‘Lean’ or ‘extra lean’ minced beef may sound like a healthy option. But shoppers who buy these products could be eating more fat than is found in standard mince.For the fat content labels used on the meat can be hopelessly inaccurate, a study shows. One pack of so-called lean mince contained 25.9 per cent fat, while another described as extra lean had 23.1 per cent fat. The survey, conducted by councils, found conventional mince can be as little as 2 per cent fat, which would be a far healthier option.
Discount supermarkets are the biggest culprits for misleading shoppers, while small independent butchers generally offer lower fat products. The worst quality mince was found in frozen packs, which was not only high in fat but more likely to contain ‘ connective material’ – the gristle scraped from bones.
