Forwarded email warns fast food consumers to use only ketchup provided in sealed packets because a man was caught placing HIV-tainted blood in a ketchup dispenser.

Rumor circulating via text message and social media claims Pepsi products have been purposely contaminated with HIV-positive blood.

Forwarded email claims a man was caught putting HIV-positive blood into a ketchup or tomato sauce dispenser at a fast food restaurant.

Email rumor warns that baby carrots sold in most supermarkets pose a health risk because they're processed in chlorine.

Viral messages claim bananas imported from Costa Rica are contaminated with the bacteria that causes the deadly "flesh-eating disease" necrotizing fasciitis.

Forwarded email warns women not to drink bottled water left in a warm car because the heat can cause toxins to leach from the plastic container and contaminate the water.

For your edification, some emailed photos showing a man whose brain allegedly became infested with maggots as a result of an untreated ingrown hair (or perhaps eating sushi).

This email tale claims that canola, usually touted as one of the healthiest of food oils, is actually toxic to human beings.

Viral image shows a glob of mold found in a pouch of Capri Sun fruit drink in Feb. 2013. Similar incidents have been reported before.

This week's most frequently asked question: 'Is the chicken head story true?' This week's most frequently given answer: Apparently so. Let's see what develops.

Forwarded email warns that dark-colored straws offered with soft drinks in fast food restaurants are likely to contain cockroach eggs or excrement.

The title says it all. Six variations on a fast-food horror story which you may or may not have heard before.

Irate consumer complains in a forwarded email about finding a small dead frog inside a can of Kroger peas. True, with photo documentation!

Email purporting to originate from the North Little Rock Police Department warns parents that drug-laced candy in the form of suckers and lollipops pose a hazard to children and teenagers.

What actual research shows about alleged instances of candy tampering on Halloween. Have children ever been injured or killed as a result of strangers handing out adulterated Halloween treats?

A tasty banquet of correspondence from the urban legends mailroom. Topic: food contamination. Yum!

Forwarded email claims that uncooked, leftover onions are "poisonous" because they're "a huge magnet for bacteria," therefore especially prone to spoilage.

New study finds that lemon slices/wedges served as garnishes in restaurants are often contaminated with health-threatening fecal bacteria.

False email rumor claims a woman in North Texas (or Belgium, or Botswana, etc.) caught the deadly disease leptospirosis after drinking Coke straight from an unwashed can contaminated with dried rat urine.

Emailed photos purport to show an infestation of maggots or insect eggs in the cream filling of an Oreo cookie.

Sherwood Brands Pirate's Gold Milk Chocolate Coins imported from China may contain deadly melamine and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has warned the public not to eat, distribute or sell the candy.

Fast food restaurant customer says "Hold the mayo" but is served a chicken sandwich slathered with white stuff anyway. She eats it.

A plausible scenario given the right circumstances, but did this incident really happen?

Forwarded email claims a female diner contracted syphilis after eating a meal contaminated with "three different types of semen" at an Olive Garden restaurant.

Email rumor claims Tim Hortons Coffee contains nicotine and poses a danger to smokers or those who are allergic to nicotine.

A woman dining at a Wendy's restaurant in San Jose, California claims she got the shock of her life when she realized the odd-shaped piece of meat she had just bitten into was a human finger.

Do fast food chains sometimes substitute ground worms for beef in their hamburgers to cut costs?