New Mcd Statement -- Fries Are gluten-free

[VydorScope]

What bothers me the most about all of this is that the Celiac Disease Associations are supporting the McD corp statement and the FAAN has questions that they want answered before stating that kids with food allergies to wheat and dairy should consider them okay. What gives with that?

I think it is a slap in the face to those with Celiac Disease that the FF are okay for celiac disease, but not for wheat allergy! Which makes absolutely no sense what so ever since it only takes a minute particle of gluten to cause unknown damage to the intestines.

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That came out BEFORE the testing. ALl the support that I have seen from the celiac disease folks came out AFTER the gluten testing. Big difference there.

[VegasCeliacBuckeye]

The only thing a lawsuit will do will make it difficult for any of us to eat out at other restaurants.

Think about it, if you were the owner of a restaurant and you saw these lawsuits, what would you do? I would say "forget about it" and not try to accomodate anyone -- why risk being sued?

Also, I think people should hesitate before using the term "lying" ---

Lying implies knowledge before the fact.

So far, I have seen nothing that would lead me to believe that McD's "knew" or "should have known" that the manufacturer was giving them faulty information.

Regardless, the testing basically exonerates them (unless other testing shows different results) -- University of Nebraska is a highly accredited institution and is good enough for me.

Having said that, I will probably never eat the fries again... (ha!)

But please, quit the lawsuit talk....enough!! (and I'm a lawyer too....haha)

[Guest gliX]

Heh, I probably won't go through with it. Do not worry.

[Lisa]

I want to know why they waited so long to release this info? And why are they trying so hard to cover their butts....look at any other company....you ask them about their food and the majority of them just tell you to eat it at your own risk! I think McD's is taking a big risk in saying it contains these things...but dont worry....they wont hurt you....ha...I think I will just trust them and when this backfires in their faces and they find out they were wrong I will get to be part of a big class action law suit! And hell, if they are right...then Im not missing out on the fries. I dont know...just my feelings....but hey I havent got sick from the fries before....that I know of, I have been sick from eating there, just dont think it was the fries.

I love it when I order a big n tasty w/no bun and they put it on a bun before they read the screen right...then they peel it off the bun and put it in a salad thing instead of just making a new one, and I dont find out until about an hour or two later when my stomach freaks!....Or even better....they leave it on the bun and just tell you to peel it off assuming you are just on the adkins diet and just being difficult. Bastards!

I don't understand your stance. You KNOW the risk of eating out. You continue to do this. You are totally responsible for your diet, NOT the rest of the world. You have to take your dietary restrictions into your own hands and not blame others for their lack of knowledge. When I go to a restaurant and order off the menu, I assume all responsibilty of my choice of food. I will ask for assistance, but the bottom line here is, it was my CHOICE to eat out, in a kitchen that I am not in control of. I am totally apreciative of those who offer my assistance, but I always know, that this is not a guarentee. THIS WAS MY CHOICE TO TAKE A CHANCE.

I will never hold them liable if I get sick. If I do, I will say "my dumb a**, that was my fault.

I will alway put my disabilities totally on the responsibilty of myself. Who else is going to do that.

Be frustrated if you chose, but my health is in MY hands and MY hands alone.

Lisa B.

[jknnej]

I agree- no lawsuits, please. We want restaurant owners to provide MORE gluten free items, not fewer. If I were a restaurant owner I would be scared stiff to try and offer gluten-free food.

But, it is our choice to eat out. We aren't entitled to it, believe it or not. And, you would have to prove that the gluten in your blood test, if in fact there was gluten, came from their fries, which is impossible. They could argue you ate something else from another place.

Really, it all boils down to this:

Unless we buy all organic foods and prepare everything ourselves in a gluten free kitchen, there is always a chance of being glutened. There's just not a whole lot we can do about that. We have to accept it and each make a personal decision about how much risk we should take.

I also think anyone could get sick from eating their fries, regardless; they are so greasy! But, man, they are good. I don't eat them a lot but as another poster said, when I'm on a road trip if there are no other options I will eat them.

[Guest nini]

Scientific evaluation by one of the world's leading experts on gluten sensitivity and allergenicity, Dr. Steven Taylor of the Food Allergy Research and Resource Program of the University of Nebraska, has confirmed again that our fries are gluten free and allergen free.

Based on this analysis, we believe the lawsuits filed are without legal merit.�

Jack Daly, Senior Vice President, McDonald�s Corporation

richard

Not to be a conspiracy theorist here AGAIN, but aren't the majority of America's and even the World's wheat crops GROWN IN NEBRASKA? Wouldn't they have a vested interest in making it seem like the Fries are safe???

[VydorScope]

Not to be a conspiracy theorist here AGAIN, but aren't the majority of America's and even the World's wheat crops GROWN IN NEBRASKA? Wouldn't they have a vested interest in making it seem like the Fries are safe???

No, if you siad Idaho or somthing with reguard to potateos maybe, but I higly doubt theres neough wheat here in play to make that much of a dif.

[Guest nini]

No, if you siad Idaho or somthing with reguard to potateos maybe, but I higly doubt theres neough wheat here in play to make that much of a dif.

what? you actually taking me serious here? lol!

[VydorScope]

what? you actually taking me serious here? lol!

Hey, my aswer was just as serious as your question!

[psawyer]

Dr. Taylor's bio is here. Decide for yourself.

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[Electra375]

Okay, I need to clear a few things up... I stopped reading about the McD thing. This other message area I'm on got really irritated with it all. And it was all very hard to read with the format used. So, I'm out of the latest news I'm guessing.

I just looked up the FAAN position statement this afternoon before posting it, so current for their website. I've seen the position statements from Celiac groups posted on another forum.

So my questions are "Did testing for the FF happen? And the results are offically in?" I've never seen the report that the FF were in fact tested with the offical results in. If someone has a link, please direct me to it.

And if that is the case then FAAN will likely make a new statement soon about the issue, I would assume.

Thanks.

[VydorScope]

Okay, I need to clear a few things up... I stopped reading about the McD thing. This other message area I'm on got really irritated with it all. And it was all very hard to read with the format used. So, I'm out of the latest news I'm guessing.

I just looked up the FAAN position statement this afternoon before posting it, so current for their website. I've seen the position statements from Celiac groups posted on another forum.

So my questions are "Did testing for the FF happen? And the results are offically in?" I've never seen the report that the FF were in fact tested with the offical results in. If someone has a link, please direct me to it.

And if that is the case then FAAN will likely make a new statement soon about the issue, I would assume.

Thanks.

McDonald's Media Statement - 02/20/2006

McDonald's Fries are "Gluten and Allergen Free," According to Expert

We understand the concern that individuals in the Celiac community and others with food allergies may have regarding foods that meet their individual needs. That is why we are eager to provide them with the most factual information we can.

Scientific evaluation by one of the world's leading experts on gluten sensitivity and allergenicity, Dr. Steven Taylor of the Food Allergy Research and Resource Program of the University of Nebraska, has confirmed again that our fries are gluten free and allergen free.

Based on this analysis, we believe the lawsuits filed are without legal merit.�

Jack Daly, Senior Vice President, McDonald�s Corporation

(taken from the first post in this thread )

[psawyer]

Electra, please read this thread in its entirety.

McDonald's always believed that the fries were gluten-free.

A supplier of prepared food disclosed, as required by new FDA rules, to McDonalds that there was wheat and milk ingredients in the flavorings that they produced and added to the oil used in the partial frying process. (The beef content had been known for years). They represented that no proteins (allergens) were in the final product. This was news to McDonald's, that wheat and milk were present at all.

McDonald's continued to believe that the fries were gluten-free, and were not required to disclose anything, since the FDA rule applies to prepared food and not to restaurants. Nevertheless, they made a VOLUNTARY disclosure that the their fries might contain these proteins.

McDonald's had an independent study done by a recognized expert, Professor Steve Taylor of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. That study found the fries to be gluten-free. McDonalds has issued a statement to that effect.

This is a rapidly moving situation, and it is to be expected that not all sources will be at the same level of currency.

[jen3899]

If they are so innocent why the hell were they sneaky about it! If all that happened was their distributor told them what was REALLY in the fries and they REALLY didnt know before this new law what was in them, then why on earth would they just quietly release this info on their web site....just makes them look like they are trying to hide something to me.

And in regards to my prior post.....I do not think I am entitled to go eat anything anywhere....If I didnt make it I can not trust it fully!

But if a restaurant wants to tell us things are safe....they damn well better be!

If a restaurant has a gluten-free menu or a list of their ingredients you want me to believe they are doing this because they really give a damn about me or my health....NO WAY....they do it for ONE reason......To try to get/save the business of people with allergies...and thats it!

All I can say is I would much rather have a restaurant tell me that they dont know what is in their food then tell me that its safe and have it not be!

[VydorScope]

If they are so innocent why the hell were they sneaky about it! If all that happened was their distributor told them what was REALLY in the fries and they REALLY didnt know before this new law what was in them, then why on earth would they just quietly release this info on their web site....just makes them look like they are trying to hide something to me.

And in regards to my prior post.....I do not think I am entitled to go eat anything anywhere....If I didnt make it I can not trust it fully!

But if a restaurant wants to tell us things are safe....they damn well better be!

If a restaurant has a gluten-free menu or a list of their ingredients you want me to believe they are doing this because they really give a damn about me or my health....NO WAY....they do it for ONE reason......To try to get/save the business of people with allergies...and thats it!

All I can say is I would much rather have a restaurant tell me that they dont know what is in their food then tell me that its safe and have it not be!

The best case senieror for McDonalds here makes thier PR department look alike a bunch of idiots. The worst case is they are truly evil. After much though, I think stupidity played the biggest part in this. Thats my personal opinion, and you will need to decide for yourself.

As for me, my son does DOES react to thier fires, so I would be hypocrital evil father (or just an idiot) if I let him eat the fries, even now.

[Guest gliX]

What are the chances that mcds will change their fries ingredients soon so no wheat is involved?

[tarnalberry]

What are the chances that mcds will change their fries ingredients soon so no wheat is involved?

Zero. Less than that. That fry recipe is half of their backbone, and it's not going anywhere. If this is a case of flavoring being extracted from wheat and put in the oil, chances are, it really is fine. I'm not saying to eat the fries, because we don't know this yet, but you *can* take the protein out of a grain - we just need to know how they're doing it to be able to gauge if they're doing it cleanly.

[Canadian Karen]

But the McDonald fries in Canada are EXACTLY the same, same taste, same texture, size, etc. etc. yet McDonald's Canada uses an oil that does not contain any wheat/gluten. I think they could change the oil used without compromising their taste......

Karen

[clscott]

Some people sound like they are looking forward to sueing the company then some of the celiac groups are handling this problem in a different way, encouraging people not to sue. That's how I feel. Please don't sue McD's because of this mistake (that was corrected). No restaurant is going to want to provide gluten free menus, etc. if there is a large lawsuit. I really appreciate the restaurants that are trying, including McD.'s.

[Lisa]

I'm so tired of french fried by now, that I wouldn't eat them now even if they were gluten free.

Do I have a witness????

[jerseyangel]

Witness!!

[Guest gliX]

I saw "Super Size Me" last weekend. I encourage everyone here to see it. Warning: You may not want to eat McDonalds ever again after.

[VydorScope]

I saw "Super Size Me" last weekend. I encourage everyone here to see it. Warning: You may not want to eat McDonalds ever again after.

Wont change much here! LOL alwyas perferd backyard burgers or In-n-Out befor this gluten-free mess anyways. No In-n-out here, so I stick with Chickfila for fries on the road.

[celiac3270]

I saw that. It's nasty, but doesn't completely put me off of fast food. Esp. since I can take the extra calories.

[sparkles]

Just checked the McD's web site (nutrition - gluten and allergents) and there is a list of foods that DO NOT CONTAIN GLUTEN and french fries is not on the list. It was dated 2/21/06. I checked because I was glad that I could eat the fries, but often found myself sick after...and then when a friend told me about the law suit, I decided to check again and found this information. What a thing to keep secret. We celiacs have to spend so much of our time thinking about food and reading about ingredients and ultimately, having to TRUST manufacturers to be honest, and then something like this happens. It makes me wonder what other manufacturers are not being totally honest about what goes into their food.