Geraldo At Large

[floridanative]

I've never watched his show but someone posted the video link on listserv.

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[Ursa Major]

Wow, you wonder why a mother would make McDonalds french fries part of the child's everyday food, instead of a once-in-a-while treat. You also wonder why it took so long to figure out what was the cause of the little girl's decline.

Still, I am glad they finally figured it out. What gets me is, that Geraldo keeps saying that gluten is in wheat, he never mentions that it is in rye and barley as well. Which is obviously misleading.

[Rusla]

Anyone on here remember when this big kafufel started with MCD's on here? I believe that is the same people who came on here and wanted us to support them for their feeding their child french fries all the time. While still seeing how the child was sick they kept it up and wanted all of us to back them.

Once again here they go not accepting responsibility for their own actions and setting things back for us for another fifteen years. Yes, why would someone feed their children french fries everyday? What a charmingly healthy diet. They cannot blame MCD's for giving the child Celiac and they were the ones who fed it to her. I would have worried about cross contamination in that place as I do in most fast food places. They have under trained minimum wage staff, who don't care or know anything. It is up to the parents of Children with this disease and us as Celiacs to watch our backs with this stuff because no one else will.

[Nic]

I do agree that as parents we have to take responsibility for what we feed our child. But regardless of the fact that a child should not be eating fast food daily, McDonald's did say their fries were gluten free. In fact, I called them well over a year ago and asked about their fries, burgers, and ice cream as we did occassionally treat them to McDonald's. They told me all 3 were gluten free. I even asked if they fry the fries in the same oil as the nuggets and they reassured me they do not. Well that is irrelavent as there is wheat directly in the frying oil. So while McDonald's is not responsible for this child having Celiac, they should take responsibility for misrepresenting their product.

[Guest nini]

I do agree that as parents we have to take responsibility for what we feed our child. But regardless of the fact that a child should not be eating fast food daily, McDonald's did say their fries were gluten free. In fact, I called them well over a year ago and asked about their fries, burgers, and ice cream as we did occassionally treat them to McDonald's. They told me all 3 were gluten free. I even asked if they fry the fries in the same oil as the nuggets and they reassured me they do not. Well that is irrelavent as there is wheat directly in the frying oil. So while McDonald's is not responsible for this child having Celiac, they should take responsibility for misrepresenting their product.

I completely agree with this. McDonald's French Fries were one of the few "normal" kid foods that my daughter liked that made her feel less excluded when she and her cousins went to McD's with Nana and Papa... now they go to Chik Fil A instead... It's not health food, it's junk food, and it shouldn't be part of a healthy diet, but it's a junk food treat that kids and grownups like... we don't always eat what's good for us. That being said, McD's lied to us and told us that they were gluten-free. And now they've been caught. Do I agree with the families suing them because of this? No, I'm not a lawsuit happy kind of person. I also agree that suits like this set our cause back in more ways then it helps.

[Rusla]

Unfortunately, they do not manufacture their own food. So the whole thing is they have to go with what their supplier of said merchandise had on the packaging or told them. The fault lies in the manufactures of the food not the company that sells it.

[brendygirl]

I can see how kids would be happy to be able to eat the fries. Unfortunatley, McD's is a major part of American culture. So is fast food. I only get a 45 minute lunch. When my cousin in law from Spain came here (he used to think like other Europeans that Americans are fat and lazy)he said he couldn't believe how much americans work and he couldn't believe how short our lunch breaks are and now it all makes sense why we NEED fast food here.

I know mothers at work who say their housekeepers have to DUST their kitchens because they never get used. They order take out or go through drive throughs DAILY. The parents work all day and have home businesses and recreational activities and church things at night.

It's hard to go "against the grain" of our culture, literally and figuratively.

Oh, and DITTO on the minimum wage workers being unwilling or unable to prepare food carefully and safely.

[Michi8]

I completely agree with this. McDonald's French Fries were one of the few "normal" kid foods that my daughter liked that made her feel less excluded when she and her cousins went to McD's with Nana and Papa... now they go to Chik Fil A instead... It's not health food, it's junk food, and it shouldn't be part of a healthy diet, but it's a junk food treat that kids and grownups like... we don't always eat what's good for us. That being said, McD's lied to us and told us that they were gluten-free. And now they've been caught. Do I agree with the families suing them because of this? No, I'm not a lawsuit happy kind of person. I also agree that suits like this set our cause back in more ways then it helps.

It appears that the ingredients in the McDs french fries differs in Canada from the US. Do the Canadian members here know if there is an issue with wheat in McDs fries in Canada?

McDs Canada french fry ingredients:

FRENCH FRIES: Potatoes, a blend of partially hydrogenated fat and oil (beef fat and cottonseed oil), may contain dextrose and sodium acid pyrophosphate and cooked in an A/V shortening (beef fat and cottonseed oil, monoglyceride citrate, propyl gallate, propylene glycol).

McDs US french fry ingredients:

French Fries:

Potatoes, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, natural flavor (beef, wheat and dairy sources), 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). Contains derivatives of wheat and dairy.

Michelle

[VegasCeliacBuckeye]

The ingredient list is somewhat misleading.

A study was done by the university of Nebraska and they found no gluten in the french fries...

[Random Guy]

It appears that the ingredients in the McDs french fries differs in Canada from the US. Do the Canadian members here know if there is an issue with wheat in McDs fries in Canada?

McDs Canada french fry ingredients:

FRENCH FRIES: Potatoes, a blend of partially hydrogenated fat and oil (beef fat and cottonseed oil), may contain dextrose and sodium acid pyrophosphate and cooked in an A/V shortening (beef fat and cottonseed oil, monoglyceride citrate, propyl gallate, propylene glycol).

McDs US french fry ingredients:

French Fries:

Potatoes, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, natural flavor (beef, wheat and dairy sources), 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). Contains derivatives of wheat and dairy.

Michelle

irregardless of gluten, mcD's every day, or any other fast food every day, is not something anyone who really thinks about and cares about their health would eat.

go rent supersize me

-rg

[Michi8]

irregardless of gluten, mcD's every day, or any other fast food every day, is not something anyone who really thinks about and cares about their health would eat.

go rent supersize me

-rg

I wasn't asking about eating it everyday. I was enquiring about whether anyone knows if McDs Canadian fries are gluten free or not. It can be an okay treat once in a while. Thanks anyway.

Michelle

[Mango04]

I think the fact that we on this board have been discussing and debating the McDs fries issue for months and months and months and months just proves how powerful the fast food industry really is. If any other food had the word "wheat" anywere near the ingredient list I think 99.9% of the people here would instantaneously run from that food without a second thought.

I know, it's more complicated than that. I just think the entire issue is really interesting on multiple levels.

I'm glad Geraldo did the story though. It brings awareness. A lot of my friends warned me not to eat the fries after they read articles about it in CNN when the story first came out. It helps them understand that I'm not just being crazy and paranoid when I say I can't eat such things...

[Random Guy]

I wasn't asking about eating it everyday. I was enquiring about whether anyone knows if McDs Canadian fries are gluten free or not. It can be an okay treat once in a while. Thanks anyway.

Michelle

oops,

Michelle, my response wasn't directed at you

of course, it looked like it was, being that I quoted you. but that's only because I'm not that familiar with the reply functionality.

enjoy your canadian fries.

-rg

[Fiddle-Faddle]

Wow, you wonder why a mother would make McDonalds french fries part of the child's everyday food, instead of a once-in-a-while treat. You also wonder why it took so long to figure out what was the cause of the little girl's decline.

Still, I am glad they finally figured it out. What gets me is, that Geraldo keeps saying that gluten is in wheat, he never mentions that it is in rye and barley as well. Which is obviously misleading.

I just watched the video, and it never said that the fries were fed to her EVERY DAY. Even so, I know a number of parents who seem to think it's just fine to take their kids there every day. I strongly disagree with this, but unfortunately, there is a kind of subculture that does this Before we all look down our noses at this mom, we should realize that a mom with a child with epilepsy AND autism is probably under such severe stress, a "safe" outing at a place like McDonald's with a no-sugar-or-preservative treat like French Fries really is not such a horrible thing.

I do wonder why Geraldo seems to think gluten is only in wheat. Grrr.

[Canadian Karen]

When this whole kerfuffle came about months ago, it was researched and confirmed that Canada's fries are totally different from the U.S. fries and Canada's fries were okay.

Karen

[Michi8]

When this whole kerfuffle came about months ago, it was researched and confirmed that Canada's fries are totally different from the U.S. fries and Canada's fries were okay.

Karen

Thanks, Karen! That's good to know.

Michelle