Clear Labs

Clear Labs is a private genomics testing company headquartered in San Carlos, California, United States. It conducts high-throughput DNA sequencing tests to determine if food samples contain the genetic materials of specific pathogens.[1] It can also verify a food's ingredients, its GMO status, or conduct other tests.[1][2]

Clear Labs

Type	Private
Industry	Food safety
Founded	2014
Founders	Mahni Ghorashi and Sasan Amini
Headquarters	San Carlos, California , United States
Area served	Global
Key people	Sasan Amini, CEO and Co-founder
Products	Genomics testing for food
Number of employees	50+
Website	www.clearlabs.com

Clear Labs was founded by Mahni Ghorashi and Sasan Amini in 2014,[3] both of whom left their jobs at genomics companies to start Clear Labs.[4] They acquired $6.5 million in series A financing in 2015[3] and then initiated a unsuccessful Kickstarter campaign intending to raise an additional $100,000.[5][lower-alpha 1] In 2017, the company closed a $16 million Series B funding round.[7][8][lower-alpha 2] This was followed by another $21 million round in October 2018.[10]


Clear Labs has publicized various reports on the results of performing DNA testing on common food products. For example, the company found traces of meat in vegetarian burgers, traces of rat DNA in other meat patties, and more calories than the burgers were labeled for.[11][12] According to Vox, finding trace amounts of foreign DNA in food is normal and safe, but the report's findings on misleading consumers about calories and the vegetarian status of food were considered to be more concerning.[12]

The New York Times criticized Clear Labs for the alarmist nature of a report on human DNA in hotdogs; Clear Labs claimed that hotdogs regularly had traces of human DNA, likely from tiny bits of hair, skin, and nails during manufacture. The Times noted that it was more marketing ploy than consumer advocacy as Clear Labs refused to say which brands and manufacturers were at fault, and that Clear Labs has explicitly stated they are not a whistle blower group, as they do not want to harm their relationship with the food industry.[13] The factchecking site Snopes criticized the hotdog report as well, noting that Clear Labs was not upfront about how they had reached their conclusions, and that the published report lacked the traditional rigor of a scientific study. Snopes also noted that the report was not peer reviewed, and the methods were left vague. Snopes concluded by saying "In short, while the results could bear out to some degree should testing be conducted in a scientific setting, Clear Food didn’t appear to be an established laboratory presenting vetted data."[14]