Taking the fat out of burger meat isn’t the problem; keeping the meat’s good taste is. LeanMaker and McLean use different substances to replace the juiciness fat provides. McLean uses the seaweed derivative carrageenan, while LeanMaker uses oat bran. Though McDonald’s holds exclusive rights to its recipe, the technology is up for grabs, and it didn’t take long for it to be adapted by other companies and sold in supermarkets. According to Advertising Age, ConAgra Inc., one of the nation’s largest beef marketers, is testing another low-fat ground-beef formula using an oat gum. Meats made with a fat substitute are already on the shelves in some 8,500 grocery stores; most are located in the Northeast and California.
Whatever the recipe, the final test is how it tastes, and the verdict isn’t in yet. The LeanMaker group has done minimal consumer testing, but Fairbank Farms in Ashville, N.Y., which manufactures ground meat for restaurants and supermarkets, has done some. Bill O’Neill, Fairbank’s vice president, says his company’s tests of a similar product showed poor results. “The customers didn’t like the oat,” he says. The McLean formula, however, which has a high sodium content and a flavor enhancer, is also a problem for many retailers, who have asked Fairbank to remove the salt and chemicals. Like the perfect mousetrap, it seems the perfect fat-free hamburger is still on the drawing board.
