Fat in mince report 'misleading'

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has condemned a report on fat in mince as misleading.

Reacting to the composition of minced beef report, published today (Saturday) by the Local Government Group, the BRC said that supermarkets go well beyond legal labelling requirements.

British Retail Consortium Food Director Andrew Opie, said: "This report misleadingly concentrates on the 119 samples from supermarkets. What about the 394 other samples the authors say were taken?

"Supermarkets always provide full nutritional information and indicate typical fat content on packs even though there is no legislation covering fat levels in mince or any legal requirement to label with that information.

"The fat content of mince varies depending on factors such as the cuts of meat used, the season and the animal’s feed.

"The average fat figures the survey found for standard, lean and extra lean mince were all within industry guidelines and within the tolerances recommended by LACORS."