating Pickles And Noticed A Hole In One So They Cut It Open And Found A Worm
Cut Open A Jalapeño And Found This
I Found A Pill In My Salad
This Was Found Inside My Mom's Unopened Milk Duds
Holy QANON! This is either fake or someone's last day before they quit lol!
Found An Expiration Date Stamped On The Mustard Itself
Found An Insect Floating In A Can Of Peas
I Bit Into McDonald's Sandwich And I Have Someone's Tooth In There! I Am Mad
This Just Happened To Be In My Drink From Starbucks
Ants Got Into This Bag Of Chips I Left Out Overnight And They All Died
Drank The Whole Coconut Then Cracked It Open To Find This
I Keep Finding These Small, Square-Shaped, Clear Pieces Of Plastic In My Food For The Past 6 Months
This Chicken Caesar Wrap I Bought From A Vending Machine Has A Green Tortilla Instead Of Lettuce Inside
There Was A Hair In My Microwaved Meal When I Peeled Back The Lid
This Thing In My Peas At A Public School
Found A Pearl In My Oyster
Found This Thing Swimming In My Bottle After Drinking Half Of It
Found This When I Cracked An Egg. What Is This?
Found A Piece Of Plastic In The Burger From Earhart
My Coworker Found A Tooth In His Sandwich's Lunch Meat
Found This Bug At The Bottom Of My Dinner
Found This When I Opened My Bag Of Doritos
Found A Chunk Of Some Bone-Like Thing In My Bag Of Store-Bought Popcorn
Found A Piece Of Latex Glove In My Costco Bread
Giant Grasshopper Found In A Sealed Salad Kit From Costco
I Found This Lump Of Flavoring In My Bag Of Sour Cream And Onions
Well, That’s One Way To Stop Me From Continuing To Eat Fast Food
Found This At The Bottom Of A Bag Of Sour Patch Kids
What Are These Little Egg-Looking Things I Found On My Blackberry?
So I Noticed A Piece Of Metal And A Piece Of Elastic Baked Into My Subway Sandwich Yesterday
Bugs In Food
Strange Corn. Of Course, I Am A City Dweller, But In My Opinion Something Is Not Right Here
Found A Worm In My Takeout Food
Spent An Hour Perfectly-Roasting This Potato For Dinner, Only To Cut It Open And Find This
It Appears There’s A Gnat Or Something Unusual Inside Of My Cough Drop
Found A Tiny, Kind Of Hard And Greasy Tortilla Inside Of My Package Of Regular Tortillas
This is only unusual because they usually have the face of the baby Jesus on them.
Pre-Cooked A Meal For Three Nights, Let It Cool, And Then Found These Eggs Before Storing It
My Clam Had A Pearl In It
I Found What Looks Like An Egg Inside Of My Blueberry This Morning
Found A Weird Gummy In My Black Forest Gummies
It looks like a big smiley face thats supposed to be in a bag of smiley face gummies. I once found a watermelon gummy in my sour patch kids
I am now going to spend an hour at each meal where I sift through what's in front of me before I dare eat it.
I literally just updated this app and there's still this f*ing bug!!!
Are you on the app? I just go through google and haven't had a problem like that
Load More Replies...Bad title, lots of pretty lame entries, but the comments were very entertaining!
Excellent article, Bored Panda. Your website is so good. Everything always loads perfectly and I never get ads! Thank you. Wish more people could appreciate this WEB.SITE.
This column is great! Are you on a diet? Look at the photos! You won't be hungry again! 😋
uh- u want bugs and spiders and praying mantis in ur food? X_X
Load More Replies...Well, I'm an idiot to look at this list casually as I'm eating. 🤦🏻♀️
I was eating cereal a few years back and chomped down on what I thought was a teeny tiny screw. In the middle of composing a complaint, my earring fell into my cereal bowl. Yes, folks, my metal earring backing had come loose, fallen into my bowl, and got mashed by my molars. Sigh.
I was eating a slice of cold pizza and bam - rat. And then another one, and a THIRD. Three goddamn rats! Three of my pets all trying to steal the pizza.
"That's f****d up" says me looking at these in the dark eatting chocolate..
Welp, makes me glad that there are laws in place for this kind of thing(?)
Lesson learnt: pay attention when you eat and check for any abnormalities 🤔
Thiese things happen all the time, but it is interesting to see them like this.
The insects are probably often the healthiest part in premade food. I'd rather eat some bugs then the whole load of pestizides and herbizides.
I am now going to spend an hour at each meal where I sift through what's in front of me before I dare eat it.
I literally just updated this app and there's still this f*ing bug!!!
Are you on the app? I just go through google and haven't had a problem like that
Load More Replies...Bad title, lots of pretty lame entries, but the comments were very entertaining!
Excellent article, Bored Panda. Your website is so good. Everything always loads perfectly and I never get ads! Thank you. Wish more people could appreciate this WEB.SITE.
This column is great! Are you on a diet? Look at the photos! You won't be hungry again! 😋
uh- u want bugs and spiders and praying mantis in ur food? X_X
Load More Replies...Well, I'm an idiot to look at this list casually as I'm eating. 🤦🏻♀️
I was eating cereal a few years back and chomped down on what I thought was a teeny tiny screw. In the middle of composing a complaint, my earring fell into my cereal bowl. Yes, folks, my metal earring backing had come loose, fallen into my bowl, and got mashed by my molars. Sigh.
I was eating a slice of cold pizza and bam - rat. And then another one, and a THIRD. Three goddamn rats! Three of my pets all trying to steal the pizza.
"That's f****d up" says me looking at these in the dark eatting chocolate..
Welp, makes me glad that there are laws in place for this kind of thing(?)
Lesson learnt: pay attention when you eat and check for any abnormalities 🤔
Thiese things happen all the time, but it is interesting to see them like this.
The insects are probably often the healthiest part in premade food. I'd rather eat some bugs then the whole load of pestizides and herbizides.