I was planning to write a complete review about these veggie burgers from Yves Veggie Cuisine. But after reading this report (one of several that I found this past week online) about hexane used in the process of making some popular veggie burgers on the market, this is going to be a short review. And I won't be going into the details about taste, price or sodium content. Not really of interest or importance compared to the bigger issues in these reports.
And here's another report, this one from Mother Jones. This one goes into more detail about the dangers of hexane.
I shudder to think how many of the "bad" brands on that list I've eaten in the past. But live and learn. That's one of the best things about the Internet and ingredient lists on packages, we can buy products as informed consumers. And we can make decisions based on our own research.
Ingredient list for Yves Prima Veggie Burgers from their Canadian website:
Water, soy protein product, onions, canola oil, natural flavour (including natural cheese flavour), modified cellulose, cornstarch, egg albumen, hydrolysed soy and corn protein, evaporated cane juice, torula yeast, salt, caramel colour, carrageenan, spices, yeast extract, vitamins and minerals (thiamine hydrochloride, riboflavin, niacinamide, pyridoxine hydrochloride, cyanocobalamin, calcium pantothenate, reduced iron, zinc oxide, wheat starch).
Ingredient list for their Meatless Beef Burgers from their U.S. site:
(and how's that for a strange product name? Oxymoron anyone!!!)
Water, Textured Soy Protein, Vital Wheat Gluten, Expeller Pressed Canola Oil, Onions, Cornstarch, Natural Flavors, Fruit Powder (Pear, Apple, Plum), Modified Vegetable Gum, Malt Extract, Salt, Hydrolyzed Corn Protein, Torula Yeast, Dextrose, Carrageenan, Onion Powder, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Spices. Vitamins & Minerals: thiamin hydrochloride, riboflavin, niacinamide, pyridoxine hydrochloride, cyanocobalamine, calcium pantothenate, reduced iron, zinc oxide). CONTAINS: SOY and WHEAT. Manufactured in a facility that uses peanuts, dairy and egg ingredients
I'm not planning to use any commercial veggie burgers, until I find some brands I can actually feel good about buying. And of course to buy them more than once, they've gotta taste good too!
I'm working on some new recipes for homemade veggie burgers right now. Made some this week with lentils, veggies and a blend of herbs (I'll share that recipe soon at my cooking blog) and they came out great. Delicious and made with no questionable ingredients.Yes, it took some time for prep work and certainly not as convenient as picking up a box of veggie burgers from the store but it's time well spent I think. I made a big batch and froze the burgers, individually wrapped so they are now just as convenient as the store-bought varieties. Much cheaper too, added bonus!!!
I will keep you posted on my quest to find a good commercial veggie burger that is not only great-tasting but healthy too. As of today, the search is still on. I will be reading those labels! Hope you are too.
Overall rating for this product: BAD. 0 out of 5.
