Ever wonder what gives your juicy burgers and sausages that redness? It’s nothing other than the Red 2G. This additive added to the burgers and hot dogs is harmful to health and the European food safety association(EFSA) is working towards banning this element to cut down cancer.
What is this Red 2G?
Red 2G is basically a red dye added to all the burger and sausage meats. According to the EFSA, upon entering the human body, the Red 2G converts to a particular element called aniline. This aniline is supposed to be a carcinogen and is known to cause cancer.
Till today, the dye was only allowed in a small proportion in meat related products. The sausages would be allowed to have about 6% of this chemical, and in burger meat with a minimum amount of 4%. The number was not to exceed 20 milligrams per Kg. of product.
EFSA’s take and other perspectives:
In a recent statement, EFSA said it will ban the red chemical once the paper on Red 2G is published. As of now Britain and Ireland are the major uses of the element and things are not looking that great. I wonder if the burgers will still have the good old red and juicy look once the additive removed.
This means from now on Kosher and Halal meats will have a little less red in them. However, with this step, it’s use in the UK is ‘likely to be minimal’. I think this is a great move since, none of these additives have a nutritional value and are simply a threat to the human body.
Image Credits: Posieplace, Stlouisblogs