SA Burgers Are About to Get a Whole Lot Meatier

Hamburgers in South Africa might be getting a lot meatier going forward. Manufacturers of beef patties have been given a new set of rules that their products will have to adhere to, specifically regarding to how much meat must be in their products if they’re going to be called ‘beef patties’.

This comes after the Agriculture Department published a new draft of rules for processed raw meat, and beef patties fall under that section. They new set of conditions are officially titled ‘Regulations Regarding the Classification, Packaging, and Marking of Certain Raw Processed Meat Products Intended for Sale in South Africa’ – but we’ll just call them ‘the new patty rules’.

The rules stipulate that patties will be divided into three categories, going from a patty with the most meat content to the least:

• ‘ground’ patties – Will have to be almost entirely (99.6%) meat
• ‘burger’ patties – 70%+ meat
• ‘econo-burger’/’budget’ – At least 55% meat

So going forward, it will be important to pay attention to the packaging of the burger patties you buy, and look for the words Ground, Burger, Economy/Econo/Budget to determine how much meat has been put into the product you’re buying.

Of course, in the current economic climate, companies will be taking measures to cut costs, but this added transparency required from manufacturers is essential in keeping company’s honest and consumers getting value for the money they’re spending.

What do you think of the new patty rules? Let us know below or on Facebook or Twitter!