Here we list the 10 most horrifying, skin-crawling and downright bizarre eating controversies of the political world.

Kevin Rudd (Australia) - Earwax

 

The year is 2007 and a fresh-faced Kevin Rudd is tipped to become Australia's next Prime Minister, when suddenly a video from the question time archives comes back to haunt him.

The footage, believed to be recorded about six years prior, shows a bored-looking Mr Rudd sitting behind Anthony Albanese. Presumably thinking himself invisible, the Member for Griffith picks at his ear, gazes into the distance, and innocently puts the same finger in his mouth.

Hundreds of thousands of people laughed and grimaced over the video which was posted to Youtube, but it wasn't enough to stop a "Ruddslide" election victory.

Ed Milliband (England) - Bacon sandwich

 

A series of embarrassing gaffes during the 2014 election campaign led to accusations that British opposition leader Ed Miliband was "out of touch" with the general public.

So in an attempt to re-connect with voters, Mr Miliband embarked on a whirlwind tour of working-class England. First stop: a visit to the flower markets with his wife, where Mr Miliband would enjoy a bacon butty, like a good, hearty Englishman.

Unfortunately for the Labour leader, the highly staged media-op backfired as Mr Miliband struggled to tackle the greasy sandwich in front of hordes of photographers.

Painfully awkward photos of the food-battle quickly began circulating on social media. Moral of the story: if you want to avoid ridicule, don't eat messy foods in public.

Jitan Ram Manjhi (India) - Rat

This one is a sad story... and certainly not for the faint-hearted. It involves an Indian minister who extraordinarily rose from the lowest rung of India's caste system to chief minister of India's Bihar region.

Jitan Ram Manjhi first came to national attention in 2008 when he urged people to eat rats in an effort to ease the country's food crisis. He claimed rats offered the same nutritional value as chicken.

Like many of the country's poorest people, Mr Manjhi survived his childhood by eating fried rat curry. The rodents were caught by his father and prepared by his mother.

"Super taste is when [the rat] is caught, prepared in fire, we cut into pieces and put salt, oil, green chilli - that mix with fried rat is very tasteful. It is a unique taste, not like chicken, not like mutton," he said.

Stephen Duckett (Canada) - Cookie

 

On a more appetising note, our next food controversy involves a cookie so (apparently) irresistible that it led to one of the Canadian government's top health executives stepping down from his role.

Australian-born Dr Stephen Duckett earned the moniker "Cookie Monster" after he refused to talk to media about a health services crisis in the Canadian province of Alberta because he was busy eating a cookie.

"Is there a chance you could just speak with us for a second," asks one journalist, before Dr Duckett shoves the cookie in her face and keeps walking. He responds to another question with a shrill, "I'm still eating my cookie!"

The whole incident was captured on film and quickly went viral, once again proving that social media and embarrassing eating are a risky combination for government figures.

Dr Duckett subsequently stepped down from his position over the controversy. You'd want to hope that was one delicious cookie. 

Shinzo Abe (Japan) - Octopus

Just as Mr Burns ate "Blinky" the three-eyed fish in The Simpsons, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sought to quash fears about radiation poisoning in Japan by tucking into a piece of octopus caught near the Fukushima nuclear plant.

The move aimed to convince domestic consumers and the rest of the world that Japanese seafood was safe to eat in the aftermath of the 2011 nuclear disaster.

In similar publicity stunts, US President Barack Obama ate shrimp in Louisiana following the 2010 BP oil spill and Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra ate fried chicken during the country's bird flu scare of 2004.

None of these politicians appeared to have grown extra limbs or acquired super powers after consuming the produce.

George H.W. Bush (US) - Japanese banquet

 

This one is more about what came out of the former US president's mouth rather than what went in to it. And no, it's not a classic Bush verbal gaffe, like you'd expect from his son,  but rather some regurgitated sushi.

During a visit to Tokyo in 1992, George H.W. Bush became violently ill while dining at the home of then Japanese PM Kiichi Miyazawa, vomitting on his host's lap before fainting in his chair.

The first lady Barbara Bush jumped to her husband's aid, as did several secret service agents, and it was not long before President Bush was awake. His spokespeople passed it off as a 24-hour flu bug.

Footage of the incident was broadcast around the world, delighting comedians everywhere. The incident is still widely laughed at by the Japanese, who coined the term Bushu-suru - literally meaning "to do the Bush thing".

Vladimir Putin's tiger (Russia) - Dog

 

Ok so Vladimir Putin's tiger is not a politician. But the Russian president's feline friend made headlines when it was caught on camera eating a pet dog in China.

Kuzya is one of three Siberian tigers Putin released into the wild last year. In footage caught on Heixiazi Island, which links Russia and China, the big cat is seen devouring the domestic dog.

The hungry feline, who is monitored using a GPS tracking device, has also been accused of killing goats and other livestock during night-time raids in China.

NB: Dog-lovers may want to avoid watching the above video. 

Marianna Madia (Italy) - Ice-cream

This one isn't a weird food at all. But one of Italy's most prominent female politicians Marianna Madia became the victim of sexist discrimination after she was photographed eating an ice-cream in her car.

Four photos of the minister were published in Italian gossip magazine, Chi, alongside the caption "she knows how to do it with an ice cream".

The oral sex reference triggered outrage, with the Mayor of Rome, Ignazio Maino, labelling the act "vulgar and sexist".

Chi magazine also attracted controversy in 2012 after publishing topless pictures of Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton. They followed it up with bikini shots of pregnant Kate in 2013.

Robert Mugabe (Zimbabwe) - Elephant 

Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe is no stranger to controversy, but his 91st birthday banquet was particularly frowned upon.

The million-dollar celebrations included a feast of baby elephant meat. The young calf was slaughtered especially for the event, and was chosen because it has "hostile" tendencies.

The farmer who gave the elephant calf to President Mugabe reportedly said the killing was meant to send a message to other elephants: "Elephants have got characters, like human beings … We send a message to the rest of them not to be rogue animals."

The President's birthday celebrations were described as "totally unethical" and "obscene" by wildlife conservationists.

Gary Gray (Australia) - Hair

 

The list comes full circle, back to Canberra's Parliament House and again involving a politician sneaking a snack while grooming himself.

In question time footage from 2013, Labor MP Gary Gray is seen seemingly eating a strand of his own hair.

In an action that appears disturbingly deliberate, the West Australian MP scratches something from his scalp, takes a look at his find and then puts it in his mouth and chews.

Dandruff? A loose hair? Just an unfortunate misunderstanding? Either way, this one makes Tony's onion noshing look tame. 

Honourable mentions

• Food diva and former foreign affairs minister Bob Carr who only eats steel-cut organic oats for breakfast, according to his autobiography.
• One-time US presidential hopeful Sarah Palin who responded to criticism of her son standing on the family dog by saying, "Chill. At least Trig didn't eat the dog".
• US congressman Joe Garcia who took a page out of Rudd's book, appearing to eat his own ear wax. He says it was a "hang-nail".
• Canadian governor-general Michaelle Jean who ate a seal heart in an act of solidarity with hunters.
• Former PM Bob Hawke for his legendary beer drinking adventures.