According to Nettavisen, Rema 1000 continues to sell its most popular minced meat containing both added salt and water, even after the grocery chain recently removed these additives from its cheaper Prima alternative priced at 69.90 kroner. The chain’s bestselling Nordfjord minced meat, priced at 79.90 kroner, still contains one percent salt and five percent water. Clinical nutritionist Tine Sundfør tells Nettavisen that customers pay ten kroner extra for a product containing less pure meat, describing the practice as misleading.
Rema 1000 Defends Additives Amid Criticism
According to Nettavisen, Rema 1000 kommunikasjonsdirektør Marte Ramuz Eriksen defends the use of salt and water in the bestselling product. Eriksen states that some customers prefer minced meat with salt and water because it can provide a juicier and more flavorful product, while others want it without. Eriksen points out that the chain removed salt and water from the Prima variety to give customers greater choice, noting that Rema 1000 previously only offered additive-free minced meat from external suppliers. Furthermore, Eriksen states that Rema 1000 agrees with official goals to reduce Norway’s salt intake and offers a Prima carbonade meat with five percent fat and no added salt or water for customers seeking a leaner option, as reported by Nettavisen.
Market Comparison: How Competitors Handle Minced Meat
According to Nettavisen, competing grocery chains and suppliers have moved away from additives entirely. Coop has cut out all minced meat variants with added salt and water, and meat producer Gilde follows the same practice, as reported by Nettavisen. Additionally, Kiwi removed added salt and water from its minced meat line back in 2014, according to Nettavisen. Kiwi’s Folkets minced meat with 10 percent fat contains 900 gram of pure meat per kilo without salt or water, and it sells for ten kroner less than Rema’s Nordfjord variant, according to Nettavisen. Meanwhile, Rema 1000 has also launched a vegetable-inclusive minced meat option containing 50 percent Norwegian vegetables and 50 percent Norwegian meat produced by Nordfjord, according to Rema’s corporate site.
Did you know? With five percent added water and one percent salt, customers receive only 940 gram of meat per kilo of Nordfjord minced meat, according to Nettavisen. Accounting for the 14 percent fat content, a buyer gets 800 gram of pure meat per kilo, meaning a fifth of the package consists of water, salt, and fat, according to clinical nutritionist Tine Sundfør via Nettavisen.
Health Consequences of Salt in Minced Meat
According to Nettavisen, clinical nutritionist Tine Sundfør warns that the salt content in standard minced meat has significant health impacts. Sundfør explains that one percent salt equals one gram of salt per hundred grams of product, meaning a typical adult eating a 200-gram portion of taco meat consumes two gram of salt from the meat alone, prior to adding spiced seasoning blends, according to Nettavisen. Norwegians consume an average of ten grams of salt daily against a recommended maximum of five to six grams, making a two-gram reduction from a single meal highly meaningful, according to Sundfør via Nettavisen.
Cardiovascular Risks and the Worst Combination
According to Nettavisen, Sundfør identifies high blood pressure as the primary risk tied to elevated salt intake, noting that cardiovascular disease and cancer represent the two leading causes of serious illness and death in Norway. Sundfør warns that the combination of salt and saturated fat is the worst possible dietary mix, explaining that saturated fat raises cholesterol to narrow blood vessels through arterial plaque buildup while salt spikes blood pressure, creating major risk factors for heart attacks, strokes, and severe heart failure, as reported by Nettavisen.
According to Nettavisen, taste buds adjust back within two to three weeks, and shoppers can utilize garlic, chili, and fresh or dried herbs to boost flavor naturally without relying on excess salt.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Rema 1000 sell any minced meat without salt and water?
Yes. According to Nettavisen, Rema 1000 recently removed added salt and water from its cheaper Prima minced meat priced at 69.90 kroner.
Which competitors have removed salt and water from minced meat?
According to Nettavisen, Kiwi removed added salt and water from its minced meat in 2014, while Coop and the meat producer Gilde have also eliminated all variants containing those additives.
How much pure meat is in Rema’s Nordfjord minced meat?
According to Nettavisen, because the Nordfjord minced meat contains five percent water and one percent salt alongside 14 percent fat, customers receive 800 grams of pure meat per kilo.
What do experts recommend consumers do?
According to Nettavisen, clinical nutritionist Tine Sundfør encourages consumers to boycott the salted Nordfjord minced meat to pressure the grocery industry into removing the additives.
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