The Internet is flush with mutant chickens and cockroach eggs in plastic straws, but
don't lose your lunch yet because here's the truth about the Top 10 Scariest Food Urban
Legends.
Trick Or Treat?
Whenever kids put on their favorite scary costumes on Halloween - like Darth Vader
and Dracula - to go knocking on doors in search of candy, they might have a scary urban legend
in the back of their minds. You were always told to be careful, to avoid going to certain
neighborhoods, and to watch what's being put in your bag because you might bring home some
poisoned candy. While this has never actually happened to anyone - at least, not at the
hands of complete strangers - the fear is still very much alive. This particularly
scary story has even led many parents to rethink the whole idea of letting their children go
out trick or treating in the first place. Why would you send your kid off, knowing there
could be someone out there waiting to give them candy filled with poison? If they stayed
off the streets, the costumed kids wouldn't be at risk of getting tainted candy. Parents
should breathe easy, however, because the truth about this scary urban legend has a
happy ending. There has never been a documented case of a trick-or-treater getting sick from
eating poisoned Halloween candy received from strangers. It shouldn't be surprising that
a holiday like Halloween would spawn scary stories like this. So, there's no need to
deny the little ones the joy of trick or treating because this well-known tale is simply a phantom
menace made up to keep you on your toes and be safe.
Straw Roach Motel
Cockroaches are here to stay. We're often told they will continue to flourish long after
we’re gone, but in the meantime, the question is - are these indestructible, disgusting
bugs really laying their eggs in plastic straws? This scary urban legend started when an email
containing an ominous link began circulating. There was a warning to readers about someone
finding thousands of cockroach eggs in one of the common plastic straws we all use at
restaurants. If this urban legend turned out to be true, then it would mean people have
been sucking down an awful lot of gross insect eggs with their burgers and fries without
knowing it. The woman who circulated the mysterious email explained that she was minding her own
business drinking a cup of Sprite with a straw at an unnamed fast-food establishment. She
said that at some point during her meal, she noticed the soda had a strange taste. After
she investigated further, she made the scary discovery in her straw. The lack of details
in the email made many people suspicious of her story, and it turned out that this was
the right reaction to have because no evidence of cockroach egg-infested straws was ever
found. This case points out the awesome power of the Internet to spread information quickly
- regardless of whether the information is true or just a scary urban legend.
What's Up, Doc?
Many of us grew up watching Bugs Bunny chomp carrots between wisecracks even if we didn't
want to eat the carrots our mom put on our plate. We all know that carrots are a healthy
food containing vitamins and minerals, including Vitamin A. It's this particular vitamin in
the form of beta carotene that is behind the urban legend that carrots can give you super-vision
and even allow you to see in the dark. While it's true that Vitamin A is good for eye health
and might improve your vision a bit, it won't be like night-vision goggles. Carrots became
the subject of an urban legend at the height of Germany's aerial campaign known as the
Blitz against Britain during World War II. There was also an intense propaganda war being
waged at the same time. The British military wanted to keep its new top-secret weapon,
radar, a secret from the Germans. So, the British decided to put out an alternative
explanation for their pilots' success battling the German Air Force at night - the mighty
carrot. They hoped a clever lie about the vegetable's superpowers would protect their
secret use of radar, but there is little direct evidence of whether the Germans believed the
urban legend or not. However, some historians are convinced this piece of carrot propaganda
did keep the Germans from discovering Britain's secret until it was too late. Even though
carrots won't really give you super-vision, it's still worth making them a healthy part
of your diet.
The 7 Year Chew
This food urban legend might be more revolting than scary because the idea of a piece of
food fermenting in your stomach for years and years is certainly less than appetizing.
According to the story, your stomach is like the desert dwelling creature known as the
Sarlacc in Return of the Jedi. This fearsome creature digests its unlucky prey over a
period of many years. Yes, it's true that you can't digest gum, but it doesn't just
sit in your digestive tract, taking up space for years. Like pretty much everything else
you eat, the gum passes through your digestive system and is eventually expelled from your
body. According to the Mayo Clinic, there have been cases of children consuming excessive
amounts of gum and then suffering from constipation. This condition temporarily blocks up their
intestines and can eventually lead to serious health consequences. A Yale University study
found that children who chronically swallow gum can end up with blockages in their intestines
and esophagus. This behavior is potentially unhealthy and should be avoided. So, even
though this scary urban legend isn't true, some kids still need to learn to take it easy
with those big globs of Hubba Bubba. Gum blockage does sound a little scary, but you don't have
to worry about swallowing the occasional stick of Juicy Fruit.
Gummy Worms
Welch's has long been known for its grape jelly and grape juice, but they have also
branched out into little packages of fruit-flavored snacks. The company started receiving a lot
of negative attention in 2018 when a graphic Facebook post described how part of a tapeworm
was found in a package of Welch's Fruit Snacks. Of course, a post that described a tapeworm
in a bag of food quickly went viral. The bad publicity generated by the viral post immediately
cooled kids' and parents' craving for the fruity snack. The woman who insisted there
was a tapeworm in her candy said she had the package tested, and it was found to have a
dehydrated tapeworm in it. However, she didn't post any of the results, so some people began
to question whether this was just a scary made-up story. Welch's used its Facebook account
to dispute the woman's claims and fight back against the bad publicity. This case remains
controversial, with accusations flying in both directions. Even if we assume that there
never was a tapeworm; it doesn't mean you should go ahead and eat these so-called fruit
snacks. Welch's was sued by a plaintiff accusing the company of selling fruit snacks that contain
a lot of artificial sweeteners but very little fruit. So, it turns out the snacks themselves
might be the real hoax.
Coca-What?
The Coca-Cola or Coke brand of cola has been around since 1885, and there has been a long-running
urban legend that the popular drink contains cocaine. The brand name "Coca-Cola" was picked
because it described two of the soft drink's original ingredients: Kola nuts and an extract
from Coca leaves that is used to make cocaine. Although this scary urban legend was true
back in the day, a can of coke at the time contained only small amounts of the drug.
As the 19th century drew to a close, people started to become concerned about what they
used to call the "cocaine habit." The makers of Coca-Cola responded by reducing the amount
of cocaine in their drink to the smallest trace. By 1902 the amount of cocaine was as
small as 1/400th of a grain of cocaine per single ounce of soda syrup. At one point,
the Coca-Cola company believed it had to have some cocaine in the formula to protect the
trademarked name. When the company decided that protecting the name was no longer an
issue, it decided to move on from the coca leaves. The formula was changed in 1929, and
Coca-Cola became cocaine-free once and for all. There was never enough cocaine in the
soft drink to give you a buzz, but this scary urban legend will likely continue to fascinate
Coca-Cola drinkers.
Getting the Finger
There have been a number of scary urban legends over the years regarding various body parts
being found in food. The Wendy's Chili incident probably received the most attention, and
for good reason. In 2005, a woman claimed she actually started to bite into a severed
human finger that was in her bowl of Wendy's Chili. Mrs. Ayala announced she intended to
sue the fast-food restaurant over this traumatic event. Most people would agree, it would be
traumatic indeed, had the incident really happened. The scary allegations set off an
international feeding frenzy of negative media attention and led to investigations by the
county medical examiner's office and the local police department. The investigations eventually
determined that Mrs. Ayala's husband had actually gotten the severed finger from a coworker
who had been the victim of a serious workplace accident. Mrs. Ayala and her husband decided
to plead guilty and received prison sentences for committing fraud. Mrs. Ayala was released
from prison after serving four years of her sentence. She has also been banned from Wendy's
restaurants for life. This scary urban legend turned out to be a real crime and an expensive
one for Wendy's. The fast-food company estimates it lost as much as $21 million dollars in
revenue because of all the bad publicity aimed at its chili.
I'm Not A Prune!
"I'm a Pepper! Wouldn't you like to be a Pepper too?" These are some of the lyrics from the
classic 1970's Dr. Pepper television commercial. Dr. Pepper has been a popular soda in the
United States since an enterprising pharmacist named Charles Alderton started selling the
carbonated beverage in Texas in 1885. Many soft drink lovers enjoy the blend of 23 ingredients
that gives the beverage its unique taste. Although the list of ingredients is officially
a secret, the recipe supposedly includes flavors such as almonds, black licorice, lemon, molasses,
and rum. According to some, prunes are on the list as well. However, there are others
who doubt whether Mr. Adlerton would have really put prunes in his beloved soft drink.
This myth has been around since the 1930s and has stubbornly hung around despite efforts
to squelch it. The soft drink company decided it needed to publish a brochure to reassure
its customers there is no truth to the story. The people at Dr. Pepper would not confirm
any of the 23 secret ingredients, but for what it's worth, they did go out of their
way to tell its customers there were definitely no prunes on the list. Feel free to disregard
this false urban legend and be confident that if you drink Dr. Pepper, you might be a
Pepper, but you won't be a prune.
Robot Chicken
Colonel Sanders made his Kentucky Fried Chicken into an iconic brand loved by millions, but
this doesn't mean the fast-food chain hasn't had its share of bad publicity. When the popular
chicken chain changed its name to KFC in 1991, a scary urban legend started making the rounds.
Some people started spinning the theory that the company was forced to change the name
because it was using chemically altered mutant chickens. As unappealing as it sounds, these
modified chickens were described as having no beaks and extra legs. According to the
legend, they couldn't legally use the word "chicken" in the name since the science experiments
they were supposedly using couldn't be classified as chickens. Obviously, the newly renamed
fast-food chain didn't want this kind of publicity associated with its name change, and it turned
out that all that talk was for nothing. The truth seems to be that Kentucky Fried Chicken
changed its name to KFC to steer attention away from the word "fried" and put more emphasis
on "chicken." The fast-food chain wanted to try to appeal to more health-conscious customers
who would likely be turned off by a restaurant boasting about its deep-fried food. The company's
official story is that the name was changed simply to make it shorter and snappier. The
Colonel's original fried chicken recipe with its 11 herbs and spices is still in play,
but the original name proved to be too scary to keep.
The LIFE and Death of Mikey
The combination of Pop Rocks and soda has an explosive reputation that's grown into
a scary urban legend. The product that became known as Pop Rocks started out as a failed
attempt at making a sparkling Kool-Aid drink. The experimental drink never took off, but
eventually, the sweet little candy crystals were marketed as a new fizzing sensation.
The origins of this urban legend are murky, but somewhere along the way, this popular
candy became part of an infamous pairing with soda. If you eat the fizzy candy and wash
it down with some carbonated soda, it could spell your doom. Some people believed it was
a killer combination that could make your stomach explode. This scary urban legend grew
to the point that it eventually pulled in John Gilchrist, the actor who played little
Mikey in the classic LIFE Cereal commercials. After Mr. Gilchrist receded from the public
eye, a rumor started to spread about what had become of him. You will be happy to know
that Gilchrist didn't die from an exploding stomach. He worked his way up in the television
industry and became a media executive. The former actor is aware of the scary urban legend
that his stomach exploded after he indulged in too many Pop Rocks and soda. He also said
that he doesn't eat the controversial Pop Rocks candy, but apparently, he does still
enjoy an occasional bowl of LIFE Cereal.
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