Ground Beef And Hamburger Are Not The Same Thing

Ground beef and hamburger are two different legal products. The difference is four words. Both are capped at 30% fat, and neither may contain added water, phosphates, binders or extenders. But the standard lets hamburger include "the addition of beef fat as such", and ground beef may not. That single clause is the whole distinction between two packets that look identical in the tray. Why ground chuck tells you more than a percentage does, and why the middle of a fresh pack is browner than the outside.