Guest guest Posted November 19, 2003 Report Share Posted November 19, 2003 I can't say for sure but I thought that since the lawsuit came up they had corrected the beef issue. But then again.. who knows.... Anyone try their veggie burger yet? I hope it's better than Burger Kings... DD nor me thought it was very good.... Robin in NC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 19, 2003 Report Share Posted November 19, 2003 In a message dated 11/19/03 2:12:28 PM Eastern Standard Time, pamperedveggie writes: > Dimethylpolysiloxane added > as > > an anti-foaming agent. > LOL-------> makes it sound as if it were rabid......... Robin in NC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 19, 2003 Report Share Posted November 19, 2003 A year or two ago, it made the news that Macdonalds used beef to flavor its french fries. The 'flavoring' was listed in ingredients under " natural flavorings " . This was revealed by Macdonalds in response to a lawsuit brought against them. Since then, they've started offering veggieburgers on their menu. While I assume that until I read otherwise in the news, their french fries are non-veggie. My wife, though, insists that since they've started offering the veggieburges on the menu, the fries must be ok too. She brough home some Macdonalds french fries for dinner a few days ago and tried to get us to eat them. Does anyone on the list know if there has been any announced change in the " flavorings " of Macdonald fries or if they're still non- veggie? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 19, 2003 Report Share Posted November 19, 2003 No change, just disclosure. From mcdonalds.com: French Fries: Potatoes, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, natural flavor (beef source), dextrose, sodium acid pyrophosphate (to preserve natural color). Cooked in partially hydrogenated vegetable oils (may contain partially hydrogenated soybean oil and/or partially hydrogenated corn oil and/or partially hydrogenated canola oil and/or cottonseed oil and/or sunflower oil and/or corn oil). TBHQ and citric acid added to help preserve freshness. Dimethylpolysiloxane added as an anti-foaming agent. Karen in NC , " Eldon B Tucker " <eldon@t...> wrote: > Does anyone on the list know if there has been any announced change > in the " flavorings " of Macdonald fries or if they're still non- > veggie? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 19, 2003 Report Share Posted November 19, 2003 YUMMY, all those partially hydrogenated oils and chemicals make me just want to go out and get some fast food fries. Don't be fooled that McD's and BK are serving up veggie burgers. Before you put one in your mouth, you may want to ask how they cook it. If they nuke it that's one thing (if you like microwaved food), but if it goes anywhere near their grills, then it's not vegetarian anymore. Burgerville, USA here in the Portland, OR area have been serving Gardenburgers for years (as Gardenburger is from PDX). However, a nuked GB is pretty gross and soggy. just my opinion, Denise > French Fries: Potatoes, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, natural > flavor (beef source), dextrose, sodium acid pyrophosphate (to > preserve natural color). Cooked in partially hydrogenated vegetable > oils (may contain partially hydrogenated soybean oil and/or partially > hydrogenated corn oil and/or partially hydrogenated canola oil and/or > cottonseed oil and/or sunflower oil and/or corn oil). TBHQ and citric > acid added to help preserve freshness. Dimethylpolysiloxane added as > an anti-foaming agent. > > Karen in NC > > , " Eldon B Tucker " > <eldon@t...> wrote: > > > Does anyone on the list know if there has been any announced change > > in the " flavorings " of Macdonald fries or if they're still non- > > veggie? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 20, 2003 Report Share Posted November 20, 2003 they still list beef on the box the fries are shipped in too. it's said because every now and then I think a vegetarian unknowingly buys them. also, as far as i know the veggieburgers are only being sold in new york city. , " karen12788 " <fiendishthingy@e...> wrote: > No change, just disclosure. > From mcdonalds.com: > French Fries: Potatoes, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, natural > flavor (beef source), dextrose, sodium acid pyrophosphate (to > preserve natural color). Cooked in partially hydrogenated vegetable > oils (may contain partially hydrogenated soybean oil and/or partially hydrogenated corn oil and/or partially hydrogenated canola oil and/or cottonseed oil and/or sunflower oil and/or corn oil). TBHQ and citric acid added to help preserve freshness. Dimethylpolysiloxane added as an anti-foaming agent. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 26, 2003 Report Share Posted November 26, 2003 under no circumstances was mcdonald's a victim of misunderstanding about its use of beef fat in fries. in 1990 mcdonald's, along with wendy's and burger king, hyped its switch from using beef tallow-based cooking oil to all-vegetable oil, in response to health-conscious consumers and pressure from religious and vegetarian groups. however, because of the hype over the switch to vegetable oil for frying, vegetarians assumed--and mcdonald's did not try to dissuade--that the fries were now vegetarian " (hinduism today, oct-dec, 2003). while, as dave claims, they list beef on the box, they don't " still " do it--mcdonald's only recently began to list beef flavoring after vegetarian activists forced them to admit to that they hid the ingredient under the vague term " natural ingredients " (a usuage which is, while misleading, nontheless legal under current f.d.a. regulations). mcdonald's settled with a class-action lawsuit brought by seattle attorney harish bharti and others in a cook county, illinois, circuit court. in accordance with their out-of-court settlement, the restaurant chain agreed to, " 1) donate $10 million to charitable organizations in the following percentages: vegetarianism (60%); hinduism and/or sikhism (20%); children's nutrition and/or children's hunger relief (10%) and promotion of the understanding of jewish law, standards and practices with respect to kosher foods and dietary practices (%10); 2) issue and apology; and 3) establish an advisory board to make reports and recommendations to mcdonald's about dietary restrictions that apply to various types of vegetarians, as well as guidelines for companies who market to vegetarians. " (http://www.edcombs.com/CM/Notices/Notices150.asp) in addition to violations of vegetarian practices, the use also violates kosher (jewish) and halal (muslim) religious dietary laws. dave <dave4sale wrote: they still list beef on the box the fries are shipped in too. it's said because every now and then I think a vegetarian unknowingly buys them. also, as far as i know the veggieburgers are only being sold in new york city. , " karen12788 " <fiendishthingy@e...> wrote: > No change, just disclosure. > From mcdonalds.com: > French Fries: Potatoes, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, natural > flavor (beef source), dextrose, sodium acid pyrophosphate (to > preserve natural color). Cooked in partially hydrogenated vegetable > oils (may contain partially hydrogenated soybean oil and/or partially hydrogenated corn oil and/or partially hydrogenated canola oil and/or cottonseed oil and/or sunflower oil and/or corn oil). TBHQ and citric acid added to help preserve freshness. Dimethylpolysiloxane added as an anti-foaming agent. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 27, 2003 Report Share Posted November 27, 2003 --- jimi 45 wrote: > --mcdonald's only recently began to list beef flavoring after vegetarian activists forced them to admit to that they hid the ingredient under the vague term " natural ingredients " (a usuage which is, while misleading, nontheless legal under current f.d.a. regulations). < New girl here just *has* to comment on this . I clearly remember in 1997, when a friend of mine (newly diagnosed as a celiac and reading every ingredient list for wheat ingredients) asked McDonald's for a nutritional pamphlet. She was given happily given one, and it was clearly stated in the french fry ingredients that beef fat/tallow was used in the fries. Mind you, this is Canada and we could very well have different labelling laws than the US. My point is, the information was available in 1997 (and probably before then), in Canada, and available to the public if they just asked for it. The food industry does a lot of different things to make their food, cheap, tasty, look uniform and making you want to buy more. Please don't just assume that fries (or whatever) at a fast- food joint or any other restaurant are " safe " to eat for vegetarians, celiacs, the lactose intolerant, jewish folk, etc etc. If the company doesn't have the information to hand over, hound the management until they give it to you. And don't buy their products until they do! Consumer inquiries and buying habits make a big impact... Frankly, once I went veggie in 1991, I have never eaten anything made by a McDonald's (oops, except for the pizza - I had to try that at least once!). McDonald's food and marketing strategies just don't fit into my ethical beliefs, even if they do sell veggie burgers and salads. But that's just me My two cents, ~Kathy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 27, 2003 Report Share Posted November 27, 2003 asked McDonald's for a > nutritional pamphlet. She was given happily given one, and it was > clearly stated in the french fry ingredients that beef fat/tallow was > used in the fries. Mind you, this is Canada and we could very well > have different labelling laws than the US. I recall in the mid-nineties hearing a rumor on a vegetarian list that McDonald's fries had beef in them and were NOT vegetarian. I didn't believe it (since they marketed that they were using 100% vegetable oil). I recall going to McDonald's website to review the nutritional information and the only thing listed was the infamous " natural flavor " . Of course, I'm in denial at the time and don't want to believe that McDonald's fries are made with beef fat. Since I heard about the lawsuit, I have not eaten at McDonalds with the exception of maybe a coffee or a drink when a friend dragged me in there kicking and screaming! Here in the US, they can use the term " natural flavor " to indicate flavoring that is " natural " and thus it could be of animal and/or vegetable sources. Since the lawsuit, they have started specifying that this " natural flavor " is of animal origin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 27, 2003 Report Share Posted November 27, 2003 http://www.hbharti.com/h_bharti_mcd/mcdonalds_suit.htm information about the lawsuit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 27, 2003 Report Share Posted November 27, 2003 Have to say that even in my days of eating dead four-legged things, Macdonalds would've been a last resort. The quality of their food was awful. It tasted like cardboard. I don't know how they became so successful (well, I do actually, it's a monument to the power of advertising and media-persuasion..) We're running an e-fax campaign just now for Tenzin Deleg Rinpoche, who has been imprisoned by the Chinese and is under threat of death. http://www.tibetsupport.org.uk/deleg/fax.htm Every fax helps. It costs nothing, as it's delivered by e-fax. Going on the Net today? Wy not visit http://www.tibetsupport.org.uk and support the cause of the Tibetan people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 28, 2003 Report Share Posted November 28, 2003 Yes, yes, back in the '70s McD's used to used beef fat/tallow to fry their fries. It's *after* that time of which we speak. McD and others, in response to consumers, stopped frying in beef fat and started using vegetable oil and advertised that that was what they had done. So far so good, because those who were vegetarian or who were avoiding beef for religious reasons felt that their problem had been solved. *Except* that it later turns out that McD, although using veg oil for frying, started treating its potatoes-for-fries with 'natural flavour' (which turns out, after investigation, to be of *beef* origin) to make their fries 'taste better'. You see? The labelling was correct, 'natural flavour', but it covered where that 'natural' flavour came from: animal product - in this case *beef*. Asking for a list of ingredients would not have helped in this case. Best, Pat (also in Canada) -- SANTBROWN townhounds/ vegetarianslimming/ HOMEPAGE: http://www.angelfire.com/art/pendragon/ ---------- * " I will not let anyone walk through my mind with their dirty feet " - Gandhi * " The time will come when men such as I will look upon the murder of animals as they now look upon the murder of men " - Leonardo da Vinci ---------- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 30, 2003 Report Share Posted November 30, 2003 Actually, last I heard, McDonalds still uses beef tallow to fry the fries in at least some parts of Canada. And the french fries really were always Vegan in India. This is part of McDonalds " customizing " its ingredients for " different cultures. " So the ingredients in McDonalds' food varies slightly from nation to nation and even from region to region (for instance, you can get Plate Lunch and Portugese sausage and eggs in Hawaii). In the US, it was determined that customers wanted french fries that were lower in saturated fat, so they switched to vegetable oil. That's when the " natural flavor " apparently came into play to make up for the flavor difference involved in the conversion. McDonalds lost their lawsuit, not because it isn't perfectly legal to label things " natural flavors " and not reveal the flavor source, but because they lied to their customers about it in writing. I don't remember where I read about McDonalds ingredients, but it was probably in " Fast Food Nation, " which I highly recommend. --- Kathy <treegrrl29 wrote: > > New girl here just *has* to comment on this . I > clearly remember in > 1997, when a friend of mine (newly diagnosed as a > celiac and reading > every ingredient list for wheat ingredients) asked > McDonald's for a > nutritional pamphlet. She was given happily given > one, and it was > clearly stated in the french fry ingredients that > beef fat/tallow was > used in the fries. Mind you, this is Canada and we > could very well > have different labelling laws than the US. Free Pop-Up Blocker - Get it now http://companion./ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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