Patties Party Pies | Chewsday Review
Party pies are an Australian party tradition, served with tomato sauce of course! But have you ever considered their nutritional value? Do you even need to? Let’s find out.
Ingredients
- Water, Australian Wheat Flour, Australian Beef (22%), Margarine (Vegetable Oil and / or Animal Fat, Water, Salt, Emulsifiers (471, Soy Lecithin), Acidity Regulators (331, 330), Antioxidant (307b (Soy)), Colour (160a), Flavours), Thickeners (1412, 1422), Seasoning (Contains Wheat, Flavour Enhancer (621)), Pastry Premix (Contains Wheat, Mineral Salts (500, 341), Emulsifier (481), Thickener (412)), Colour (150c), Salt, Glaze (Contains Mineral Salts (500, 451), Thickener (415), Colour (160b)), Processing Aid (Contains Wheat)
- While this product seems to contain a lot of numbers, they are all safe and play an important role in helping the party pies stay fresh while frozen, and have the expected textures and flavour when we eat them.
- Water is the first ingredient listed and the beef component is only 22%, so there is more water in this product than beef!
- Allergens: wheat (gluten) and soy
Positives
- These don’t have any added sugar, so only contain 0.8g of sugar per 100g. This is similar for other party pie brands, like Four ’N Twenty.
- The packaging is plastic-free!
- Party pies can be used as a stepping-stone for some fussy eaters to try other foods containing meat and mince.
Negatives
- They’re reasonably priced at $9.50 for a box of 12 party pies (roughly 80c per pie), but more expensive than Coles homebrand ($6.00 for a box of 24) and Four’N Twenty ($12.00 for a box of 24).
- As with most party pies these are high in saturated fat with 6.6g per 100g (we’re aiming for less than 3g per 100g). Readers from WA might be able to find Harvey Beef snack pies (in the fridge section of some major supermarkets), which are lower in saturated fat with 3.6g per 100g.
- They’re high in salt with 503mg per 100g, but I actually thought this might be higher. Coles homebrand is a slightly lower salt option, with 399mg per 100g.
They only contain 22% beef, but it’s hard to find a party pie with more than this. Harvey Beef snack pies have slightly more with 27% beef mince, but the Patties brand compares well against Four’N Twenty party pies which are only 12% beef (and/or mutton).
Marketing
- Made with 100% Aussie beef – that’s great, but Australia has a large beef industry so I would expect this for most party pies. Overall this product is made from at least 88% Australian ingredients, so there are still some imported ingredients being used.
- These have a 2-star health rating – which basically tells us they’re not the most nutritious pre-made frozen food.
Alternatives
- I’m not convinced there is an alternative to a party pie at an Aussie party. Remember, there’s room for all foods in a healthy diet.
- It seems that most party pies on the market are fairly similar so it’s not really worth searching for a more nutritious option.
The composition of food products changes regularly. The nutritional values of the products in this Chewsday Review were correct at the time of publishing.
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