August 15, 2010

 

Are McDonald’s Fries Gluten-Free?

 Not long ago when our electricity was out due to a storm, I mentioned on my Facebook page that I ate at McDonald’s.  In the comments, the question of McDonald’s French fries came up and I thought I would address it here.

First, let me say that I do not regularly eat fast food and I’m not suggesting that anyone should.  However, I have found at times, especially when traveling, that fast food is something I can depend on when I just need to eat.  Usually I take food with me, but sometimes that doesn’t work out, and I don’t believe that an occasional McDonald’s burger (with no bun) and fries will kill me.

This post is for those who do eat at McDonald’s or would like to.  If you think fast food is evil and should never be consumed, please skip this post.  It is not written for you.

The Fries Contain Gluten
From reading the list of ingredients in any of McDonald’s food, one would assume that their French fries are not gluten free. The gluten culprit is natural beef flavor in the oil that is used to par fry the fries before they are shipped to the restaurants.
vegetable oil (canola oil, hydrogenated soybean oil, natural beef flavor [wheat and milk derivatives]
It clearly states that they contain wheat.  However, it’s not as straight forward as it seems.

The Fries Don’t Contain Gluten
The company that supplies the oil has had it tested at a leading independent food testing lab.  McDonald’s has also had their finished French fries tested at the same lab.  No gluten was detected using a test that is sensitive to 3 parts per million.  (The proposed definition of gluten free is 20 parts per million.) The reason the tests are negative despite wheat being an ingredient is that the beef flavor is so highly processed that no detectable gluten remains.  

Are the Fries Safe to Eat?
McDonald’s does not state that their fries are gluten-free.  It is up to you, the consumer, to take the above information and determine for yourself whether they are safe for you to eat.  By the way, the above information is also true for their hash browns.

I would like to take a moment to recommend Gluten-Free Living Magazine.  I found Gluten-Free Living soon after I was diagnosed with celiac disease almost 10 years ago and it has been an invaluable resource for me.  I respect their writers and the research they do on topics such as this and other questionable foods or ingredients.  It is not a recipe magazine, though you will find a recipe or two in most issues.  What they excel at is providing you with good solid information on gluten-free living. 

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Comments:
I can't believe I accidentally deleted everyone's comments from this post! It was a hot topic too. Sorry.
 
Here's mine agai :D I haven't tried any of Carol Fenster's recipes, but now I am DYING to! I have a sweet 5 year old girl who is GF and should have some great foods of her own. She's always having to go without. I follow you on twitter, facebook, emailed feeds. My info: melissak16@hotmail.com
 
As I said, McDonald's got me through breakfasts and some lunches for an 8000 mile road trip. I had no problems with it. Dinner in San francisco at a real restaurant was the only small issue.
 
Thanks Kathleen. I still have the comment in my email so I'm going to put them into a blog post. It will probably go up on Sunday.
 
Thanks for this great information! I am new to the world of Celiac and have been raving about a home business supplement that really changed my life over the last year. I had NO idea it was because I had Celiac and NEEDED a supplement! No wonder I had such dramatic results!

Back to the fries... I literally have an empty McDonald's Fry container on my desk! I read they were gluten free! :( Because I have primary biliary cirrhosis, I am full on 100% gluten free! I will have to toss those in the future, too! It's hard at first to make this change! I'm on my first week! :(
 
My son was diagnosed allergic to gluten, wheat, rye, barley, and mild to important allergy to soy, carrot, shrimp and corn. I am sooooo confused!! He is 14 yrs. old and has lost 12 lbs. in the last 2 months due to severe diarrhea. Thank you so much for all this info. It is really helpful. I would like to know about mayonnaise. He can't live without it!! Hahaha! I am looking for a safe and good tasting one.
 
Anonymous ~ Gluten is not usually a problem in mayo, but soy is. I have used a couple from the health food store. The one I'm using right now is Hain brand safflower mayonnaise. You could also search online for a recipe. I don't make it myself, but I hear it's very easy.
 

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