Use by and sell by dates
Avoid damaged packaging which may have compromised the meat. Always read the labels for the sell by and use by dates.
Sell by date: The sell by date is the last day a retailer can sell the meat. If the mince is past its sell by date, it doesn’t mean it isn’t safe to eat, just that it is past its peak quality. Often, if the sell by date is close, the mince will be labelled and the price reduced.
Use by date: The use by date is the last day a retailer recommends consuming the meat.
If you plan to cook the mince within the use by date stated, then it is safe to purchase, keep in the fridge and cook when you are ready. If not, you should freeze the mince immediately after purchasing (it is safe to eat frozen meat that is past its use by date as long as it was frozen before the date). If you haven’t cooked or frozen the mince before the use by date, it’s best to throw it away. If you are buying mince from a butcher, it may not come prepackaged. In that case, you will need to look at other cues to make sure the meat is safe to buy and eat.
Colour and texture
Beef mince
When buying minced beef, look for meat that is bright red and uniform in colour. The redness comes from the meat being exposed to oxygen (usually via the packaging). However, it isn’t uncommon for the interior of the mince to be a grey-brown colour as the oxygen has not reached it to turn it red. This does not mean the mince has spoiled. Beef mince that is grey or brown in the middle is safe to eat. If the mince is grey or brown on the top as well as the middle, then it has probably begun to spoil and you shouldn’t buy it.
Pork, lamb and chicken mince
Pork or chicken mince should be ever-so-slightly pink. As with beef mince, pork and chicken mince might also be slightly grey-brown in the centre of the pack where the oxygen has not reached the meat. Be particularly careful with raw chicken mince. A slight grey-brown colouration does not mean the meat is bad but you should check the use by date and make sure the meat doesn’t smell off.
Texture
Raw pork and beef mince should have a firm texture that is not overly soft or mushy. Raw chicken mince has a glossy, soft texture and is usually not as coarse as pork and beef mince. But it should not be overly squishy, slimy or tacky.
Smell
Fresh minced beef should smell faintly of iron without any strong odours. As the meat gets closer to the use by date, it might start to smell more ‘meaty’ but it should still be safe to eat. Raw pork mince will also have a mild meaty smell and chicken mince should have little to no smell at all.
With any type of mince, if you smell any strong odour, sour or acidic, it’s likely gone bad and you shouldn’t buy it.
Look at the fat content
Mince beef is graded and priced according to its fat content. The highest quality mince will often be labelled as ‘premium mince’ and made from top-end cuts of meat such as Angus beef.
Premium mince
Premium is the leanest beef mince with 5% fat content. This uses the highest quality cuts and is usually the most expensive.
Prime mince
Prime mince is made of less than 10% fat. It is still made from high-quality cuts of beef but has slightly more fat which can be good for dishes like bolognese or chilli
Standard mince
Standard mince has 10-20% fat which is visibly dispersed as white specks throughout the meat. This is the most affordable option but you may need to drain off some of the fat when cooking.
Chicken, pork and lamb mince
Chicken mince has around 5-10% fat content. This is generally the lowest fat content (on a par with premium beef mince).
Pork mince’s fat content ranges from 10 - 30% depending on the cut used.
Lamb mince tends to have 15-25% fat depending on the cut used. This makes it, on average, the fattiest option (but still delicious).
Which is best: 5%, 10% or 20% beef mince?
The lower the fat content of the mince the ‘healthier’ it is (depending on how much of it you eat and what you eat it with).
Bear in mind that the leaner the meat the more likely it will be to dry out during cooking.
Choose cheaper, standard mince if you are making burger patties, meatballs or stuffing. These types of dishes benefit from the extra fat content adding flavour and helps to bind the mince together.
Use premium or prime mince if you are cooking a dish like lasagne or chilli con carne.
More tips for choosing the right mince
Which mince option is the healthiest?
Extra lean beef mince is the leanest option. It also contains higher levels of iron and B vitamins which benefit the blood and nervous health systems.
Is grass-fed mince better?
Yes, grass-fed beef tends to be lower in calories with more Omega 3 fatty acids compared to grain fed beef mince.
Which mince option is the cheapest?
Standard mince beef is often the cheapest to buy with prices starting at just $15 per kilo*.
What is added to mince? Is it 100% beef/pork/chicken/lamb?
Nothing is added to 100% beef/pork/lamb or chicken mince. Most mince is now vacuum packed to preserve the quality and extend the shelf life of the meat. This process removes all the air around the food and replaces it with a mix of food-safe gases such as oxygen, carbon dioxide and nitrogen. Once opened these gases disperse.
Is mince a ‘processed’ food?
No, plain mince is not a processed food unless it’s pre-made into burgers, sausages and pies where other ingredients and flavourings are added before being sold.