Not long after disclosing that its French fries contain more trans fat than thought, McDonald’s has admitted wheat and dairy ingredients are used to flavour the popular menu item in the United States — an acknowledgment it did not previously make.
The presence of those substances can cause allergic or other medical reactions in food-sensitive consumers.
McDonald’s had said until recently that its fries were free of gluten and milk or wheat allergens and safe to eat for those with dietary issues related to the consumption of dairy items. But the fast-food company quietly added ”Contains wheat and milk ingredients” this month to the French fries listing on its website.
The company said on Monday that the move came in response to new rules by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the packaged-foods industry, including one requiring that the presence of common allergens such as milk, eggs, wheat, fish or peanuts be reported.
As a restaurant operator, McDonald’s does not have to comply but is doing so voluntarily.
McDonald’s director of global nutrition, Cathy Kapica, said its potato suppliers remove all wheat and dairy proteins, such as gluten, which can cause allergic reactions. But the flavouring agent in the cooking oil is a derivative of wheat and dairy ingredients, and the company decided to note their presence because of the FDA’s stipulation that potential allergens be disclosed.
”We knew there were always wheat and dairy derivatives in there, but they were not the protein component,” she said. ”Technically, there are no allergens in there. What this is an example of is science evolving” and McDonald’s responding as more is learned, she said.
While the company wants to make consumers aware that fries are derived in part from wheat and dairy sources, she said, those who have eaten the product without problem should be able to continue to do so without incident.
The acknowledgement has stirred anger and some concern among consumers who are on gluten-free diets since it was posted on McDonald’s website.
”If they’re saying there’s wheat and dairy derivatives in the oil, as far as anyone with this disease is concerned there’s actually wheat in it,” said New York resident Jillian Williams, one of more than two million Americans with celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder triggered by gluten.
”They should have disclosed that all along,” she said. ”They should never have been calling them gluten-free.”
It’s not the first time McDonald’s forthrightness has been called into question concerning what’s in its famous fries.
The company paid $10-million in 2002 to settle a lawsuit by vegetarian groups after it was disclosed that its fries were cooked in beef-flavoured oil despite the company’s insistence in 1990 that it was abandoning beef tallow for pure vegetable oil.
Last February, it paid $8,5-million to settle a suit by a non-profit advocacy group accusing the company of misleading consumers by announcing plans in September 2002 to change its cooking oil but then delaying the switch indefinitely within months. Reluctant to change the taste of a top-selling item, McDonald’s has continued to maintain for the past three years that testing continues.
Asked about the status of those efforts on Monday, Kapica said: ”It’s a very high priority and we are very committed to continuing with testing and lowering the level of trans fat without raising the level of saturated fat … It’s a lot harder than we originally thought, but that is not stopping us.” — Sapa-AP