Recently, Jo Meredith, a mother of six who lives in Tamworth, New South Wales, claimed to have found a lot of water in the ground beef purchased from Coles supermarket while cooking spaghetti bolognese.
According to Yahoo News on April 28, Meredith noticed an abnormality in the ground beef she bought under the Coles Drovers Choice brand when it was boiled in a frying pan, according to Yahoo News on April 28.
"I observed the minced meat bubbling in the pan, so I took a picture of it, and I could clearly see the amount of moisture in the photo, and I decided to measure it with a measuring cup," she told Yahoo News. ”
In the photo, you can see a large amount of water surrounding the beef and the bottom of the pot, and the water in the measuring cup is about 300 ml.
Meredith, 52, said she understands that beef naturally contains a certain amount of water, but this time it was clearly too much. "My husband works as a butcher in retail, and when I asked him why there was so much water in the beef, he told me that some butchers do it to add weight and profit," she added. ”
Meredith, who lives on the farm far from downtown Tamworth, said she had been experiencing similar situations for years and had complained to Coles, but she didn't think Coles took it seriously.
"People don't know and don't care about having so much water when they're cooking meat, but I'm fed up," she said. I have 6 children and the current financial situation is difficult, I put 1.5 kg of meat in it, but there is 300 ml of water in it. I'm tired of buying these shrinking items. ”
However, a spokesperson for Coles, in response to Yahoo News, denied that they added water to the ground beef. "The moisture seen during cooking is only a natural part of the meat," the spokesperson explained. ”
The spokesperson also suggested that to avoid too much water during cooking, the minced meat should be cooked in batches "to ensure that the heat remains high during cooking" and that the frying pan should be heated to a moderate heat before starting cooking, while being careful not to overcrowd the ingredients in the pan.
Peter McGilchrist, an associate professor of meat science at the University of New England, also voiced his support for Coles, saying, "Technically, Coles can't add water to ground beef." "This is forbidden behavior, and it is impossible for them to get away with it and not be detected. He further explained that in addition to the natural moisture in the meat, it is mainly the fat of the beef that flows out of the frying pan.
McGilchrist adds: "The ground beef she buys at Coles is 17% fat, so the 300ml of liquid that comes out of a 2kg whole bag of meat is about 15%. In other words, the remaining 83% of the meat she buys is about 80% water. ”
A spokesperson for Coles concluded by advising consumers that proper cooking methods can avoid the problem of water coming out of the minced meat for better cooking results.