photograph from McDonald’s
By Jeanne Yacoubou, MS
In April 2024, The VRG obtained an electronic mail from a long-time reader about McDonald’s French fries. She requested: “I’ve seen a number of stories that say beef flavoring within the fries comes from beef meat, however others appear to say possibly it’s milk flavoring however is named beef flavoring as simply the title however milk are the precise components inside the parenthesis. I’ve additionally seen that possibly McDonald’s used beef up till the early 2000s however it’s now milk-based … ”
This was referring to an earlier investigation by The VRG that led to the revelation that McDonald’s French fries contained a beef ingredient. We wrote on the time: “In February 1997, McDonald’s knowledgeable us by phone that the pure taste of their French fries is a ‘beef product.’ At the moment, they declined to ship us this data in writing. In July 1997, McDonald’s despatched us a fax stating that ‘[t]he pure taste utilized in French fries is from an animal supply.’”
For an replace from McDonald’s, we despatched a request for data utilizing their web site contact type in Might 2024 by asking: Is there any beef-derived ingredient within the pure taste in your French fries?
We formulated this query based mostly on the ingredient assertion for French fries on the corporate web site:
Components: Potatoes, Vegetable Oil (Canola Oil, Corn Oil, Soybean Oil, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Pure Beef Taste [Wheat And Milk Derivatives]*), Dextrose, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate (keep Colour), Salt. *Pure Beef Taste Comprises Hydrolyzed Wheat And Hydrolyzed Milk As Beginning Components.
Comprises: Wheat, Milk.
The VRG obtained a generic reply concerning the chain’s “sustainability efforts and dedication to the surroundings” that didn’t reply our query.
In December 2024, we tried once more. We obtained one other generic response, however this time it was about the place on the corporate web site you could possibly discover ingredient data. Nevertheless, there was nothing particular about their French fries. We referred to as the customer support line.
McDonald’s Buyer Service Cellphone Line
Once we requested if it had been attainable that there could possibly be different components current within the pure beef taste derived from beef, equivalent to tallow (beef fats), not listed in that assertion, we had been placed on maintain.
The buyer consultant then returned to the road reiterating the ingredient assertion data. After just a few questions, she repeated that solely milk and wheat derivatives had been used within the pure beef taste.
IF READERS RECEIVE THE SAME OR A DIFFERENT ANSWER WHEN INQUIRING, PLEASE LET US KNOW.
Pure vs. Synthetic Flavors
Based on the USFDA, a pure taste or a pure tasteing could possibly be “the important oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis, which incorporates the flavoring constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or comparable plant materials, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy merchandise, or fermentation merchandise thereof, whose vital perform in meals is flavoring somewhat than dietary.”
Against this, USFDA makes use of comparable language to outline what a synthetic taste or synthetic flavoring is, however utilizing the phrase not: “…Any substance, the perform of which is to impart taste, which isn’t derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or comparable plant materials, meat, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy merchandise, or fermentation merchandise thereof. Synthetic taste consists of the substances listed in §§ 172.515(b) and 182.60 of this chapter besides the place these are derived from pure sources.”
These latter two pages within the Code of Federal Laws listing the a whole bunch of artificial flavoring substances and adjuvants – with complicated chemical names – which might be permissible in meals and which you see on many meals labels immediately.
Based on the USFDA, the primary distinction between pure and synthetic flavors is that pure flavors have to be derived from plant or animal materials however synthetic flavors are synthesized in a lab. In each circumstances, the flavors are chemical compounds.
An observant reader of the definitions above will discover that the USFDA acknowledges that pure and synthetic flavors might have the identical identification by stating that chemical compounds utilized in synthetic flavors is also present in nature with their phrase “…besides the place these are derived from pure sources.”
In different phrases, from a chemical viewpoint, these two sorts of flavors are indistinguishable in lots of circumstances. Whether or not they react equally within the human physique – known as bioavailability – is questioned by some folks. There may be some analysis that implies synthetic flavors are related to unfavorable well being outcomes whereas their pure counterparts usually are not.
For the reason that pure taste definition states animal components might be contained in it, vegans and folks with beef or dairy allergy symptoms wish to know definitively if the pure beef taste in McDonald’s French fries incorporates, properly, beef.
Different points surrounding pure vs. synthetic flavors abound. For instance:
- Pure flavors can include artificial chemical compounds as processing aids or incidental components which should not have to be labeled. Artificial solvents used to extract taste elements from plant supplies, preservatives, or emulsifiers are widespread examples.
- As a result of synthetic flavors often include fewer chemical compounds than their analogous pure flavors, and, consequently, are cheaper, firms could want to make use of synthetic flavors to maintain prices down.
- Pure flavors are required by USFDA to be labeled as synthetic if they’re added to meals with the intention to give them a style totally different from their customary taste. For instance, a pure cranberry taste in a croissant could be labeled as synthetic because it supplies a novel style to this bread product.
- A lot of the 1000’s of taste chemical compounds – each pure and synthetic – in meals are added with none USFDA regulation or assessment.
- Genetically modified components (popularly often known as GMOs) could possibly be utilized in pure flavors. Labeling just isn’t required.
The contents of this posting, our web site and our different publications, together with Vegan Journal, usually are not meant to offer private medical recommendation. Medical recommendation ought to be obtained from a professional well being skilled. We frequently rely upon product and ingredient data from firm statements. It’s inconceivable to be 100% certain a few assertion, data can change, folks have totally different views, and errors could be made. Please use your greatest judgment about whether or not a product is appropriate for you. To make sure, do additional analysis or affirmation by yourself.