Burger King Whopper contain horse meat

[Smokey]

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/01/31/article-2271440-17239FD3000005DC-517_634x412.jpg


Burger King in UK has finally admitted that it has been selling burgers and Whoppers containing horsemeat despite two weeks of denials. They sells around one million burgers a week in the UK, and contaminated burgers were made by the Irish-based processing company, Silvercrest, which is part the ABP Foods Group.

It is known that the management at Silvercrest has been using a series of non-approved ingredients in their burgers for a range of household name brands. These included meat off-cuts, including horse, that were imported in large frozen blocks from Poland. The contamination has been going on since at least last May and potentially for up to one year.Y

esterday, Burger King vice president, Diego Beamonte, said: ‘We are deeply troubled by the findings of our investigation and apologise to our guests, who trust us to source only the highest quality 100per cent beef burgers."

Personally I love a big juicy Whopper if it is made right and fresh. But BK never do it the right way. They grill their burger early in the day, stack them in a pan and microwave them as per order. I also question the cleanliness of employees making the burger. They got bunch of teenagers working in the back, and god knows what goes on in the prep area.

And know we have to wonder what is in tha beef pattie (for lack of better word :D) we are consuming.

[ForeverAutumn]

Every day I get closer and closer to going back to being a vegetarian. This is a good example of why. Although I don't eat fast food.

[StevenSurprenant]

Every day I get closer and closer to going back to being a vegetarian.

You and I, both! Amen...

[Hyfi]

I have not eaten a FF burger or much else besides fries for at least 15 years. There is no nutritional value in FF and I would bet that the Horse meat is better than the Mad Cows they regularly use.

[Mr Peabody]

Vegetarian isn't much better unless you are able to grow everything yourself, between the chemicals to grow them larger and to keep bugs and weeds away...... With an ever growing population having the need for food and the greed we've been pretty lucky so far. The UK is lucky all they ate was a taste of horse, which I believe France considers a delicacy, if those burgers were from China they may have been eating old rubber tires or something.

[JohnMichael]

I eat too much fast food. I eat too much microwave meals. I eat too much in restaurants. I eat too much. I eat very little Burger King. I will even eat less BK now.

I am satisfied more quickly with high quality food. Some of my favorite restaurants serve a small plate. One such plate would have a crab cake and a vegetable. Or 4 oz. tournedos of beef and you can choose one or two with a choice of side. I think meat portions are too large. I would rather have have soup or salad before a meal than desert after a meal.

No I am finished visiting BK.

[ForeverAutumn]

Vegetarian isn't much better unless you are able to grow everything yourself, between the chemicals to grow them larger and to keep bugs and weeds away...... With an ever growing population having the need for food and the greed we've been pretty lucky so far.

I agree. I actually did start a small garden last summer for the first time. I learned a lot and I'll increase it next year. But living in Canada, there is no way that you can grow your own food year round without a serious investment in your own green house. So instead I try to eat organic and GMO free as much as I can. The day a Whole Foods opened in my neighbourhood was a very happy day for me! The meat thing is more of an ethical issue for me than a health issue. In fact the reason that I went back to eating meat was for health reasons. It was recommended by my doctor.

[Smokey]

There is no nutritional value in Fast Food

You just have to know what to pick. For example Bean buritto from Taco Bell is pretty healthy.


The meat thing is more of an ethical issue for me than a health issue. In fact the reason that I went back to eating meat was for health reasons. It was recommended by my doctor.

I am guessing since humans have 2 set of canine teeth, our body may crave meat for nourishment and balance diet. But sadley our diet (at least in western hemisphere) make the meat star of menu rather than part of it.

Pork and catfish are probably the most offending meats in our diet since they are scavenger animal, and bible strickly forbit eating them.

[Feanor]

I'm see great comments here. Personally I'd be more concerned about contamination whether beef or horse. Actually horse is probably lower in fat, including trans-fats, than is beef.

I avoid restaurant hamburgers altogether but cause I have a congenital tendency to low HDL. I have to take large dosages of anti-cholesterol drugs everyday despite being quite careful about what I eat in the normal course.

If lean horse burgers were offered as a regular option I'd probably eat more burgers. Don't I have sympathy for horses? Of course I do, but I have sympathy for cows too. Vegetarianism sounds good to me but I don't get much family support in that direction.

[Hyfi]

I eat a regular burger at 1 specific pub every other month or so. At home we only eat turkey burgers or buffalo burgers. Meatballs for pasta sauce would be the only thing we use ground beef for but use the trio of pork-veal-beef.

I would have no problem trying a horse burger. I have had many different animals other than standard fare. Elk, Dear, Bear, Ostrich, Rattlesnake, Wild Boar, and so on. They all die the same way and get butchered so why would we feel worse for one than another?

[ForeverAutumn]

I am guessing since humans have 2 set of canine teeth, our body may crave meat for nourishment and balance diet. But sadley our diet (at least in western hemisphere) make the meat star of menu rather than part of it.

I believe that humans are meant to be carnivores. Unfortunately, humans also have the ability to reason and have empathy, which makes eating meat difficult for some. One of the triggers that sent me to the doctor when I was a vegetarian was that I was craving meat. That just wasn't normal for me as I generally don't like meat.

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

I tried a vegetarian diet for a while. It made me so sick, it took weeks to recover. Humans were designed for a mostly plant based diet. Studies show us this.

I eat out once a week, but never at a fast food restaurant except El Pollo Loco on occasion(which I love). I HAVE to have meat, but it must be high quality meat. Free range chicken, grass fed beef, and pork from free range pig. My best friend and I will occasionally travel to Marin County, pick our own cow, and have them slaughter and slice it up. We divide it up, and store it in a freezer.

The one big change I have made over the years, is to make meat my food flavoring instead of an entree. I may cook it whole, but it is then sliced into small pieces, and used to flavor veggies or a pasta dish. I do enjoy an occasional filet mignon or prime rib.

Everything in moderation is the safest bet.

[noddin0ff]

As much as I'm a fan of the occasional Wendy's Baconator, I love Micheal Pollan's advise.

Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/28/magazine/28nutritionism.t.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0) (link to great article)

I highly recommend both his books, The Omnivore's Dilemma (http://www.amazon.com/The-Omnivores-Dilemma-Natural-History/dp/0143038583/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_1) and In Defense of Food (http://www.amazon.com/In-Defense-Food-Eaters-Manifesto/dp/0143114964/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_2)

He's one of the few 'food' writers that are 1) easy to read, 2) did some actual research and 3) re-thinks in a thoughtful and constructive an approach to food. He occasionally transits over into preaching, but not terribly far.

I would add a 4th tip from my own pseudo-science philosophy. Eat variety. Your gut is a complex ecosystem of you and trillions of bacteria. If you were to go out and look at any ecosystem and you saw limited variety (corn field, e.g.) you wouldn't think it was particularly healthy or robust. Simple ecosystems are fragile. If you eat variety, you encourage complexity, robustness and health.

Personally, I think that the problem of eating a lot of meat is mostly the cost (not just monetary) of producing so much meat.

1) Cows are corn fed prior to sacrifice to fatten them up and produce the marbled meat consumers prefer. Plus all the other feed. A rough conversion is that 10lbs of feed make 1lb of cow. Just imagine if we grew 10lbs of grains, beans, fruits and vegetables for human consumption and skipped the cow.

2) Antibiotics. "Antibiotics administered in low doses have been widely used as growth promoters in the agricultural industry since the 1950s (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22914093)". Many of our current problems with drug-resistant diseases originate with overuse of antibiotics, primarily in agriculture (http://www.aaas.org/news/releases/2009/0313antibiotic.shtml).

Interestingly, there's emerging evidence that early antibiotic use in humans also leads to weight gain although the mechanisms are not clear (the link above is to a recent paper showing this in mice; great work from a very good scientist, M. Blazer). One scenario, could be that antibiotics influence the bacterial composition of our gut (bacteria that pre-digest >30% of your food for you, thus converting it into your nutrients) in ways that can promote obesity, diabetes, and other health issues. Again, mechanisms still unclear (very complicated) and the subject of much research.

It's probably true that any dramatic and sudden alterations in your diet are not handled well by your gut bacteria, which need time to adapt to new food sources. High meat to all plants is a big switch.

I eat a fair amount of meat. I like it. I like food in general. Over time, I've reduced my meat consumption and replaced it with grains and beans (quick fry a can of black beans in a little olive oil and garlic and throw some goat cheese on it at the end, e.g.). I always look for healthy, cheaper and more various alternatives to meat. But the grill loves me.

[ForeverAutumn]

Thanks for the book recs noddinOff. I really want to read this one, Eating Animals (http://www.amazon.com/Eating-Animals-Jonathan-Safran-Foer/dp/0316069884/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1360167071&sr=1-1&keywords=eating+animals), but I'm a bit afraid to! :eek6:

Regarding hormones, antibiotics, etc. in meat...when the Whole Foods opened near me I started to buy all of my meat there because of their animal welfare program (Animal Welfare Standards | Whole Foods Market (http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/about-our-products/quality-standards/animal-welfare-standards)). In addition, all of the meat sold there is antibiotic and hormone free. What I quickly found was that the meat tasted 1000 times better! All of the additives required to prepare meat for mass consumption has removed the flavour and quality from the meat bought in conventional supermarkets. The meat from Whole Foods (and other "ethical" butchers in the city) is more expensive, but the quality is so worth the extra money (even if the treatment of the animals means nothing to you).

I also used to have a lot of stomach and digestive issues. For years, I had acid reflux so bad that I would take prescription medication and still could not sleep lying down. A friend recommended that I try to go one month eating "clean". No preservatives, no additives, no artificial anything. If something had more than six ingredients in it and/or I couldn't pronounce even one of them, I couldn't eat it. Within two weeks the acid reflux was significantly better and I could lie down. I hadn't slept lying down for two years, at that point. Her recommendation changed my life! All of those frozen, boxed and canned foods that we buy for convenience are making us ill! In addition to the acid reflux, I have seen many other improvements to my health since I started eating clean. It was a lot of work at first to prepare my own foods instead of buying prepared foods, but now that I'm used to doing it, it's really easy. My cholesteral numbers are way down and so is my husband's blood pressure. He's even been able to come off of his BP medication (with his doctor's permission). :)

[JohnMichael]

I was so amazed at the taste of food while visiting Paris. I was equally impressed with the open air markets. I was amazed as I was walking down a street and could smell fruits and vegetables at a green grocer around the corner. In my local area you better be able to see the fruit because you could not find it by scent.

Looking forward to the weekly farmers' market. We do have very nice apple and peach orchards.

[ForeverAutumn]

I love the farmers markets here. There is nothing like making a salad from vegetables that were picked the day before! And it stays fresh for so much longer than store bought veggies. I know the schedules of all the markets in my area. :) They only run from May to October here and the week that they all close down in the fall is a very sad week for me.

[Smokey]

It was a lot of work at first to prepare my own foods instead of buying prepared foods, but now that I'm used to doing it, it's really easy.

I used to eat out alot especially from fast food places since it was quick. But one time I found a bandaid in stir fry rice from a chinese take out place, and that was a wake up call for me as not to eat out anymore.

Now I make most of food at house. I used to love bean burrito from Taco Bell, but now I make it at house which is real easy, fast and filling. Same goes for hamburger also.

On weekends that there is more time, the menu is more elaborate such as sauteed fish (Talapia) on bed of rice, with broiled tomato. And plain yogurt mix with cucumber and fresh mint (Greek style) :)

[noddin0ff]

Thanks for the book recs noddinOff. I really want to read this one, Eating Animals (http://www.amazon.com/Eating-Animals-Jonathan-Safran-Foer/dp/0316069884/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1360167071&sr=1-1&keywords=eating+animals), but I'm a bit afraid to! :eek6:


That one looks interesting too. I certainly like his fiction.

I usually try to avoid the moral issues of eating other living things. Too much of a slippery slope with no real solution for me. But, reducing the impact on the world by small degrees works for me. Had a good friend who went for years at a time being vegetarian cause he felt it was wrong to eat animals. It was always bacon that broke the streak.

We started buying most of our beef from a local family. It's 'grass fed' but not necessarily organic. Mostly dairy cows that didn't make the cut so to speak. The hamburger is terrific, lean and flavorful. Everything else tastes good but, man, is it tough stuff. We just get hamburger and an occasional pot roast now. Couldn't enjoy the steaks with all the sawing and chewing.

[Feanor]

That one looks interesting too. I certainly like his fiction.

I usually try to avoid the moral issues of eating other living things. Too much of a slippery slope with no real solution for me. But, reducing the impact on the world by small degrees works for me. Had a good friend who went for years at a time being vegetarian cause he felt it was wrong to eat animals. It was always bacon that broke the streak. ...
The human species, per the archaeological record, have always eaten meat when it was available. Personally I don't argue against meat on humanitarian grounds, although certainly various religions do so, e.g. Jains, many Hindus. (Not so much Buddhists: it seems Gautama died accepting a meal of pork that was contaminated unknown to the donor.)

Often meat eating was a small part of the diet; this has be the case for most of world for thousand years at least. Some observe that with growing prosperity in China, India, etc., demand for meat is going up with the higher incomes.

Meat, notably beef, is a very inefficient means of supplying protein to people on account of the high quality of feed and other inputs. Chicken is much less inefficient. In a world of growing population and diminishing resources, is this a moral problem, an economic problem, or both?

[Mr Peabody]

A friend brought over a book some time back something about diet based on your blood type, what was fascinating it was right on the mark, I basically will eat some meat if my wife cooks it but I can take it or leave it, I much prefer fish and fruit which was what aligned with my blood type, my wife is a meat eater for sure, which is what the book recommended for her blood type. There is very little meat I can actually say I enjoy eating, I get nervous being in the same house if my wife don't get her quota :). She is B+, any one else like that for the same blood type? I'm A+.

[ForeverAutumn]

I basically will eat some meat but I can take it or leave it, I much prefer fish and fruit which was what aligned with my blood type, ... any one else like that for the same blood type? I'm A+.

Yep. That's exactly how I feel. I'm A-pos also.

[TheHills44060]

I worked at Dairy Queen in junior high/high school. Trust me, the last thing you need to worry about is what's in the burger meat. By the time it hits your tray it's contaminated for sure.

[Smokey]

Trust me, the last thing you need to worry about is what's in the burger meat. By the time it hits your tray it's contaminated for sure.I'm guessing too much man handled :D

[Mr Peabody]

LOL, Smokey, do you really want to ask that question?