Macdonalds Fries

[aussiegirl17]

Can someone please clear this up for me, I've heard mixed reports about Mcdonalds Fries. I've heard from other coeliacs that they are gluten free however i recently read on an allergens information sheet at a mcdonalds restaurant that they may contain trace elements. I'm from Australia, i don't know if the fries are different in America, but can someone please let me know if they are or aren't gluten free.

Thanks, Aussiegirl17

[happygirl]

I can't answer that, as the issues regarding them are in America. I know in Canada, they don't have the same issues.

Here is a recent thread: Open Original Shared Link or do a search for McDonalds.

Maybe someone else can answer this for those in Australia, or you might have to call.

[amber]

If you look on their website you will see that fries do not contain gluten by ingredient but they do have a 'T' for trace amounts due to the fact that they can be cooked in the same oil as other products.

My daughter has been eating McDonalds fries for years with no problems. Most McDonalds don't fry anything else with the fries but there may be some that do fry apple pies.

The hash browns are also gluten free as are some of the shakes, sundaes and some salads also.

[Saz]

So what is good to eat? I have been getting the burger (quarter or Mcoz) without the bun- didn't realise that the mustard had gluten tho I will have to remember to ask for none next time.

Wich shakes and Sundaes can we have, I have looked on their site but some of the info doesn't seem like it is correct.

[bender rodriguez]

Did you know that McDonald's in Sweden do gluten-free bread with your burger? Essentially you can order (have to ask) a gluten-free burger, and they'll prepare it specially, seperately. They also have a good allergy list in their restaurants. Take a look at:

Open Original Shared Link

I've visited the country twice now and always make a point of having a Super Size Me weekend. In any case, I've eaten fries and salads (always read the dressing though) in many countries, and often have their milkshakes, and apart from the normal adverse physical effects with eating McDs, I've had not coeliac related problems.

Hope that helps!

[lovegrov]

In the U.S. the mustard definitely does NOT have gluten.

richard

[Liz92]

fries are usually cooked in the same oil as other foods with gluten, so they're almost never ok, and mcdonalds is really bad at preventing contamination.

[nutralady2001]

Hello I'm in South Australia. I looked up their web site and the only gluten-free things I could see were the garden salads and sauces and I think the fruit smoothies

[larry mac]

fries are usually cooked in the same oil as other foods with gluten, so they're almost never ok, and mcdonalds is really bad at preventing contamination.

I can only testify to my McDonalds, but they have a dedicated fryer for the fries. I can verify this as my son worked there, I ask them about it when I get fries, and as it is a small McDonalds in Walmart, you can watch them cook everything.

best regards, lm

[TygerCubs]

McDonalds' website does not list french fries on their gluten free list and their allergen list it says the fries contain gluten and wheat. I just ooked it up because my daughter ate some today and now has a bad tunny ache:(

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

Marie

[jayhawkmom]

I can only testify to my McDonalds, but they have a dedicated fryer for the fries. I can verify this as my son worked there, I ask them about it when I get fries, and as it is a small McDonalds in Walmart, you can watch them cook everything.

My sister was a manager at a McD's for years. Since their fries are their "big money maker" - they almost always are cooked in a dedicated fryer. Other foods being cooked with the fries could ruin the taste of the fries. And, they don't like to risk that.

Of course, this may not *always* be the case, but for the most part, McD's fries will not be cooked with other foods that could alter their taste.

Edited to add..... I apologize, I didn't see that this was asking for information on McD's OUTSIDE of the USA. The information I posted is in regards to McD's in the US. I should have read the forum name before responding. I'm sorry!! =)

[psawyer]

In Canada, the standard layout is the same as in the US. The fries are done in a dedicated fryer at the front of the store, well away from the area where other foods are cooked. The same fryer is used in the morning for the hash browns, which are also gluten-free. Cross-contamination is possible, but more likely to be crumbs from buns being handled by the window crew who also operate these fryers.

The concern about possible gluten in the fries due to a wheat extract in the flavoring used in the oil in which the fries are partially fried prior to freezing and shipment from the distributor applies only in the US. Elsewhere, there is no wheat used. In the US, testing has shown that, even though a wheat extract is used to make the flavor in the parfry oil, no gluten is present in the final product. Search this site--there were a number of threads discussing this topic about a year ago.

[gfp]

Firstly I think the primary issue is CC.

Before dx I used to regard an onion ring in my fries as a bonus ... and it happened relatively often...

Bearing in mind this is only when they accidentally scoop it up it seems improbable that this isn't happening reasonably frequently and it only takes 1 small part of an onion ring to be in the same oil....

Or it could be the potato wedges or .... its simply not a good environment to prevent CC... and the same places that give people the odd potato wedge or onion ring bonus also say they have dedicated friers...

The second thing to consider is that the Australian policy for gluten-free is gluten free, not no gluten was found. Most EU countires use a 200ppm/20ppm cut-off (it depends on the product)

The testing McDo's did in the US used the least sensitive test possible, what is basically a "screening test".

Wheras these screening tests are good for product control etc. they are not designed to classify or declassfy a product as being gluten free, indeed no single test can do that because it needs a study over different batches and times.

The fact remains however McDo's chose to do the least sensitive test and whereby a small company might do this for financial reasons (LCMS is far more expensive) that arguament doesn't have any relevance in a multi billion $ company...

You should make up your own mind, did McDonalds save a few thousands on proper testing because it was a few thousand more expensive or did they not spend it in order to guarantee a negative test?

In the U.S. the mustard definitely does NOT have gluten.

It might not, my problem is because of the way they tested the oil.... which was designed to give a negative...

The mustard might be safe but the problem is I'm not going to take their word for it... because they already designed one test in order to mislead and cause sufficient confusion...

Secondly, as a company they are on court record as directly lying and misleading in statements.

Open Original Shared Link

Hindu vegetarians around the world may wish to take note of the little-publicized fact that McDonald's made no changes in their fries, which are still beef-flavoring saturated. Sure, the oil is vegetable. But make no mistake about it. There is meat in those luscious Golden Arches french fries.

See also Open Original Shared Link for a dicussion on this.

Officials at McDonald's India quickly announced that the vegetarian products served in India did not have any non-vegetarian content (Refer Exhibit I for details).

Yes from the same company that announced in Japan that

According to the (London) Times, when faced with accusations that hamburgers were inimical to the country's diet, Den Fujita, the first McDonald's Japan president, declared: "The reason Japanese people are so short and have yellow skins is because they have eaten nothing but fish and rice for 2,000 years. If we eat McDonald

[jayhawkmom]

Before dx I used to regard an onion ring in my fries as a bonus ...

Or it could be the potato wedges or ....

McD's has onion rings and potato wedges???

I guess that's one thing we can be thankful of here in the US.... they don't. =)

[gfp]

McD's has onion rings and potato wedges???

I guess that's one thing we can be thankful of here in the US.... they don't. =)

Well part of the reason I don't trust McDo's is that deep fried onions rings and potatoe wedges were brought in as a response to govt sponsored advertising campaigns to eat more vegetables and less fries...

These along with salads with more calories than a big mac (in the dressing) were the new "healthy" face of McDonalds ...

It can be argued if you are stupid enough to eat them then you deserve all you get and that governments shouldn't be spending our tax money tryig to educate people to be more healthy... but that's a different discussion....

If you read Open Original Shared Link you see what we are up against....

It seems strange to me that someone would think a deep fried potato wedge or battered onion ring is a heathy option... but then we are talking about the same people who don't know that bread is made from flour... and that flour is made from wheat...

Sometimes I give myself a headache trying to appreciate how people can reach adulthood without realising this, then I remeber an April fool the BBC did

Open Original Shared Link

then I realise, if the same people are told by the government health information that fries are bad and they should eat potatoes instead and more vegetables and onion is a vegetable then lots of people are probably assuming this is healthier????

I find it hard to beleive McDo's marketing are not aware this is deliberatly deceiving people, especially given their track record.

Sometimes companies do change but the changes at McDo's seem merely cosmetic.

The real problem is because its franchised and individual resto's can't choose not to use these fries nor can you expect the individual managers who can be nornal folks like you and I and the spagetti incident people to understand the differences in testing methodology... Well perhaps I can because it was my job...

So for me the problem is an individual resto can never improve on the base... they can only deviate further (like perhaps less cleanliness)... because even the best managed ones are still stuck with the products they are told to sell.

[Aerin328]

Just getting a burger pattie at McDonalds is very dangerous b/c the grill itself can be cross-contaminated. There is just too much gluten flying around in that place! Also, as posted by others, it may be fried with glutenous foods, and thus cross-contaminate it. And ketchup is also glutenous. Unfortunately I try to avoid McD altogether :/

[JEM123]

If you look on their website you will see that fries do not contain gluten by ingredient but they do have a 'T' for trace amounts due to the fact that they can be cooked in the same oil as other products.

My daughter has been eating McDonalds fries for years with no problems. Most McDonalds don't fry anything else with the fries but there may be some that do fry apple pies.

The hash browns are also gluten free as are some of the shakes, sundaes and some salads also.

Hi Amber,

The fries and the hash browns both contain gluten. They state it in thier ingredients. Go to Happygirl's reply and check the website she listed from McDonalds. McDonalds in the U.S. does have dedicated fryers only for french fries but wheat is added as part of the potatoe processing.

[psawyer]

There was much discussion about this topic a year ago when the wheat content was voluntarily disclosed by McDonalds in response to a label change by one of their suppliers in the US in response to FALCPA (Food Allergy Labelling and Consumer Protection Act). As a restaurant, they are not covered by FALCPA, but made a statement about their ingredients voluntarily.

There is a wheat extract used in a flavor which is added to the oil in which the potatoes are partially fried at the processing plant prior to being frozen and distributed. The fryer oil used for the final preparation does not contain this flavor additive. Independent testing of the fries at the University of Nebraska by a recognized celiac expert did not find any gluten in the final product, that is, the fries you buy at your local outlet were tested and found to be gluten free.

Whether you believe this, or believe that the testing was rigged and the results are false, is a decision each one of us must make for ourselves.

Personally, I believe that the risk of cross-contamination in the local McDonalds far exceeds the concern about any undetectable trace of gluten remaining from the processed wheat extract used in the flavor. This is so despite the dedicated fryer policy due to the proximity of buns and other gluten sources near the potato fryer at the front of the store.

There is plenty to read by searching this board for McDonalds and fries.

As noted above, the issue concerns one supplier in the US and does not affect the fries in any other country. CC issues are a concern world-wide. I live in Canada, and occasionally eat both the fries and the hash browns. I have not suffered any adverse reaction.

Decide for yourself.

[larry mac]

.... And ketchup is also glutenous....

A328,

Just curious why you say that? I'm looking at a package of Md's ketchup:

~ Tomato concentrate from red ripe tomatoes

~ Distilled vinegar

~ High fructose corn syrup

~ Water

~ salt

~ Natural flavors

Where's the gluten? best regards, lm

[Saz]

I'm fairly sure that the sauce in Australia is safe, It is not only the fries that depend on which country you live in but other things as well.

[darlindeb25]

When I could still have potatoes and ketchup, I never had a problem at McD's either Larry. As I stated, my sister still eats them with no problem. It's just a matter of personal choice if you go to McD or not. Many people love fastfood, I never have. I never enjoyed eating in restaurants in the first place. I did however, love fries. Just 2 yrs ago, I still could have them and a couple of days a week, I did.

I do know, that if you go to McD, just to try the fries and you walk in expecting to get sick, then you probably will--it's called mind over matter. As I stated, eating out is always a risk, it's up tp the individual to decide if the risk is worth the enjoyment of the food. Food is not that important to me, never has been.

I feel that McD has proved itself and I feel it is time to quit picking on them.

[amber]

Obviously it depends on the country you live in.

In Australia the fries do NOT contain gluten. If you look at their website it says it may contain traces of wheat which means that there are some McDonalds that do not have a separate dedicated frier.

Most McDonalds do not fry anything else in the oil.

As I mentioned before my daughter has been eating them for 7 years and has had no problem.

The hash browns are fine too.

[lovegrov]

"And ketchup is also glutenous."

McDonald's ketchup (Heinz last time I looked) is without question gluten-free. I can't name a ketchup that has gluten.

richard