Rare ‘gourmet’ burgers to carry health warning

RESTAURANT menus will warn diners against eating pink burgers under plans being considered by the food watchdog.

The Food Standards Agency is concerned that the trend for “gourmet” burger chains to serve dishes rare or medium-rare is putting people at risk from E. coli and Salmonella poisoning.

The bacteria are killed only by thorough cooking and the watchdog intends to ask all restaurants to make clear that pink meat is potentially unsafe.

Byron, a burger chain with restaurants in London, Liverpool, Manchester and other cities, will add to its menu a warning in a trial of the plans this autumn.

The notice will read: “We want you to enjoy your hamburger just the way you like it. We prefer our hamburgers cooked pink but, of course, it should be up to you.

“However, the Food Standards Agency has asked us to point out that undercooked meat may increase the risk of food-borne illness, particularly for those who are very young, elderly, pregnant or suffering illness.” In its proposals, the FSA said that it had conducted research and found young, affluent males were most likely to order or accept burgers cooked rare or medium-rare.

The testing found diners who saw “risk information in a restaurant setting” were caused “some discomfort”. Researchers felt messages on menus would be “sufficiently disruptive to cause people to move from automatic to reflective thinking”.

The safety regulator has also worked with Davy’s restaurant, which was engaged in a row with Westminster council after officials challenged the way it served its £13.95 burgers.

Its menus now include the words: “The Food Standards Agency advises that the consumption of raw or lightly cooked animal products, such as meat, offal and shellfish, may cause illness. This especially applies to children, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems.”

Prof Guy Poppy, the FSA’ s chief scientific adviser, said: “The best way of ensuring burgers are safe is to cook them thoroughly but we acknowledge that some people choose to eat them rare.”