science fair

School science fair projects can be many things, from predictable and boring to imaginative and interesting, but one thing they usually aren't is "hilariously unethical and slightly unhinged." However, one kid's study using homemade Rice Krispies Treats not only fit the hilariously unethical description but also serves as a surprisingly on-point (even if unintentional) history lesson.

Jess Apple (@noneedtocreep) shared a video of a display from the science fair at her child's school with the caption "Plz give this kid first place at the science fair!" The title of the display was "How much sawdust can I put in Rice Krispy Treats before people notice?" The student had the questions and hypothesis, the procedure, the evidence (photos of Rice Krispies Treats and sawdust), a graph with the data, and the conclusion. Apparently, six people noticed the sawdust and 34 didn't, but this line from the conclusion was the real kicker: "Major findings were that the majority of the people didn't notice the sawdust unless they got slivers."

Unless they got slivers? Oh, kiddo. But that wasn't even the most unhinged part. Later in the conclusion, the budding scientist wrote, "After this experiment we could put slivers of metal into rice krispies and see if anyone notices."

For the record, we do not endorse this experiment. Please do not put sawdust or metal slivers in any food you are feeding people for any reason.

The experiment wasn't original, as YouTuber William Osman had done a similar experiment several years ago. However, as one commenter pointed out, it's pretty clear that the kid conducted his own experiment without input from a parent (who hopefully would have pointed out the ethical issues with feeding people treats with potential hazards in them), so that's theoretically positive. Apple also wrote that she didn't think the kid actually had test subjects eat sawdust, or at least hoped they didn't.

What our ethically challenged young friend did do, however, was open a window into the history of food regulation.

There was a time when sawdust was added to food. Photo credit: Canva

When sawdust was actually added to food

The idea of adding sawdust to food isn't new; in fact, it was something that was done in Europe in the 1700s to make bread stretch farther to feed the poor. Wheat was scarce, so British breadmakers used fillers.

“At some point some clever miller was like, ‘Hey, what if we combine the flour with sawdust?’” Penn State food historian Bryan McDonald told Marketplace. “‘We’re selling stuff by weight, and people don’t really have a good way of knowing what’s flour and what’s sawdust.”

They called it "tree flour" and it not only caused problems with people's health, but also with the mills and bakers who didn't use fillers like sawdust or chalk, since those who did could undercut them with lower prices. Even the U.S., with its abundance of wheat, had some history with companies adding fillers like sawdust to food, according to Atlas Obscura.

Um, no one wants sawdust in their food. Giphy

The beginning of government food regulation

It was actually women's organizations that pushed hard for fillers and additives to be regulated by the U.S. government. Investigations in the late 19th century found no shortage of adulterated foods, including "watered down milk; charcoal mixed with pepper; seeds in ground spices; beer without barley; low percentages of grape juice in domestic wines; cottonseed oil in lard; bleaching agents, chemicals, and dye in molasses; chicory, acorns, and seeds in coffee; and acids and metallic salts in canned vegetables."

Near the turn of the 20th century, letter-writing campaigns led by women's clubs helped bring the issue to the attention of the federal government, eventually leading to the passage of the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906. That law "prohibited the addition of any ingredients that would substitute for the food, conceal damage, pose a health hazard, or constitute a filthy or decomposed substance," according to the Food and Drug Administration, and also made it illegal for a food or drug label to be false or misleading.

The FDA has regulated food in the U.S. since the early 20th century.Public Domain

That act launched the era of regulation under the FDA, which is "responsible for protecting the public health by ensuring the safety, efficacy, and security of human and veterinary drugs, biological products, and medical devices; and by ensuring the safety of our nation's food supply, cosmetics, and products that emit radiation," among other duties.

So basically, thanks to conscious consumers, scientists, and lawmakers, we can be assured that store-bought Rice Krispies Treats do not contain sawdust. But that doesn't mean the kid down the street who makes them in the kitchen won't add some in the name of science, so it might not be a bad idea to check before eating.