As part of its new issue on eating healthy and cheap, the magazine 60 million consumers took an interest in a product widely consumed by households, frozen fries.
Planning on defrosting some fries for your meal? This is an opportunity to look at their composition. Because if it is true that this widely consumed product is synonymous with simplicity, the lists of ingredients are not always so.
In its latest issue “eating healthy, good and cheap”, the magazine 60 million consumers screened nine references of frozen fries to be made in the oven: one from a major brand (McCain) and eight from well-known private labels (Aldi, Auchan, Carrefour, Casino, E.Leclerc, Intermarché, Lidl and Picard).
Less is more
To evaluate those who occupy the top of the ranking, a watchword: minimalism. And in this comparison exercise, it is the fries from Lidl that do best. Why? Thanks to a composition worthy of homemade: potatoes (94%) and sunflower oil.
Behind come frozen fries from Picard, in which slips a third ingredient, “dextrose, added sugar – too bad”, comments 60 million consumers.
But this virtuous classification is tarnished by far too long lists of ingredients in most of the references studied. “Six out of nine preparations have more than 10 ingredients. Auchan even goes up to 14!”, Indicates the magazine.
Additives, salt and sugar
The McCain brand, for example, the most expensive in the ranking, has no less than 12 ingredients, including a texturizing agent found in several references of frozen oven fries, E450, which is the subject of reservations. about its impact on health.
The consumer defense magazine also deplores the fact that sugar slips into almost all the references except for that of Lidl. Finally, salt levels are also to be taken into account. Among the worst students in this field, the content reaches too high scores: “McCain (0.50 g per 100 g), Intermarché (0.47 g / 100 g) and Casino (0.41 g / 100 g) “.