ZDFbesseresser: Sebastian Lege unpacks - The tricks in potato salad, cake & co
Instant noodles, frozen cakes, poultry rolls and potato salad: Sebastian Lege exposes the tricks of the food industry. Mechanically separated meat makes the poultry roll from the discount bakery particularly cheap. Frozen cream cakes trick you with extra ingredients. Ready-made salads have a particularly long shelf life thanks to lots of sugar and low acidity - and instant noodles contain too much salt. Sebastian Lege uncovers the tricks behind the most popular supermarket products. In 1975, "Coppenrath & Wiese" started selling frozen baked goods and cakes. A revolution at the time, now standard in every supermarket. Cream cakes such as the Black Forest gateau are produced by machine on an assembly line. Each one looks exactly the same + offers the same promise: top quality and a long shelf life in the freezer.
How is that possible? After all, freezing and subsequent defrosting can have an enormous negative impact on the quality of food. Sebastian Lege shows how the industry tricks freeze-stable cakes. In addition to baked goods, discount bakeries also sell meat-based snacks such as sandwiches, pizza tongues and poultry rolls. The principle: mass-produced goods at discount prices. Mechanically separated meat makes products particularly cheap. In his workshop, Sebastian Lege uses a separator he built himself to produce the inexpensive mass that can no longer be called meat according to EU regulations. It must be clearly labeled as mechanically separated meat. Thousands of tons of mechanically separated meat are processed in Germany every year. Experts suspect that not all manufacturers are open about this. Ready-made salads from the chiller cabinet can be kept for up to two weeks or longer.
The food industry uses a simple but ingenious ingredient for this: spirit vinegar. Acetic acid creates an acidic environment that offers microorganisms little chance of attack. But the acidic spirit vinegar has a side effect. In order for the salad to be edible, the industry has to add a lot of sugar. Sugar also serves as a preservative + can balance out the acidity in terms of taste. Salads are therefore anything but healthy. Instant noodles are a quick and cheap alternative. Whether duck, beef, vegetables or shrimps - Asian + German supermarkets offer a huge variety. The ready meals can be kept unrefrigerated and are very inexpensive. A pack often costs less than one euro. Sebastian Lege shows how the industry manages to produce an intense-tasting dish so cheaply.
Broadcasting on 25th of January 2024 at 02.00pm on ZDF
Music: POPVIRUS Library