What's in a hamburger? Beef, pork, horse meat, chicken or beef at all? An international consumer test unveils it all
Is "hamburger" synonymous with "burger" or "beef burger?
Yes, according to the dictionary, they are defined as a "patty of ground beef".
But a consumer test on fast foods has revealed that some hamburgers were not solely ground beef. They contained pork, too.
The revelation was found in samples sourced from 2 of 3 major international fast food chains that operate in Hong Kong.
The Consumer Council has joined 14 countries across Europe to investigate and compare the hygiene condition, nutritional quality and composition of such universal fast foods as hamburgers, french fries and pizzas.
The test was organised by the International Consumer Research and Testing. Samples from Hong Kong were tested locally adopting the same set of testing methods and standards.
As there is in Hong Kong (and in many countries) no legal definition of what constitutes a hamburger or the composition of its meat patty, the test samples in question were not in breach of any local regulation.
Results of the test were released today (September 15) in the latest (275) issue of the Council's monthly magazine CHOICE.
While the practice by international fast food chains incorporating other meats than beef in hamburgers is uncommon, the test has shown a higher incidence of such practice in independent outlets in Europe. For instance, hamburger samples from Belgium have been detected with horsemeat, pork or chicken, or even no beef at all.
So, depending on your own individual requirements, the next time you visit a fast food shop,you may wish to find out the meat patty composition of its burgers before you place your order.
Further,local hamburgers that come with just one or fewer toppings were, on the whole, rated "acceptable" to "good" in respect of their fat content. But those with more toppings were rated "poor" or "very poor".
In the test, french fries were investigated for the composition of fats that come from the frying oil. Fat composition is assessed according to the sum of the percentages of Saturated Fatty Acid and Trans Fatty Acid which research has shown a link to increase risk of heart disease.
The results are less than reassuring: for the local samples, only those from one international chain were rated "very good" while those from the other two chains were "very poor". The fat composition in most European samples of french fries was found also "very poor".
The sodium content (from the salt) of most samples of both local and European was judged satisfactory scoring "very good" rating.
Parents are advised to exercise supervision over their children who consume burger set meals habitually (i.e. 2 meals per day). A burger set meal usually consists of a burger with thick toppings, french fries and a soft drink that have a high total fat content of about50% of the Recommended Daily Intake (RDI), in addition to the calories and sodium of the set meal that exceeds 1 / 3 of its RDI for most children, teenage girls, active women and sedentary men.
Pizza, another highly popular fast food, was tested for their sodium levels as toppings consisting of ham, salami, tomato sauce, cheese and salt contain high sodium.
All local pizza samples, sourced from three major restaurant chains, were rated "very poor". And so were most European samples with "poor" to "very poor" ratings in sodium content. On average, the local pizza samples contained 44% by weight of toppings while Italian samples had 27% and other European pizzas 34% to 44%.
The high sodium content of pizzas means that the sodium in 2 slices of pizza ( 1 / 3 of one whole piece) may already exceed twice the Recommended Daily Intake of sodium. People of hypertension, especially those sensitive to sodium, are advised to limit the frequency and portion size of pizza consumption, as well as processed food such as crackers or biscuits in the same day.
How's the nutritional value of a fast food meal compared with that of a Chinese dim sum meal? It was found that the fat and calories from a dim sum meal (consisting of shrimp dumpling, glutinous rice dumpling, BBQ pork bun, chicken feet, beef rice roll, pan-fried turn ip cake, deep-fried pork triangle each) is high than a pizza meal, but lower than a burger set meal. However, if one choose dim sum wisely, for instance, to eliminate those fried or pan-fried, the calories and fat may be reduced substantially by 40%.
Electrical safety of washing machines still a matter of concern as half of the test samples fail to fully meet standards
The electrical safety of washing machines has come under scrutiny in the wake of a spate of fire reports involving suspected faulty appliances.
In the first 8 months of this year, the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) received 8 reports on fires related to washing machines averaging one per month. For 1997and 1998, at least 24 fires related to washing machines were also reported in the press.
This has prompted a test, conducted by the EMSD, on the appliance. Results of the test, published in this September issue of CHOICE, have affirmed that some models of the washing machines still have room for improvement in terms of their compliance with the safety standards.
Of the12 washing machines (including 1 washer/dryer) included in the test, only 5 could measure up to the standards in all the safety test items; improvement was needed in respect of their marking and instructions.
According to the EMSD, all samples have been subjected to various critical test items in accordance with the current IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) standards. And although some samples were found to fall short of the safety standard adopted for the test, EMSD considers the test results revealed no immediate hazards to the users.
Most failed items concerned faulty wiring, for example, insufficient length of earth wire,insecure supply connection, lack of indication of neutral terminal, etc.
Manufacturers have been duly notified and many have undertaken to improving their product safety. The EMSD will continue to monitor the products concerned in the enforcement of the Electrical Products (Safety) Regulation.
Ortho-K lens users beware!
The Consumer Council has received new information from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) which indicates that:
- First, there is no scientific evidence to support the idea that Ortho-K lenses will halt or reverse the progression of myopia.
- Second, contrary to some advertising claims, Ortho-K (Orthokeratology) contact lenses are not intended for the purpose of overnight use or extended wear.
According to the FDA, it has not approved any Ortho-K contact lenses with an indication for overnight use to be marketed in the U.S.
The FDA further points out that even if an orthokeratology lens is manufactured from a lens material approved for overnight use, FDA believes that the safety of the overnight orthokeratology lens needs to be established.
In this issue of CHOICE is included a comprehensive price survey of two vision correction techniques for myopia - Orthokeratology Treatment Programme by 16 optical shops and optometry clinics, and Laser Refractive Surgery by 5 hospitals and 2 eye clinics in Hong Kong.
The survey shows wide variance of prices for Orthokeratology treatment, falling mostly between$10,000 and $20,000, with a low of $4,500 to a peak of $23,500. For the Laser Refractive Surgery, the pricing is very competitive - at around $25,000.
But consumers will do well to enquire in detail the terms and conditions and the various charges that may not be reflected in the price of the main package - such as pre-treatment evaluation or check-up, follow-up visits, consultation and medication fees,cost of spectacles (if needed), complaint procedures and refund policy, etc.
Consumers shopping around for such treatment are urged to consult the report in CHOICE for details.
Parents alerted to potentially hazardous battery-operated toy lanterns for Mid-Autumn Festival
With the approach of the Mid-Autumn Festival, parents are alerted to the potential hazards of battery-operated toy lanterns to young children.
The alert followed a Consumer Council test on 15 samples of toy lanterns priced from some $15to $40. The lanterns, all battery-operated, were mainly made of a plastic material (6 were inflatable models).
The test focused on the construction, the safety markings and the life of the bulbs, as well as the thickness of the plastic bags used for packaging.
The results: out of the 15 test samples, only 4 could fully meet all the safety requirements.
The main safety concern stemmed from defects found in the construction of 4 samples that pose hazards to young children in particular: exposed sharp-edges or pointed projections posing laceration or puncture hazards; and loose small parts posing ingestion hazard.
The test also found the plastic bags used to contain the toy lanterns in 3 samples to be too thin and below the statutory safety standard - the thickness of such plastic bags should not be less than 0.0381mm. This could pose suffocation risk to young children who mistake the plastic bags as toys to play with.
11 samples were found without adequate safety markings i.e. the correct battery polarity andvoltage, and safe battery usage instructions such as "Do not mix old and new batteries" and "Do not mix alkaline, standard and rechargeable batteries".
Further, 6 samples were without the required identification markings on the packaging i.e. name and address of the manufacturer, importer or supplier.
Parents are advised to consult the report in CHOICE and keep an eye on young children playing with toy lanterns during the Festival period.
Average textbook expenditures down (2.6%) for the secondary schools but up (7.3%) for the primary sector
The average expenditure in textbooks for secondary school students has come down 2.6% over last year to $1,794.
The drop was recorded despite a rise of 2.5% on average in secondary school textbook prices. The decrease was attributed mainly to the higher discount rates which bookstores provided for consumers this year.
On the other hand, the average textbook expenditure in the primary school sector recorded an increase of 7.3% over last year to $1,312.
The rise for primary school textbooks was attributed to a number of factors that include:
- This year's average price increase of 2.5% (same as secondary school textbooks).
- As more schools implement the "Target Oriented Curriculum" (TOC), students need to purchase more worksheets apart from textbooks.
- A new subject "Putongua" was introduced for Primary Two, necessitating the purchase of textbooks or even workbooks for this subject.
The annual Consumer Council survey of textbook expenditures this year was based on the booklists from 29 primary schools and 52 secondary schools.