Food microbiology is an interesting and somewhat high risk field. Our "summer project" in food microbiology was the creation of sauerkraut. The prof related a very expensive "oops" when 10 tons of sauerkraut was contaminated with Serratia marcescens. The result was 10 tons of pink sauerkraut from the red pigment created by the organisms. The batch had to be discarded.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/34/Serratia_marcescens_01.jpg/240px-Serratia_marcescens_01.jpg)
Have a look a food "safety" standards. There are rules about how many rodent droppings per pound or rodent hairs per pound are permitted. It's not something you want to read before mealtime...unless you need inspiration to eat less.