Mcds French Fries

[lancesmom]

My son has been gluten free for over 8 years. We always allowed McDs french fries. A couple years ago, they came out and said that there is beef flavoring in the fries that contain gluten. Did you guys stop eating the fries? My son is autistic and when tested for celiacs disease (he had already been gluten free for many years) the results came back that it is unlikely that he has celiacs disease. I then found out that you need to have gluten in your system for the results to be accurate. Any comments on this? Thanks for your input.

[OptimisticMom42]

Aren't the FF's cooked in the same oil as the breaded meats? Also it's vegetable (soy) oil so no McD's FF's for me.

[JennyC]

The fries are fried in dedicated fryers. Wheat is one of the starting ingredients for the beef flavoring. It is so highly processed that no gluten can be found in the final product. In Europe it is not uncommon for wheat containing products to be labeled gluten free, such ingredients include glucose syrup and wheat starch. Maybe we are a little behind them in this aspect, but that's up for debate. In addition, I let my son eat them from time to time and his tTG is great.

[Juliebove]

There's also dairy in there. They have been less than up front with us too many times about their food. We won't touch the fries. Only things we'll buy from them are apples (pre-packaged) and drinks.

[psawyer]

Aren't the FF's cooked in the same oil as the breaded meats? Also it's vegetable (soy) oil so no McD's FF's for me.

No to the first part--the oil is dedicated to potato products. The fries and hash browns are cooked in fryers at the front of the store by the window crew. Everything else that is fried is done at the back of the store by the grill crew. But the oil itself may be an issue for some of us.

I eat the fries and hash browns and have never had an issue. I live in Canada, where the preparation process is different and there are no gluten-derived trace ingredients, but also eat them when traveling in the US without problems.

[Darn210]

Tis a very controversial subject . . .

Wheat is listed as an igredient.

Testing shows gluten level is OK for Celiacs.

CC in restaraunts is always a possibility.

It comes down to a personal decision.

We eat the fries . . . and haven't had any problems.

[lovegrov]

Aren't the FF's cooked in the same oil as the breaded meats? Also it's vegetable (soy) oil so no McD's FF's for me.

Not sure where you heard that one. All McD's have dedicated FF fryers. Cooking anything else in the oil would change the taste of the fires, and there are millions and millions who love that taste.

richard

[lovegrov]

My son has been gluten free for over 8 years. We always allowed McDs french fries. A couple years ago, they came out and said that there is beef flavoring in the fries that contain gluten. Did you guys stop eating the fries? My son is autistic and when tested for celiacs disease (he had already been gluten free for many years) the results came back that it is unlikely that he has celiacs disease. I then found out that you need to have gluten in your system for the results to be accurate. Any comments on this? Thanks for your input.

Some of the major celiac organizations, including GIG, have tested the fries and there is NO measurable gluten. This is independent testing not done or sponsored by McD. I believe that even the stodgy old CSA says the fries seem to be OK. I eat them occasionally, but usually avoid them because they just aren't good for anybody.

And, yes, if your son had been off gluten for years, his tests would be negative. The doctor can tell you absolutely nothing from those tests.

richard

[UnhappyCoeliac]

website says gluten-free

always accepted as gluten-free

separate oil

taste good man!

[captaincrab55]

website says gluten-free

always accepted as gluten-free

separate oil

taste good man!

I tried the fries @ McDonalds (USA) 2 weeks into the Gluten Free diet.. My DH & gut both acted up. I checked their website and they list wheat in their fries. Bottom line is no fries from McDonalds for now...

Open Original Shared Link

[Lisa]

In Austrialia the French Fries are listed as gluten free.

[Lisa]

I tried the fries @ McDonalds (USA) 2 weeks into the Gluten Free diet.. My DH & gut both acted up. I checked their website and they list wheat in their fries. Bottom line is no fries from McDonalds for now...

Open Original Shared Link

Statement from the Celiac Sprue Association (CSA)

www.csaceliacs.org

CSA is generally considered to be the most conservative of the Celiac Disease Support Groups in the U.S. The following is from their official statement concerning the McDonald's French Fries issue on 2/26/06.

"The Celiac Sprue Association (CSA) has examined the commercial manufacturing process of the natural flavoring with wheat as a starting ingredient which is used in connection with the McDonald's Corporation French fries and hash browns. CSA provides the following statement after knowledgeable, careful evaluation and review of the process and pertinent test results.

French fries and hash browns prepared in oils with this flavoring might be considered, commercially, to "contain no gluten." Third party analysis of the wheat ingredient of the natural flavoring revealed detectable levels of gluten. Factors affecting the possibility of there being any residual gluten in the final French fries or hash browns include:

[shirleyujest]

My son has been gluten free for over 8 years. We always allowed McDs french fries. A couple years ago, they came out and said that there is beef flavoring in the fries that contain gluten. Did you guys stop eating the fries? My son is autistic and when tested for celiacs disease (he had already been gluten free for many years) the results came back that it is unlikely that he has celiacs disease. I then found out that you need to have gluten in your system for the results to be accurate. Any comments on this? Thanks for your input.

This is only anecdotal, but I had some fries there last week for the first time since going gluten-free in May, and had no reaction. On the other hand, they're pretty junky so I don't intend to eat them more than once in a blue moon. Think that would be my path as well if I had a son or daughter.

[Ed-G]

The friers supposed to be dedicated, but in practice that's not always the case. It all depends on the individual restraunts. There is always a chance of cross contanimation. Eat at your own risk.

Ed in MD

[captaincrab55]

The friers supposed to be dedicated, but in practice that's not always the case. It all depends on the individual restraunts. There is always a chance of cross contanimation. Eat at your own risk.

Ed in MD

It's one thing to use the same friers for fries, but do they filter the grease with the same equipment that filters other friers too?

[casnco]

It's one thing to use the same friers for fries, but do they filter the grease with the same equipment that filters other friers too?

Honestly, I don't think they filter the oil. I worked @ McDonalds and we drained the old oil out and put new in. No filtering unless it is something done inside the fryers.

[lovegrov]

It's one thing to use the same friers for fries, but do they filter the grease with the same equipment that filters other friers too?

Grease gets replaced, not filtered and reused.

richard