Is Hair In Food A Health Risk?
Hair in Food Getty Images A dermatologist investigates Finding a hair in your spaghetti is gross, no question. But it is not, for the most part, a health threat. It's so benign that the Food and Drug Administration in its Food Code guidelines doesn't even place a limit on strands per plate. The FDA has received no reports of people getting ill from ingesting hair found in food. Here's why you shouldn't worry, explains Maria Colavincenzo, a dermatologist at Northwestern University who specializes in hair: Hair is made of a densely packed protein called keratin, which is chemically inactive in hair and won't cause any problems if digested. It's possible that staph bacteria, which can upset the stomach and bring on a case of diarrhea, could hitch a ride on a strand. But it's very unlikely, Colavincenzo says, that the tiny amount of staph that can hide on a hair or two...