Cinnamon Toast Shrimp Probably Not Real, and These Urban Food Legends Are Not

One of the hottest Twitter threads this week comes from a guy who claims to have found shrimp tails in his box of crispy cinnamon toast. Jensen Karp, writer, podcast host and comedian, is behind the now infamous fiasco that has garnered media attention from The New York Times and well-known food sites such as Eater .

When the saga began, Karp seemed like a victim of a nefarious hacking scheme. Now, however, with incredible coverage of his topic, he sees himself remade into the newest version of Bean Dad: Karp has been stated to have a list of marketing merit , he is married to actress Danielle Fischel, accused of being “ manipulative gaslighting of a narcissistic ex-boyfriend ”, And also an outright liar.

Karp revels in the spotlight, trumpeting claims from other users that this whole privateer looks a little suspicious.

Perhaps this is the perfect viral marketing storm orchestrated by a performer who seems reluctant to quit smoking. Karp’s entire story is likely not true, although the remedies that cereal maker General Mills used to absolve himself of the blame did not help the situation very much .

So it’s probably a bit of tomfoolery. What are the real chances that two pieces of lost shrimp end up in a bag of Cinnamon Toast Crunch bought by someone who knows how to write jokes and has a large platform to swing them around?

Twitter’s freshest bowels, however, are sparking other food myths that have infiltrated culinary and junk food folklore. Let’s go back to some of them so we don’t fall prey to the next Shrimp Tail Guy.

Does Mountain Dew Really Reduce Sperm Count?

Boys in middle and senior school age were shaking with the green elixir as rumors spread about the food coloring Yellow 5, also known as tartrazine, which lowers sperm count. When it comes to Mountain Dew or any other FDA-approved beverage containing Yellow 5, there is never enough real food coloring to affect sperm count.

As Medical News Today explains, yellow 5 does not affect fertility; it is one of the most commonly used food colors on the market. The only side effects people may experience are eczema, hyperactivity, and asthma, although these are extremely rare.

Is Taco Bell meat … not meat?

Taco Bell meat is meat, at least according to the US judicial system. A class action lawsuit filed against the network in 2011 argued that Taco Bell’s beef did not contain enough beef to be classified as such. Plaintiffs, Alabama-based law firm Beasley Allen, argued that the beef in question contained too many oats, fillers and seasonings to meet USDA standards, NPR reported.

The firm dropped the towel four months after Taco Bell ran a PR campaign, but still held back a bit, posting official beef ingredients on its website for the first time. It’s still technically beef.

Does the gum stick to the insides?

First of all, if you have ever believed this, I would like the answer to be yes, but only for you. But this is not true.

From the Mayo Clinic :

Although chewing gum is intended to be chewed and not swallowed, it is generally not harmful if swallowed. Folklore suggests that swallowed gum remains in the stomach for seven years before it can be digested. But this is not true. If you’ve swallowed chewing gum, your body really can’t digest it. But the gum doesn’t stay in the stomach. It passes through the digestive system in a relatively intact form and is excreted in the feces.

Do Twinkies never expire?

The concept of indestructible Twinkies persists despite being false. The actual shelf life of twinkies is between 26 and 45 days , even with all the preservatives that might lead you to believe they are immune to decay.

Does chocolate milk contain cow’s blood?

For some reason, chocolate milk is shrouded in various urban legends. Some people may insist that it is less nutritious than white milk ( not true ), or that it comes exclusively from brown cows (which would be incredible, but unfortunately not true ).

Another, much more unpleasant rumor about chocolate milk is that it is milk residue that was too full of blood and pus to be regular milk, so it is mixed with chocolate. Again, this is not true.

As Snopes writes :

In the United States, food safety is monitored by the FDA. Strict standards are set for all milk destined for consumers, including chocolate. Significantly, the agency’s specifications do not include permits for blood-contaminated milk. Dairy products (and other foods) that do not meet agency criteria do not receive FDA approval and therefore cannot be sold to consumers.