Right now my store shows percentages on the packages of hamburger - 75, 85, and 96% - But I've heard about fat analyzers and that soon we won't be able to have the percentage on there unless it's been tested.  Who out there uses this equipment?

How much do they run?  Are they necessary?  Is it too much of a pain to match exactly?  Can you reccomend a good one?

You basically cook a premeasured amount of grinds and it measures the grease to determine the fat content.

That is exactly the device that we used. I too had no idea it was so expensive.  At my chain (PathMark) we sold ground beef by fat content.  We believed that was actually more accurate than "ground chuck, ground round, ground sirloin",etc.

We sold 80% lean, 85% lean, and 90% lean ground sirloin.  The latter was always made out of peeled knuckles.

We had to log the fat content of every batch, and we had to grind fresh batches every 4 hours and throw out the old, no regrinding or you would be terminated if caught.  We also had to break down and clean the grinder and blender after every batch.

I can tell you that with experience you can  make your grind pass the fat test for a given batch; you get the sense of how it will test and sometimes would skip the testing. Also we would grind the leanest batch first, 90, then 85, then 80, so we only had to break down and clean the grinder and blender after grinding all three.

Our company's policies were so strict that we never had to worry about board of health or county or state inspectors. God help you if a company inspector came in  and the grinder and blender were not spotless and sanitized (they took swabs for lab testing bacteria count) or if they caught you re-grinding or had ground beef in the case that did not match the fat content of the last grind on the log. You would be out the door.

 

Mainemeatman wrote:

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Hobart use to sell fat analysers thru hubert supply
kevin is correct, you cook a small amount, and the juice runs in a test tube- a caliper measures the fat at the top of the juice for percentages

if you put a percentage desciption on the package of burger (like 90%) and it comes from bench trimmings, then you must test the fat ratio to prove the 90%
thats why chain stores love tube burger-it comes in all pre-determined

if you are using bench trimmings and using percentage stickers without testing it-you in violation

the fat analyser contraption is around 500.00

-- Edited by Mainemeatman on Wednesday 25th of January 2012 05:40:44 PM

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-- Edited by Burgermeister on Thursday 26th of January 2012 09:24:57 AM

Burgermeister wrote:

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 I've taken it to work once or twice and used it just for the heck of it. I think I'll get it out and post a pic later.

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-- Edited by Burgermeister on Thursday 26th of January 2012 09:38:14 PM

I found the small fat testers to be both reliable and accurate.  The key to reliability was keeping it clean, including cleaning the steel contacts with steel wool after each use. I considered them accurate because when one of our company's inspectors would make a "surprise attack" he would get the same results that we did.  The key to accuracy is to firmly push as much ground meat into the measure as possible.  You CAN fudge the results by holdng your thumb in the bottom of the measure so that you end up with a smaller sample of ground beef to test, and that will give you a leaner result, BUT, that would not help you when the inspector came in and tested your grind.

In our case, a 150 store chain, we had to grind what the company marketed, 80. 85, and 90% lean.

We almost never had any visits by any kind of govt. inspectors because our company had such a tight program, with our own inspectors, and a national reputation.

Thanks for the info everyone! After a bit of research into the cost of those machines and the time involved I think I'll just re-name the beef into these: (without the percentages on there of course)

Ground Beef - around 75-80%
Ground Sirloin - around 85%
Ground Round - around 90%

hamburger , ground chuck , ground round, ground sirloin. problem solved.

fdarn wrote:

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hamburger , ground chuck , ground round, ground sirloin. problem solved.

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 It's a simple fix and fulfills the requirements. Should an inspector come in and require a test (they have to provide the tester if you don't promote your grind in percentage) and you have your grinds labeled as "Ground Chuck", so long as the test comes in above 72% (the federally mandated highest alloted fat content) you'll be fine. Also, I've worked for a couple major retailers and I've only seen testing occur once, and that was within the company. It wasn't USDA mandated. I can tell you when a USDA inspector came into my store and flashed a badge, I pooed myself a little. LOL

I like one of my inspectors, he use to be a meatcutter, so on one hand, you cant b's him, and on the other, he knows where to look-for anything- I call him alot- try to be pro-active-he gives me down to earth answers on new policies that are written by lawyers



you keep good sanitation records, grinding logs, have your country of origin signs, and nutritional signs up-they should leave you alone.

I learned years ago, many of these inspectors are on a time-line, so have about 5 questions ready to ask them-they feel obligated to answer you-ask them if it is "legal" to vac seal fresh fish/seafood and sell it fresh- ask what are the new rules/laws coming in the near future-ask if their has been any violations/lawsuits in the area-not that they can disclose much-but may get a pulse on what they are focusing on.
ask if you can display a meatloaf mix, with ground pork and beef together
Just have 5-6 questions at the ready- I have derailed many an inspector, and they are fighting the clock, so maybe they'll just write something real quick and easy.

no, he went postal on the inspectors????

I didnt see that!!!

I'll have to look that up-

They can be downright irritating-but never thought to shoot one of them