According to a new study of 345 hot dogs and sausages by Clear Food, 14.4% were problematic including 2% containing human DNA.

Last year Americans spent 2.5 billion on hot dogs and 2.74 billion on dinner sausages according to the National Hot Dog And Sausage Council.

Clear Food analyzed 345 hot dogs and sausages. This is what they found:

14.4% were problematic in some way
Human DNA found in 2% of samples
10% of Vegetarian samples contained meat
Nutritional labels contained inaccuracies
Pork where no pork should be
4 of the 21 vegetarian samples we tested had hygienic issues

Substitution: They encountered a surprising number of changes or unexpected ingredients. They found evidence of meats not found on labels, an absence of ingredients advertised on labels, and meat in some vegetarian products.

Hygienic issues: Clear Food found human DNA in 2% of the samples, and in 2/3rds of the vegetarian samples.
They discovered evidence of chicken (in 10 samples), beef (in 4 samples), turkey (in 3 samples), and lamb (in 2 samples) in products that were not supposed to contain those ingredients.

Clear Food says: Despite the problems we found, what was most promising in our tests was the fact that there are a number of hot dog manufacturers, large and small, that are producing high-quality hot dogs with integrity. These producers were not limited to organic producers or high-end specialty brands—products across a variety of price points scored well.

Top 10 Major Hot Dog Brands according to Clear Food

1. Butterball
2. McCormick
3. Eckrich
4. Hebrew National
5. Simply Balanced
6. Aidells
7. Jennie-O
8. Boar's Head
9. Oscar Mayer
10. O Organics

Here's a more in-depth look at how Clear Foods ran their study and what it means. Please leave you comments below.