Burgers barely fit for human consumption

A study by consumer magazine Test-Achats has found that, out of 22 brands of beef burger and seven brands of chicken burger on sale in Belgian supermarkets, four were “barely fit for human consumption”. Bacteria levels were too high, leaving the patties vulnerable to contamination – especially if they are not eaten right away. The maximum legal fat content  was respected, the magazine found, but it recommends bringing it down to 20 percent from the current 30 percent. Some burgers didn’t contain the legal minimum of 14 percent meat protein, while in other cases the collage-to-protein ratio was above the accepted level of 18 percent. Furthermore, three-quarters of the products tested had salt levels which were way too high. Finally, the magazine is scathing about the way some ingredients are listed or, crucially, omitted from the packaging.