Random Thoughts, Notes, & Incidents

It seems I've been writing about McDonald's a lot recently in this WebLog. First the thing with Regis, then the sinister pickle, and now the truth about beef flavored french fries.

McDonald's now officially regrets that "the information we provided was not complete enough... If there was confusion, we apologize." The confusions stems from the "natural flavor" in the ingredient list for French fries.

McDonald's makes much of the fact that since 1990, all their fries are cooked in vegetable oil, leading many to believe that fried potatoes are a vegetarian dish. Not so: the "natural flavor" in question has now been officially identified as beef.

According to the McWebSite, "This description is in full compliance with and permitted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)." Well, they never actually said that their fries were vegetarian.

Still pending is a lawsuit filed against McDonald's on May 1 in Seattle on behalf of two Hindus who don't eat meat and one non-Hindu vegetarian. They have asked that the suit be certified as a class action on behalf of any vegetarian who ate McDonald's fries after 1990 in the belief that they contained no meat.

French Fry Facts