"5 Star" Beef Mince in Australia

ryefig on 05/06/2023 - 15:07

Out of lack of a clear answer from Google, I have come to the second most reliable source of truth on the internet, OzBargain.

I have been purchasing the" Heart Smart Extra Lean Beef Mince" from Woolies, or occasionally the "5 Star Extra Lean Mince" from Coles. A 500g tray sets me back $10.50 and the nutrition information between the brands is essentially the same.
After visiting Aldi recently, I noticed that they also sell "Jindurra Station 5 Star Beef Mince" with a price tag f $9.50 for 500g. Given the cheaper price for the same product, the purchase was a no brainer.

However, cooking the product I found that the Aldi mince gave off significantly more water than the Coles/Woolies equivalent.
You would think that if the mince was of the same standard (i.e 5 stars), I wouldn't have noticed such a difference? I've done this twice now and have prepared the mince in exactly the same way I did with the Woolies/Coles mince, so the only variable remaining is the mince itself.

Though the Aldi brand didn't have nutritional information on the packaging, the term "5 star" would have me believe that this is the same standard of mince as the Coles and Woolies type (I scanned the Aldi barcode in myfitness pal and the nutrition information was the same as Woolies/Coles - whether to believe myfitness pal is up for debate). My thinking here is that this the star rating is in line with purchasing "skim" milk, where labelling the product "skim" legally sets the minimum and maximum standard of the nutritional value.

But I think this is where I am wrong and is what has brought me to post here today: Are there standards for the 'star' ratings of beef mince sold in Australia?

I'm sure we've all heard rumours that butchers pump meat full of water to increase the weight, but I am beginning to think this might actually be true, at least with Aldi mince. If they pump the mince with more water, proportionately there is less fat and it meets the criteria of 5 stars?
I am struggling to think of any other reason why the Aldi mince gives off more water than the Woolies/Coles equivalent.

Food & Grocery Beef Mince

Comments

  • Cheaplikethebird on 05/06/2023 - 15:09

    If they pump it with water you should see it in the ingredient list.

  • GG57 on 05/06/2023 - 15:11
    +2

    I can't believe there would be a specific standard for a product with an advertising slogan such as '5 Star' or similar. They just make it up.

    • randomusername2017 on 05/06/2023 - 15:59
      +14

      3* 4* 5* based on fat content.

    • iDroid on 05/06/2023 - 16:49

      This is true.

      This is a 5 star rated comment

    • Benoffie on 05/06/2023 - 18:42
      +1

      3 star is about 16-18% fat

      5 star is about 4-5% fat

  • GG57 on 05/06/2023 - 15:12
    +1

    Did the Aldi version have that absorption pad in the bottom of the package, which Coles / Woolies do?

  • Cheaplikethebird on 05/06/2023 - 15:15
    +2

    Did you freeze the mince?

    Why does thawed meat lose so much water?

    When meat and poultry are frozen, water forms sharp-edged ice crystals and expands into the surrounding tissue, rupturing the cells. Water outside the cell wall freezes first and leaches water from inside the cell walls. The thawed product loses some of its natural springiness and the water will seep into the package. The faster meat freezes the smaller the ice crystals will be, resulting in less damage. Flash-frozen products will have superior quality to fresh products frozen by the consumer.

    Source: USDA

    • ryefig on 05/06/2023 - 15:21
      +2

      That is good to know, but nope. Definitely did not freeze it.

  • randomusername2017 on 05/06/2023 - 15:24
    -1

    Aldi mince gives off more water

    Unlikely to be water if you're cooking it correctly.

    5 star is 85-95cl… more likely difference in fat content.

    Heart Smart Extra Lean Beef Mince

  • sumyungguy on 05/06/2023 - 15:29
    +2

    For this reason I mince my own pork/beef/lamb.

  • Brian McGee on 05/06/2023 - 15:29
    +1

    The star rating is relevant to the fat % content, similar to milk(full, skim, light, etc). Whether the meat is 'moisture infused' or not has nothing to do with star rating and more to do with supermarket fillers and profits.
    On a side not I have noticed more bone fragments and fat lately in the Aldi chicken thigh packets, no doubt to increase the weight.

    • scottishdave on 05/06/2023 - 18:43

      In the Aldi diced chicken breast there is so much (added?) water, it pools at the bottom of the pack. I have to put the pack inside a plastic bag from the veggie section as the pack often leaks. It looks about 10% of the pack volume is water. I normally buy a pack of diced chicken each week from Aldi and I think this added liquid has only been a thing for the past year. A new supplier perhaps?
      If my close-by Woolies sold diced chicken breast I think I would be buying it from them.

  • skid on 05/06/2023 - 15:30
    +2

    There isn't a standard and as randomusername2017 said, it represents the 5% fat content. As you observed, the Aldi mince is of noticeably lesser quality then Woolies and Coles. Between Woolies and Coles 5 star mince, I find Woolies to be slightly better. Aldi probably uses a different cut of beef for their mince.

    • randomusername2017 on 05/06/2023 - 16:26
      +1

      Coles grass fed is fairly consistent as far as fat content goes.

  • orangetrain on 05/06/2023 - 15:59

    Ingredients

    Australian Beef (100%)

    https://www.woolworths.com.au/shop/productdetails/577860/woo…

    Aldi likely has the same too. You can't compare because it's mystery meat. For all we know, it's probably cow balls vs bull udders.

    • ryefig on 05/06/2023 - 16:02
      -1

      Yes, that's the thing! The ingredients are the same… beef.
      So I suppose it's because Aldi use a different/lower quality cut of the beef to make the mince that it gives off that extra water…

      • Protractor on 05/06/2023 - 20:27
        -1

        Lower quality shouldn't really give off water unless they are mincing meat that had water added.
        (or it was water buffalo or a cow that drowned.) (kidding)
        So it's either water added during the processing or during packaging, or it was frozen at some point (maybe).
        But to be fair, I doubt ANY retailer would brag on the ingredients label about adding water to meat.
        A few grams of water per few hundred grams of meat might sound acceptable, but the profit it could deliver over a whole market place is likely to be tonnes of meat per week.
        If you look at some cuts of meat (eg some roasts) you can clearly see (and squish) the water inside the plastic pkg.
        I'm not sure 'water' is listed in the ingredients. I suspect EVEN if they (any retailer) was busted , they'd argue it was residue from washing the cut of meat.
        https://choice.community/t/fluids-coming-from-meat-when-cook…

    • coffeeinmyveins on 05/06/2023 - 21:31

      For all we know, it's probably cow balls vs bull udders.

      No because in Australia it must contain 100 percent muscle meat and I'm pretty sure the strict labelling would have those as "beef byproducts"

  • iamherenow on 05/06/2023 - 16:07
    +2

    I've experienced this with cheap bacon too - to the point it was difficult to fry with all the water pouring out.

  • Ocker on 05/06/2023 - 18:20
    +3

    At $20 a kg for shop bought minced meat I would recommend buying your own meat and mincing yourself:

    (a) cheaper per kg
    (b) you will know what the true fat content in

  • mrkorrupt on 05/06/2023 - 18:43

    please do scientific testing
    get at least two packs of each (coles, woolies, Aldi, chain butcher and indep butcher)
    separate a set amount from each (200g) weighed with analytical scales (4,5 digits)
    cook both using similar devices at the same heat for the same time, same amount of oil (weighed out as well) etc
    then transfer the contents using a strainer and measure the dry and wet components of both.
    All this and you only have the a sample size of those packets,
    now repeat a 10 more times and even then your results are not statistically significant, as some coles / woolies store do their own meat, while others do not.

    • Protractor on 05/06/2023 - 19:00

      Possible (easier) prelim test.? (budget permitting)
      Get the various stores mince, weigh to get the same amount per unit.
      Using some dry cheese cloth wind the mince up and squeeze the bejesus out of each sample and measure the liquid content from each. NOTE for stalking critics. [ you know who you are ;) ] [get a life]
      This is just a PRELIMINARY test to see which mince is the 'wettest' to begin with.

  • Protractor on 05/06/2023 - 18:55
    -2

    Water is good for your heart. Aldi provides it free, with 5 Star mince.How kind.
    4* for the meat, 1* for the water.
    I'm sure they have started to dilute other stuff, too.
    They are not big on communicating in cases like this,

  • johninmelb on 06/06/2023 - 13:29
    +1

    Here's a tip that will help stop your mince shedding liquid and helps with browning it.

    https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2023/03/you-should-add-baking-…

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