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Mcdonalds Fries

kaciemarie

By kaciemarie
in Gluten-Free Restaurants

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kaciemarie Contributor
kaciemarie
Posted

Hi there,

I was looking at the McDonalds website today and I am wondering if McDonalds Fries are okay to eat or not? There is a message from Celiac Sprue on there but I am still having a hard time deciding whether to eat them or not. Here is the link... let me know what you guys think!!

Open Original Shared Link

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Mango04 Enthusiast
Mango04
Posted

Hi -

If you do a search for "McDonald's" in the Eating Out forum, you will find quite a few threads on this :D It's been debated extensively. I think the best answer we've come to is it's a personal decision you have to make, knowing that an ingredient in the flavoring they use was originally derived from wheat, and cross contamination is a major issue with fast food fries. Some celiacs will eat them, others refuse to. I won't go near them.

luvs2eat Collaborator
luvs2eat
Posted

The CSA is saying that the only RISK-FREE choice is not to eat them. You risk a reaction if you choose to eat them.

kaciemarie Contributor
kaciemarie
Posted
  • Author

Great, thank you for this information. I think I will keep clear of these fries! Does anyone know of any fast food fries that are okay? I have had In & Out's french fries (they have dedicated fryers) and haven't had a problem, but they are always so busy!

gfp Enthusiast
gfp
Posted
Great, thank you for this information. I think I will keep clear of these fries! Does anyone know of any fast food fries that are okay? I have had In & Out's french fries (they have dedicated fryers) and haven't had a problem, but they are always so busy!

Hmm perhaps there is a reason for that :D

But overall mango summed it up, its a personal decision .. I for one wouldn't trust McDo's so unless there are independent analyses taken randomly I wouldn't risk it...

seriously if I want to take a risk i can think of far better things and a banana is a good enough snack (or mango ..) and healthier all round ... hmm the problem of convenience foods is ... umm they're convenient so we end up grabbing them when we wouldn't usually just because of the conveneience factor and when we are in a rush I find I tend to make bad decisions.

CarlaB Enthusiast
CarlaB
Posted

A lot of Wendy's have dedicated fryers, and if they do, their fries are fine. The waffle fries at Chick-fil-a are fine, too. If you're in Ohio, Skyline Chili's fries are fine, and they're great with chili and onions on them, too.

VydorScope Proficient
VydorScope
Posted

McDondals Offical statment reguarding gluten:

Open Original Shared Link

Personaly I recomend AGANST McDonalds Fries as I personalyhave never found fries that did NOT cause a reaction in my son. But of course the McDonalds fan club will jump and and sinng the clown's praises.

Read thier gluten statment,consider the extreme risk of CC, esply the sotreis from the employee's about the so called dedicated friers that the empolyes often drop nuggets, pies, and other wheat things in, and make your own call.

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kaciemarie Contributor
kaciemarie
Posted
  • Author

I love chik-a-fila waffle fries! I had no idea they were gluten-free! I will have to try them for sure!

Thank you!!!

gfp Enthusiast
gfp
Posted
McDondals Offical statment reguarding gluten:

Open Original Shared Link

Personaly I recomend AGANST McDonalds Fries as I personalyhave never found fries that did NOT cause a reaction in my son. But of course the McDonalds fan club will jump and and sinng the clown's praises.

Read thier gluten statment,consider the extreme risk of CC, esply the sotreis from the employee's about the so called dedicated friers that the empolyes often drop nuggets, pies, and other wheat things in, and make your own call.

I agree the proof is in the testing and ultimately I know many people react be it CC or the oil.

But I think what is important is to consider the companies record and ethics.

Kraft seem very good in their labelling and in the UK, part of Walmart .. ASDA .have always been very good too also.. in the UK we have a brand of potato chips called Walkers and they label ones which are gluten-free ... when they had a batch they suspected CC they issued a warning ... Perrier issued a wporldwiode product recall based on a harmless amopunt of something in their water because they are a company driven by quality assurance. As it happens my ex-wife actually did the testing and I know the results for this and perrier-vittel had no legal reason for doing this whatsoever, it was well below the MRL ... it was a purely voluntary act by Perrier-Vittel because they sell very expensive water that they rely on their reputation to sell at that price.

Mcdonalds have a long history of lying and deceiving even in official statements. They have a "so sue us" mentality which has been proven time and time again in courts.

What they have released is just a CYA ... they acknowledge it contains wheat derivatives but they chose a less accurate method of testing ... and I honestly can't see it being because of the cost ...

They also cross units over talking about ppm gliadin one minute and gluten the next.

They supplied the oil to be tested .. etc. etc. etc.

but if you do take their fries and pay for an analysis and find significant gluten they are covered ....

McDonalds has a corporate mentality like any large company and what you have to decide for yourself is whether it is a trustworthy mentality or not.

Whatever the assurances given by a person or organisation you have to put those assurances into the context of the person or organisation making them. If perrier-vittel release a statement then I would be confident in their statement wheras if McDonalds do I have only to look at publically available court records and official statements by McDonalds to see they have a long history of simply lying or CYA.

Soo B Newbie
Soo B
Posted

I think I may have posted this somewhere else before, but Burger King uses dedicated fryers and says their fries are gluten-free. But cross contamination seems to be a big issue at our local resturant, as the chicken nugget 'holding bin' is right next to the fry bin. Other locations may possibly be set up differently.

Guest nini
Guest nini
Posted

B)-->

QUOTE(Soo B @ Jun 22 2006, 09:51 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I think I may have posted this somewhere else before, but Burger King uses dedicated fryers and says their fries are gluten-free. But cross contamination seems to be a big issue at our local resturant, as the chicken nugget 'holding bin' is right next to the fry bin. Other locations may possibly be set up differently.

All of the Burger King's that I checked with fry their frys and onion rings in the same fryers so that would make then NOT safe... also I was told that there is a coating on the fries that may or may not be safe. I will not eat BK fries.

Mc D fries make both me and my daughter very ill, we won't eat them ever again.

elonwy Enthusiast
elonwy
Posted

So I did a McD's fry test and an hour later my eyes were drooping with exhaustion (when I get glutened its like someone pulling down on the skin beneath my eyes and I get Raccoon rings) and I couldn't think.

So they suck.

I'd avoided them until now but I was in a big hurry and thought I'd risk it. Not worth it.

Elonwy

wolfie Enthusiast
wolfie
Posted

I usually avoid McD's and do Chick-fil-a fries instead.

I have also done take-out from Red Robin, Cheeseburger in Paradise and Ted's Montana grill b/c they have dedicated fryers (at least at the locations that I use).

Soo B Newbie
Soo B
Posted
All of the Burger King's that I checked with fry their frys and onion rings in the same fryers so that would make then NOT safe

On the Burger King website (Open Original Shared Link) it lists their fries as not containing wheat, and states that dedicated fryers are used for fries, so you bring up an excellent point: Always check with the individual resturant! They may not follow procedure as they should! Thanks for pointing that out.

penguin Community Regular
penguin
Posted

I have never been to a BK where I haven't seen at least one onion ring in with the fries. The scooping bins are right next to eachother.

KaitiUSA Enthusiast
KaitiUSA
Posted

It's a personal decision. Sometimes I will have them and others I will not. After recently hearing that they share oil I am definitely not really for eating them because who wants to get sick and cause damage you know.

daisy in oklahoma Newbie
daisy in oklahoma
Posted

B)-->

QUOTE(Soo B @ Jun 22 2006, 08:51 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I think I may have posted this somewhere else before, but Burger King uses dedicated fryers and says their fries are gluten-free. But cross contamination seems to be a big issue at our local resturant, as the chicken nugget 'holding bin' is right next to the fry bin. Other locations may possibly be set up differently.

I had burger king fries the other day and found an Onion Ring in the box. Not safe.

gfp Enthusiast
gfp
Posted
B)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Soo B @ Jun 22 2006, 08:51 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->

I think I may have posted this somewhere else before, but Burger King uses dedicated fryers and says their fries are gluten-free. But cross contamination seems to be a big issue at our local resturant, as the chicken nugget 'holding bin' is right next to the fry bin. Other locations may possibly be set up differently.

I had burger king fries the other day and found an Onion Ring in the box. Not safe.

As someone else said the other day...

to paraphrase

My mother loves me very much but still thinks the CC issue is OTT and can't cope what hope has a server working in a burger joint on 12 hour shifts on minimum wage?

Becky6 Enthusiast
Becky6
Posted

They used to make my daughter really sick. Then after all of the rucus about them my dh got them for her and she was fine. I had gotten them a few times since and not gotten sick. I don't know but I swear they had gluten before and now don't. Who knows!!

Idahogirl Apprentice
Idahogirl
Posted

I used to be ecstatic when I would find an onion ring in my BK fries! Bonus! Now the thought makes me cringe. How my life has changed.....

gfp Enthusiast
gfp
Posted
I used to be ecstatic when I would find an onion ring in my BK fries! Bonus! Now the thought makes me cringe. How my life has changed.....

LOL ... I just spilt my coffee (seriously) ... but yeah it goes from bonus to fly in my soup time.

"Waiter waiter theirs an onion ring in my fries ...."

(prize for best reply (an onion ring by post))

debmidge Rising Star
debmidge
Posted

On a couple of occasions I have had breaded onion ring in my fries @ Burger King. This probably happens more often than we suspect.

So eating fries from McD, BK, etc. is "eat at your own risk" despite any statements to the contrary.

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