stern TV Special - Fish fingers in comparison - More than half are contaminated with harmful substances
Children love the crispy golden breading, but it is precisely this that is the downfall of fish fingers. 11 out of 19 products in the Stiftung Warentest test were clearly contaminated with a critical fat pollutant. The four vegan alternatives also failed to score highly. Out of a total of 11 fish fingers, four fried fish fingers and the four veggies, only two products scored good in the end.
More than half of the products in the test are primarily contaminated with 3-MCPD esters. This fat pollutant comes from deep-frying oil, for example. During digestion, it can be converted into free 3-MCPD, which is considered to be potentially carcinogenic. The fried fish fingers from Iglo and the fish fingers from Rewe Ja contain more than twice as much as is permitted for the oils used in the EU. This results in a poor rating for harmful substances. Nine others exceed the limit value to a lesser extent. The experts still rate them as sufficient.
Other harmful substances in the veggies: Kaufland's vegan fish fingers contain saturated mineral oil hydrocarbons, or mosh for short, in quantities above the guideline value set by the food monitoring and food industry. This is rated as sufficient. The other suppliers show that things can be better. Their products contain only a very small amount of mosh, if any at all.
The vegan fish finger alternatives based on soya, vegetables or cereals are supposed to taste like fish. Only two, the Kaufland and Iglo sticks, achieved this in the test. Apart from flavour and appearance, the originals with fish have a slightly better nutritional composition.
Broadcasting on 21st of February 2024 at 10.15pm on RTL
Music: POPVIRUS Library