Watch out: buying game at the supermarket can leave you deceived
It drives me wild: a piece of game at Christmas. And especially a delicious venison steak. Is venison, rabbit or duck also on your menu this Christmas? Then think twice if you want to buy it at the supermarket. Because in quite a few cases, that game isn’t actually all that wild.
That is revealed by research from consumer affairs programme Radar. The chances that those rabbits, deer and ducks were shot in the wild are slim. They are more likely to come from farms. From France, Belgium and New Zealand, for example. Why can’t we buy genuinely wild game in many supermarkets?
Ordering from the hunter
This has everything to do with the fact that choosing genuine game is very risky for supermarkets. Radar spoke to food technologist IJsbrand Velzeboer. He says it is almost impossible for supermarkets to keep a proper supply of genuine game. Because how can you know how many boars the hunter can shoot? Or rabbits? Just try placing an order for 50 steaks, legs or breasts as a supermarket. And honestly… If the hunter already knows beforehand that they will hit the target 50 times, then the real hunting is somewhat taken out of it too.
Game in the supermarket
Logistically, getting the shot game to the supermarket in the end is also quite a challenge. Add the limited shelf life and the differences in the animals’ sizes, and supermarkets quickly make their choice. No genuine game, but so-called game from farms.
Protected term
Then the question is: can game that isn’t genuinely wild still be displayed on the shelves as ‘game’? Yes, it can. The term ‘game’ is not protected under the Dutch Commodities Act. So even if the animal was actually farmed, as long as it occurs in the wild, supermarkets may put the term ‘game’ on the packaging. They do not always do that, by the way. Some supermarkets also opt for a different designation. Radar gives ‘a mild game flavour’ as an example. See, supermarkets don’t always mislead us.
A bull’s-eye
If I eat game, I want to eat genuinely wild game. But in that case, I would be better off avoiding the supermarket. Ask for game at the butcher’s or poultry and game specialist? Then the chances are much greater that you will get genuine game. Hanos is also often a bull’s-eye. In any case, ask if you want to be 100% certain. Good to know: hare or roe deer is always genuinely wild. These animals cannot be farmed.
Also read:
- Farmed salmon vs. wild salmon: what are the (other) differences?
- Classic Chinese recipe: pancakes with Peking duck
- An ode to gourmetten
Source: Radar/AVROTROS
