We've all read the horror stories about people finding fingertips in fast food, bloody bandages in pizza, and a condom in a bag of French fries. But the grossest things in our food rarely make headlines—and chances are good that consumers of meat and dairy products have ingested at least one of them:

1. Arsenic. Farms feed chickens and pigs arsenic to help ward off infections in the filthy living conditions and to turn their flesh the pink shade that is considered appetizing. Because nothing says "appetizing" like poison.
2. Poop. When animals' intestines are torn open during slaughter, feces spill out onto their flesh. So when people buy the meat, they're getting, well, sorry, crappy food.
3. Industrial runoff. Who would head down to the local river, whip out a glass, and gulp down some river water? No one? Well, then people might want to avoid eating fish, who are contaminated with the pollutants that run into waterways from our tanneries, factories, and industrial plants, as well as manure runoff from pastures.
4. Calf stomach lining. Many cheeses are made with rennet, an enzyme taken from calves' stomach lining. Does eating baby stomachs make you sick to yours?
5. DDT. Even though the U.S. banned DDT, it remains in the environment and particularly accumulates in animal fats. Think, "Double-Decker of Toxins."
6. Pus. Cows on dairy farms often suffer from mastitis, a painful inflammation of the udders caused by bacteria. Their bodies try to fight off the infection by producing pus, and guess where the pus goes. Into the milk and into the milk-drinker's mouth.
7. Pink slime. The now famous picture of what looks like the result of a kid smashing all his Play-Doh together is actually mechanically separated meat, a main ingredient in many processed meats such as chicken nuggets and hot dogs. It's made by sending animals' bones through a machine that scrapes off the last bits of flesh and blood, forming the bits into a paste, and then treating the mass with ammonia, dyeing it, and adding flavor to it.

Makes me crave … broccoli.

jere-me / CC by 2.0

Show me a bag of pork rinds and two things will happen. First, images like this and that will race through my mind. Then I'll get choked up.

The revolting* "snack" made a truck driver named Edward Sutherland get choked up too—only his reaction was apparently not prompted by thoughts of what animals endured before they went down his gullet. Mr. Sutherland lost control of his rig, which careened across the interstate, jackknifed, and landed in a ditch.

The truck did not hit any other vehicles, and Mr. Sutherland walked away with minor injuries—and a citation for driving with his wheels off the road. Had I been the cop at the scene, I might have let him go with a warning—to eat only Pirate's Booty. How would you complete the following: "____—now that vegan snack is the ticket!"

Written by Karin Bennett

*If you know any people who don't think that eating fried pigskin is revolting, they just might after you show them this video of how it's made.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lecates/ / CC BY 2.0

Showing cruelty of gastronomical proportions, restaurants in Queens (Sik Gaek and East Seafood Restaurant) are chopping up and serving live octopuses to customers. Octopuses have their tentacles cut off while they are still conscious and are then served, writhing, while their hearts are still beating. Others are slowly steamed alive in front of customers before their tentacles and upper bodies are cut into small pieces with scissors.

Since we can't "release the Kraken" on these animal abusers, we're unleashing our legal team on the district attorney—calling on the DAs to file cruelty charges against the restaurants. Because octopuses have sophisticated nervous systems and feel pain just as acutely as mammals do, we feel that the restaurants' practices clearly violate the state's anti-cruelty statute.

Recently, octopuses were observed carrying around coconut shells to use as shelter—making these complex cephalopods the first known invertebrate animals to use tools. These "deep" thinkers are also fond of decorating. They decorate their dens with bottle caps, stones, and other objects that they find on the ocean floor. They are so smart that they can also learn how to do things such as unscrew jars by watching someone else do it—once!

Let's hope that the district attorney in this case is just as smart and sentient. You can call or fax the Queens County District Attorney's Office and politely ask that they take action against these restaurateurs. We'll keep you posted. Until then, take this octopus-inspired poll.

Written by Amy Skylark Elizabeth

© Star Max Inc.

PETA pal Pink recently tweeted that she had "… the BESTest day" with her "amazing sexy hubby," Carey Hart, riding around on beach cruisers and watching the circus. Not to worry, though—our girl Pink would never attend the kind of circus that tears baby elephants away from their mothers and beats them with bullhooks. Pink's tweet continued: "Not the real circus people. No animals, just people. That look and behave like animals. On acid. Tis' a colorful world." We should all take a cue from this compassionate couple and support one of the many circuses that leave animals in peace and feature only amazingly talented—and, most importantly, willing—human performers!

Via Vegetarian Star

Written by Lindsay Pollard-Post

As if cutting off chickens' beaks and scalding birds alive weren't dirty enough, KFC has broken some pretty foul food-hygiene rules at one of its busiest branches in the U.K. In 2008, health inspectors found mice, flies, and cockroaches during an inspection of the carry-out restaurant. Originally denying this and other violations (including failure to provide hygienic conditions for hand-washing), KFC finally 'fessed up to the charges in a recent hearing.

From mold- and dirt-covered floors, walls and ceilings in food-preparation areas to trays of bread and raw chicken caked with black grease, this KFC let it all hang out. And did I mention the three KFC employees who were photographed having a hot-tub party in another KFC's sink? That image is almost as sickening as the images in this video, which have prompted hundreds of thousands of people to sign our petition.

Written by Amy Elizabeth

As if overfishing, cruelty, and mercury poisoning weren't enough, here's yet another reason to leave fish off your plate: ciguatera poisoning. Apparently, one of the many unforeseen effects of climate change is the spread of ciguatera, a toxin produced by an organism that grows on coral reefs. Common in large, predatory fish such as snapper, grouper, and barracuda, ciguatera was once confined mostly to the Caribbean, but it has now spread to the waters off Florida, Texas, and the Carolinas and has become one of the most common causes of fish-related food poisoning in the U.S.

Along with the usual nasty symptoms of food poisoning—nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, fever, and diarrhea—ciguatera also causes bizarre neurological symptoms worthy of a House episode: numbness, tingling, needle-like pain in the hands and feet, a burning sensation in the mouth and throat, and sometimes an irregular heartbeat. Ciguatera probably won't kill you, but there is no effective treatment and the symptoms can persist for weeks, months, or even years. Call it "barrakarma."

Written by Alisa Mullins

And I thought my family reunions got hairy! Imagine the fright-fest when this fur-lovin' ma and daughter duo gets together. Know who they are? Find out and then cast your vote for who you think wore it worst in the first match-up of PETA's 2010 Worst-Dressed Competition.

We've got three more face-to-face battles, so check back tomorrow to see who's next on our list of fashion felons.

Written by Karin Bennett

parenting-our-kids / CC

Think back to 1998, when Titanic spoofs were still topical and The Simpsons was only in its 10th season. Remember the Simpsons episode in which Homer discovers that Springfield's milk is supplied by a mafia-run underground rat-milking operation? Yeah, it was pretty nasty.

Fast-forward to 2009: Pharming, a Netherlands-based biotech firm, seems to be using The Simpsons as misguided inspiration for pharmaceutical development. Pharming has been running its own rabbit-milking operation for years. And now, with the recent announcement that Pharming has extracted a protein from rabbit milk for use in an experimental drug, Dutch farmers are prepared to start milking rabbits on a large scale.

This news may seem like it's from an alternate cartoon universe, but animal-exploiting companies like Pharming are constantly finding new ways to abuse female animals and their reproductive systems, sentencing millions of animals to confinement, misery, and death in the process. These profit-hungry businesses are willing to do anything to animals for money—no matter how much suffering it causes. Many people know that dairy farms forcibly impregnate cows over and over and rip their babies from them a day after they're born so that humans can drink their mothers' milk and the male calves can be sold for veal. Less attention is paid to the biotech companies that milk mice in order to extract a protein for human baby formula or genetically engineer goats to produce spider silk in their milk for use in parachute cords and bulletproof vests.

The easiest, fastest way to save lives is simply not to support companies that profit from cruelty to animals. Go vegan and shun any products that were tested on animals or that contain any animal ingredients. Remember that there is always a humane alternative.

Written by Logan Scherer

Ooh, what have we here—a sss-exy photo shoot for a fashion magazine?

Actually, these lovely "lizards" were part of PETA's wildly successful protest against killing snakes, lizards, and other exotic animals for their skins. Swarms of onlookers and media in Prague soaked up our compassionate message.

See the guy in the background? He's just realized that his coat's atrocious fur trim has crushed his chances of chatting up the gorgeous protesters.

Our thanks go out to our ravishing reptiles, the body painter who donated his time to painstakingly apply their "costumes," and other caring people who handed out leaflets to ongawkers.

Written by Karin Bennett

The filmmakers behind The Cove showed that taking brave action for animals can make a difference. The highly acclaimed documentary—about a group of extraordinary people who aim to shine a light on Japan's dark dolphin trade and slaughter—was just released on DVD and is the prize for this week's "Win It" Wednesday.

Acts of compassion and courage are everyday events. At this very moment, people everywhere are sticking up for animals. Someone is confronting a neighbor about a lonely dog tied in the backyard. Another person is finally telling her beloved aunt how she truly feels about that fur coat. A high school student is telling his biology teacher that he won't dissect a frog—no way, no how.

Now is your time to shine. Describe a courageous action that you took in behalf of animals. We've got three copies of The Cove to award the people who offer the most heartfelt responses. I have a feeling that the animals will win too—there's no doubt that people who read the entries will be inspired to take action.

The contest ends on December 16, 2009, and we'll choose one winner on December 18, 2009. Be sure to read our privacy policy and terms and conditions, as you're agreeing to both by commenting. Good luck!

Written by Karin Bennett