1) Food scares
In recent decades, there have been three substantial health and safety scares surrounding beef in the UK. BSE, Foot and Mouth disease and most recently, the horse meat scandal, have all compromised consumer confidence surrounding burgers and similar food types and have inevitably reformed the way burgers are produced, sold and eaten.
2) Reputation
In the late 1990s, awareness surrounding the dangers of fast food finally began to permeate with consumers. Scientific research about the dangers of obesity was augmented by documentaries such as ‘Super Size Me’ and ‘Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead’ which received wide spread media coverage. Food types which have long been systemically seen as fast food, such as burgers and hot dogs became vilified and larger brands were forced to reform their menus. However, the gourmet burger trend sought to change the long held perception that burgers have no nutritional value and as such the trend for high quality meat, buns and fresh toppings soared. Many traders now offer ‘bunless’ burgers to accommodate health conscious customers seeking high protein, low carb meals.