Jan 12, 2024
By The Meat Mafia
From 1940 - 1985, McDonald's famous french fries used to be cooked in beef tallow. Everything changed in 1990 when a motivated millionaire pressured them to switch to vegetable oil.
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Since 1954, McDonald's has been the behemoth of fast food. McDonald's currently sells:
4,500 burgers every minute.
270,000 every hour.
6.48 million every day...
and 2.36 billion burgers every year.
McDonald's has 14,000 U.S. locations and is the face of American gluttony. Processed meats, sugars, oils & convenience are the epitome of the Mcdonald's brand.
But what if this was not always the case?
What if there was a world that existed where Mcdonald's was healthy?
McDonald's french fries are a household name. The taste, the crisp, and the consistency are a staple of the brand. Founded in 1940 by the McDonald brothers, McDonald's used to use Beef Tallow in their beef frier.
Beef Tallow is rendered fat from the suet of the cow. It used to be a staple cooking fat and for good reason. It has a high smoke point, a delicious beefy flavor, and is loaded with nutrients. McDonalds used to use a frying blend of 93% beef tallow and 7% canola oil.
In the 1950s, Americans demonized saturated animal fats and mistakenly blamed them for increased rates of American Heart disease.
Nina Teicholz writes about this extensively in her book The Big Fat Surprise.
American Businessman Phil Sokoloff was an individual who particularly embodied the demonization of saturated fat. After having a heart attack in 1966 at the age of 43, Sokoloff was convinced that it was the consumption of saturated animal fat that caused his culinary failure.
Sokoloff founded the American Heart Savers Association and launched a crusade against McDonald's and other fast food restaurants, but particularly highlighted McDonald's as the notable victim. He pressured them to remove the high-fat items from the menu.
He put together full-page advertisem*nts claiming that McDonald's and fast food competitors were poisoning their customers due to the high saturated fat content of their meals. They insisted on replacing beef tallow with "heart-healthy" vegetable oils.
After years of pressure, McDonald's caved to Sokoloff and the Heart Saver's Association. In 1990, McDonald's announced they would be replacing their deep frier with Vegetable oil and finally getting rid of beef tallow.
Customers were outraged, as they noticed a lackluster taste from the new french fry. This is what happens when you replace nature's perfect fat with an industrial oil not made for human consumption. So what did McDonald's do? Simple... They added "Natural Beef Flavor."
The preparation of your food truly makes the poison of the antidote. A french fry is not just a french fry:
a. An organic potato cooked in tallow is a healthy food.
b. While a mass-produced gmo potato cooked in canola oil is poison.
Imagine what McDonald's could have been had they not made this switch?We are not saying that McDonald's would be the healthiest option ever.
But at least you could enjoy a meal while on the road and know that you are not being exposed to seed oils.
Our solution is very simple: Support restaurants and businesses that use healthy animal fats and cooking oils. Our bar is specifically made with tallow because it's nutrient-dense, tastes delicious, and will fill you with energy every time you take a bite of our bar.
Don't believe us? Try one for yourself 😎
FAQs
From 1940 - 1985, McDonald's famous french fries used to be cooked in beef tallow. Everything changed in 1990 when a motivated millionaire pressured them to switch to vegetable oil. Since 1954, McDonald's has been the behemoth of fast food.
Were McDonald's fries ever cooked in beef tallow? ›
Before the 1990s, the crispy side dish was cooked in a vat of cottonseed oil and beef tallow, or fat, which gave the potatoes their decadent flavor and loaded them with saturated fat. In 1990, after controversy, the fast food chain made the switch to pure vegetable oil, but patrons longed for the same meaty taste.
What were McDonald's fries originally cooked in? ›
Before the 1990s, McDonald's fries were actually cooked in straight beef fat to give them their world-famous taste. But they moved to a vegetable oil blend after consumers complained about the amount of saturated fat in McDonald's foods.
What fat are McDonald's fries cooked in? ›
Ingredients: Potatoes, Non-Hydrogenated Vegetable Oils (Rapeseed), Dextrose (predominantly added at beginning of the potato season). Prepared in the restaurants using a non-hydrogenated vegetable oil.
Are McDonald's hash browns cooked in beef fat? ›
From the very beginning, McDonald's used to fry their french fries and hash browns in a mixture of cottonseed oil and beef tallow. It's a delicious combination, but since beef tallow is a form of rendered fat, it's also unhealthy and made the fries and hash browns very high in saturated fat.
Why did McDonald's stop using tallow? ›
Sokolof spent several decades and $15 million on his crusade. Facing full-page ads and consistent attacks from Sokolof, McDonald's caved. In 1990, the company announced that they would replace the beef tallow with 100 percent vegetable oil. After the announcement, McDonald's stock fell 8.3 percent.
Does McDonald's still use beef fat in fries? ›
From 1940 - 1985, McDonald's famous french fries used to be cooked in beef tallow. Everything changed in 1990 when a motivated millionaire pressured them to switch to vegetable oil. Since 1954, McDonald's has been the behemoth of fast food.
What oil does Chick-fil-A use for fries? ›
Crispy potatoes fried in 100% canola oil and sprinkled with our house seasoning blend. Certain Little Blue Menu items are made to order and may take longer than other menu items. Nutrition information is calculated using standard product formulations and incorporates multiple data sources.
Why do McDonald's fries taste different? ›
After doing some digging, McDonalds do explain on their website that during the process of making the fries "suppliers partially fry our cut potatoes" using an "oil blend that contains beef flavoring."
Is beef tallow healthy? ›
Health Benefits of Beef Tallow
Rich in nutrients – not only does it help you absorb more nutrients from your food, but beef tallow is also rich in vitamins A, D, E, K, and B1. Reduces inflammation – tallow contains conjugated linoleic acid, which is a natural anti-inflammatory.
Cooked In Vegetable Oil (Soybean Oil, Vegetable Oil [May Contain One Or More Of The Following: Canola, Corn, Or Cottonseed], Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Dimethylpolysiloxane [Anti-Foaming Agent]). Seasoned With Sea Salt.
Can vegans eat McDonald's fries? ›
While most fries are vegan, there are a few that actually contain animal ingredients: McDonald's: These fries are cooked in oil with “natural beef flavoring,” which doesn't contain any actual meat, but it does contain dairy.
Is there pork fat in McDonald's fries? ›
Once at the restaurant our fries are simply cooked in dedicated frying vats in a non-hydrogenated blend of sunflower and rapeseed oil which is 100 percent suitable for vegetarians (McDonald's French Fries are officially accredited by the Vegetarian Society).
What part of the meat does McDonald's use? ›
Every one of our McDonald's burgers is made with 100% pure beef and cooked and prepared with salt, pepper and nothing else—no fillers, no additives, no preservatives. We use the trimmings of cuts like the chuck, round and sirloin for our burgers, which are ground and formed into our hamburger patties.
What percent fat meat does mcdonalds use? ›
The whole cuts of beef used to make our beef patties contain approximately 20% naturally occurring fat.
What oil are McDonald's fries cooked in? ›
Once in our kitchens, we cook them in our canola-blend oil so you can have them crispy and hot—just the way you like them. Want to hear more about our fry ingredients? Get the down low on how we flavor our fries.
Are Burger King fries fried in beef fat? ›
It now only uses pure vegetable oil, but still adds natural beef flavor, a flavoring made of milk derivatives. Burger King's fries, on the other hand, are 100 percent vegan.
What is the beef flavoring in McDonald's fries? ›
The fries are cooked in our kitchens, seasoned with salt, and served hot to you." Allergen information noted on McDonald's USA's nutrition fact sheets have long disclosed that the fry oil's "natural beef flavor" is made with hydrolyzed wheat and hydrolyzed milk.
