# Are Mc Fries vegetarian/vegan? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 15, 2013, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-mc-fries-vegetarian-vegan/676417 "2013-12-15T22:45:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Artemis\_Tardis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4bbf92/32.png) [@Artemis\_Tardis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Artemis_Tardis)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2013, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-mc-fries-vegetarian-vegan/676417/1 "2013-12-15T22:45:26Z")
I have a friend who happens to be a vegetarian. She loves the singer from one of those terrible boybands who stats he is a virgin and blablabla. He also eats at mcdonalds, so she always eat mcfries. Go figure. I am pretty sure the fries are not vegetarian at all. First of all, she is giving money to a company that sells a lot of meat. Eh… Go figure, again. Taking this out of the question (because the only way to don’t support a meat selling company or meat-eaters somehow is to live on a desert island with no tools and clothes), are McFries Vegetarian? a Quick google search gives a lot of dubious results. Some people claim that yes, they are. Other people say that nope, they are not vegetarian, because although they have some _beef flavour_, this “beef”" is made with wheat and milk proteins. I believe that they are not vegetarian because of cross contamination. I don’t know how they fry food at McDonalds - I don’t like their food anyway - but I think that the oil used to fry fries also fries McNuggets. (I made a pun! yay!). Also, just like on a toilet that is flushed open, spreading millions of tiny pieces of poop-water everywhere, I guess that McKitchen’s air is filled with meat from various animals. Is the “beef flavour” actually made from cows? Are McFries vegetarian? ---
**Author:** ![tellyworth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@tellyworth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tellyworth)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2013, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-mc-fries-vegetarian-vegan/676417/2 "2013-12-15T22:56:49Z")
Here’s the [published ingredients](http://nutrition.mcdonalds.com/getnutrition/ingredientslist.pdf): > [@](#): > > FRENCH FRIES: > Ingredients: Potatoes, Vegetable Oil (Canola Oil, Soybean Oil, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Natural Beef Flavor [Wheat and Milk Derivatives]\*, Citric Acid [Preservative]), Dextrose, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate (Maintain Color), Salt. Prepared in Vegetable Oil (Canola Oil, Corn Oil, Soybean Oil, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil with TBHQ and Citric Acid added to preserve freshness), Dimethylpolysiloxane added as an antifoaming agent. > \* > CONTAINS: WHEAT AND MILK. > \*Natural beef flavor contains hydrolyzed wheat and hydrolyzed milk as starting ingredients. If cross-contamination makes something not vegetarian, then that rules out almost any dish in any restaurant that’s not vegan-only. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2013, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-mc-fries-vegetarian-vegan/676417/3 "2013-12-15T22:58:50Z")
They are not vegetarian. This has been the subject of controversy since they lost a lawsuit in the early 2000s, but the confusion still remains. The most reputable source I could find, an [About.com](http://About.com) editor-written article from 2011, includes a letter from the company saying they still do contain a small amount of beef flavorings added to them at the factory, before they ever reach the restaurants. That is **despite what is listed in the nutrition facts**. I would assume that since beef isn’t considered an allergen, the minute amounts of it don’t legally need to be listed on the ingredients list. > **[McDonalds Fries Are Vegetarian in India but Not in the U.S.](https://www.treehugger.com/mcdonalds-french-fries-still-not-vegetarian-3970283)** > > McDonald's changed their policy about gestation crates and chickens, but their French fries aren't vegetarian. Also: Seriously, for your benefit, just stay out of this. These silly dietary arguments never really go anywhere. Anybody who’s seriously concerned about it will do their own research and trying to butt in and convince them of something will just result in ill will. ---
**Author:** ![Artemis\_Tardis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4bbf92/32.png) [@Artemis\_Tardis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Artemis_Tardis)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2013, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-mc-fries-vegetarian-vegan/676417/4 "2013-12-15T23:09:05Z")
This beef flavour is made with wheat and milk derivatives, which would go into the vegetarian category… or it actually comes from a dead cow? ---
**Author:** ![tellyworth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@tellyworth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tellyworth)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2013, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-mc-fries-vegetarian-vegan/676417/5 "2013-12-15T23:09:28Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > That is **despite what is listed in the nutrition facts**. I would assume that since beef isn’t considered an allergen, the minute amounts of it don’t legally need to be listed on the ingredients list. The ingredients list includes beef flavour. OP, where are you? That’s the US ingredients. The Australian list is much shorter - no beef flavouring, just potato, dextrose, oil, salt. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2013, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-mc-fries-vegetarian-vegan/676417/6 "2013-12-15T23:14:36Z")
> [@demian\_travis](#): > > This beef flavour is made with wheat and milk derivatives, which would go into the vegetarian category… or it actually comes from a dead cow? The beef flavor says wheat and milk are starting ingredients. It is entirely possible it includes actual beef extracts as well. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2013, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-mc-fries-vegetarian-vegan/676417/7 "2013-12-15T23:16:02Z")
> [@demian\_travis](#): > > This beef flavour is made with wheat and milk derivatives, which would go into the vegetarian category… or it actually comes from a dead cow? > [@tellyworth](#): > > The ingredients list includes beef flavour. > > OP, where are you? That’s the US ingredients. The Australian list is much shorter - no beef flavouring, just potato, dextrose, oil, salt. That letter I linked to says > [@](#): > > "With regard to our French fries, any customer in the U.S. who contacts McDonald’s USA to ask if they contain beef flavoring is told “yes.” For flavor enhancement, in the U.S., McDonald’s French fry suppliers use a very small amount of beef flavor as a natural flavoring during the par-frying process at the potato processing plant. In the restaurant, the French fries are cooked in vegetable oil. > > In addition, we have no plans to change the way we prepare our French fries in the U.S. However, it is important to know that our French fries are prepared differently in other countries." Upon re-reading it, it’s unclear whether they mean mock beef or real beef since they just re-used the ambiguous term “beef flavor”. It READS like the company meant actual beef, since they say they have no plans to change the way they cook fries (and didn’t change it after the lawsuit), etc. For clarification, I emailed the company myself and will let you know what they say. ---
**Author:** ![Cerealbox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Cerealbox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerealbox)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2013, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-mc-fries-vegetarian-vegan/676417/8 "2013-12-15T23:20:10Z")
> [@demian\_travis](#): > > I have a friend who happens to be a vegetarian. She loves the singer from one of those terrible boybands who stats he is a virgin and blablabla. He also eats at mcdonalds, so she always eat mcfries. Go figure. > > I am pretty sure the fries are not vegetarian at all. First of all, she is giving money to a company that sells a lot of meat. Eh… Go figure, again. Taking this out of the question (because the only way to don’t support a meat selling company or meat-eaters somehow is to live on a desert island with no tools and clothes), are McFries Vegetarian? a Quick google search gives a lot of dubious results. Some people claim that yes, they are. Other people say that nope, they are not vegetarian, because although they have some _beef flavour_, this “beef”" is made with wheat and milk proteins. > > I believe that they are not vegetarian because of cross contamination. I don’t know how they fry food at McDonalds - I don’t like their food anyway - but I think that the oil used to fry fries also fries McNuggets. (I made a pun! yay!). Also, just like on a toilet that is flushed open, spreading millions of tiny pieces of poop-water everywhere, I guess that McKitchen’s air is filled with meat from various animals. > > Is the “beef flavour” actually made from cows? Are McFries vegetarian? if its made from milk, then its not vegan, though you seem to use the term interchangably with vegetarian ---
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2013, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-mc-fries-vegetarian-vegan/676417/9 "2013-12-15T23:23:09Z")
No, it’s real beef. The milk and wheat thing is just there for allergies. The issue with the lawsuit was that even though the corporate office had never claimed the fries were vegetarian, because they didn’t list the small amount of beef-derived flavoring in the ingredients, various lower-down employees had told people that they were. After the lawsuit, they switched the wordage in the ingredients from “natural flavor” to “natural beef flavor” to make it less confusing, although clearly that hasn’t exactly worked. ---
**Author:** ![Artemis\_Tardis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4bbf92/32.png) [@Artemis\_Tardis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Artemis_Tardis)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2013, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-mc-fries-vegetarian-vegan/676417/10 "2013-12-15T23:35:42Z")
I am in Brazil. I checked the website really quickly - no references to ingredients. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2013, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-mc-fries-vegetarian-vegan/676417/11 "2013-12-15T23:36:20Z")
Just no. Not vegetarian. I don’t know any vegetarian who will set foot in a McD’s, there’s nothing there to eat. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2013, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-mc-fries-vegetarian-vegan/676417/12 "2013-12-15T23:43:52Z")
Veterinarian is in the eye of the beholder, as animal waste and decay, as well as polination is always a factor. ---
**Author:** ![Artemis\_Tardis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4bbf92/32.png) [@Artemis\_Tardis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Artemis_Tardis)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2013, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-mc-fries-vegetarian-vegan/676417/13 "2013-12-15T23:45:02Z")
> [@SeaDragonTattoo](#): > > Just no. Not vegetarian. I don’t know any vegetarian who will set foot in a McD’s, there’s nothing there to eat. It seems that my friend actually does that almost on a daily basis. But well, she thinks that the singer she adores is a virgin, so… ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2013, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-mc-fries-vegetarian-vegan/676417/14 "2013-12-16T00:00:37Z")
> [@demian\_travis](#): > > I am in Brazil. I checked the website really quickly - no references to ingredients. You might want to call or email the Brazilian headquarters, then. They use different ingredients in different countries, so whatever US McDonald’s does may not translate over there. > [@kanicbird](#): > > Veterinarian is in the eye of the beholder, as animal waste and decay, as well as polination is always a factor. They have to be a coroner and pollination expert too? It sure is hard to choose an animal doctor these days. 😉 > [@demian\_travis](#): > > It seems that my friend actually does that almost on a daily basis. But well, she thinks that the singer she adores is a virgin, so… First the fries, then the sex, man, next you’re gonna tell her Santa isn’t real. C’mon, how many times do you have to destroy her soul? ---
**Author:** ![Artemis\_Tardis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4bbf92/32.png) [@Artemis\_Tardis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Artemis_Tardis)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2013, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-mc-fries-vegetarian-vegan/676417/15 "2013-12-16T00:16:40Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > First the fries, then the sex, man, next you’re gonna tell her Santa isn’t real. C’mon, how many times do you have to destroy her soul? Well, I still have to tell her that she does not live in LA, despite what her facebook profile says. Also, that she wears a bit [way too much make-up](https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1239916_1420269511519621_1062599470_n.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2013, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-mc-fries-vegetarian-vegan/676417/16 "2013-12-16T00:19:14Z")
> [@demian\_travis](#): > > Well, I still have to tell her that she does not live in LA, despite what her facebook profile says. Also, that she wears a bit [way too much make-up](https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1239916_1420269511519621_1062599470_n.jpg). And she’s in Brazil? How do people there feel about wearing skimpy American flags? ---
**Author:** ![Artemis\_Tardis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4bbf92/32.png) [@Artemis\_Tardis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Artemis_Tardis)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2013, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-mc-fries-vegetarian-vegan/676417/17 "2013-12-16T00:25:30Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > And she’s in Brazil? How do people there feel about wearing skimpy American flags? Most brazilians really embrace american culture (music, movies, tv shows…). Wearing american flags is not common, though, but a lot of t-shirts have “engrish” writing. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2013, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-mc-fries-vegetarian-vegan/676417/18 "2013-12-16T00:33:31Z")
> [@demian\_travis](#): > > Most brazilians really embrace american culture (music, movies, tv shows…). Wearing american flags is not common, though, but a lot of t-shirts have “engrish” writing. Wow, I didn’t think there was anyone left who still liked us. She’s our one real patriot and now you’re gonna ruin McDonald’s for her? This is why we can’t have world peace. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2013, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-mc-fries-vegetarian-vegan/676417/19 "2013-12-16T01:05:04Z")
> [@GreasyJack](#): > > No, it’s real beef. The milk and wheat thing is just there for allergies. > > The issue with the lawsuit was that even though the corporate office had never claimed the fries were vegetarian, because they didn’t list the small amount of beef-derived flavoring in the ingredients, various lower-down employees had told people that they were. After the lawsuit, they switched the wordage in the ingredients from “natural flavor” to “natural beef flavor” to make it less confusing, although clearly that hasn’t exactly worked. What you said about those being allergy warnings, not ingredient lists - but obviously check the specific one for your country. In the US, hash browns (last I checked) also contain the same natural beef flavor. One McDonalds official representative did [write a letter stating that the fries were vegetarian](http://hbharti.com/h_bharti_mcd/mcdonlads%20_letter_05_05_93.jpg) and a [lawsuit ensued](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonald%27s_legal_cases#Beef_French_fries) when it was revealed that wasn’t the case, even in India, which pissed off a lot of Hindu people. I’m a vegetarian - with an omnivorous husband who I cook meat for, just FYI. Last time I went to one (on a road trip this summer), all the salads contained chicken, and the “yogurt parfait” was miniscule and tasted more like vanilla pudding than yogurt, disgustingly sweet. Hopefully I won’t have to go there again any time soon. ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2013, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-mc-fries-vegetarian-vegan/676417/20 "2013-12-16T01:51:23Z")
Easy enough to ignore MacDonalds; I just don’t ever go to any establishment with non-vegan food, just as I stopped going to pubs when they brought in a smoking ban. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-mc-fries-vegetarian-vegan/676417.md?page=2)