McDonald’s fries: gluten free or not gluten free?
A while back we wrote a blog post about the gluten free products you could enjoy at McDonald’s. One of the items we mentioned were the fries, which according to the McDonald’s website and forums were definitely gluten free.
However, a couple of our readers left messages in the comments section that they had become ill after eating McDonald’s fries and they had been led to believe that the fries were often cooked with gluten products.
I called McDonald’s UK to ask them if the fries were gluten free; are they ever cooked in the same vat as gluten products; and could there be any risk of cross contamination?
This is their reply:
Our French Fries and Hash Browns are gluten free, as are Fruit Bags, Carrot Sticks and the Garden Side Salad, our core McFlurry ice creams (i.e. not promotional) and our Chocolate and Strawberry Milkshakes, but not Vanilla.
I was sorry to read that one of your blog community members had concerns about cross-contamination of our French Fries. This should certainly not be the case as we make absolutely every possible effort to apply the highest quality measures throughout all procedures. We cook our French Fries in a dedicated vat and prepare them in a dedicated area. Whenever we cook a promotional side order containing gluten, such as Onion Rings, they are cooked in a separate vat some distance away from the Fry station. Gluten free promotional items are cooked in the same way as our French Fries and to the same standards.
Our menu is constantly being reviewed to create the most varied choices available for all customers. We also work closely with the Coeliac Society to provide them with updated information for their members’ booklet, but if your blog community have concerns about the available information please let me know and we can look at how we can better outreach on this issue.
Steve Heywood, Press Officer, McDonald’s UK
So it does seem McDonald’s are on the case when it comes to gluten free products and the care that needs to be taken when preparing them.
The concern, I guess, is that the odd individual restaurant is not adhering to these standards. Have you experienced this at all? Let us know in the comments.
For more information on allergens and the nutritional value of McDonald’s products visit the McDonald’s menu site.
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That may be the case for McDonalds UK, but the US website says the following about their french fries:
French Fries:
Potatoes, vegetable oil (canola 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).
I was recently diagnosed with Celiac but I have taken this to mean that McDonalds fries in the US are not gluten-free and I have avoided them.
Hey Katie and Paula
Yes, it is UK only. In our first post on McDonald’s we said:
“French fries (Note: UK only. It seems that US french fries do have gluten.)”
So if you’re in the US and you’re a coeliac or a vegetarian – avoid those fries! But feel free to enjoy them when you come and visit us!
In the UK it might be GF, but as far as 3-12.2009, in their list of ingredients in the US, their oil contains contains beef flavor, which contains gluten:
French Fries:
Potatoes, vegetable oil (canola 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 ((may contain one of the following: 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).
This is what I got from MD’s in US:
Hello Paula:
Thank you for taking the time to contact McDonald’s. We always enjoy hearing from our customers and welcome this opportunity to share some information with you about our menu items.
You have asked whether our French fries or hash browns contain gluten. As you will see on our website, hydrolyzed wheat bran is a starting ingredient used in making the natural flavor for our French fries. Consistent with what we know about the process for making our flavor, testing and analysis by leading experts have not detected wheat proteins or peptides. However, to comply voluntarily with federal labeling laws, our website lists these products as containing wheat, because of the starting ingredient used to make the flavor.
For reference, please visit McDonald’s website at http://www.mcdonalds.com.
Once again, thank you for contacting McDonald’s.
Lisa
McDonald’s Customer Response Center
Hi Paula
Hmmm… “hydrolyzed wheat bran is a starting ingredient used in making the natural flavor for our French fries.”
There’s so much wrong with this sentence! Why not have the taste of potatoes for their French fries! Just a thought.
Paula, thanks for contacting McDonald’s though. I’m sure so many people think that a McDonlald’s is a McDonald’s no matter where you are in the world. This is not the case. And it’s worth checking what’s safe to eat and where before you travel.
I just went to McDonalds in Chancery Lane and they said their chips contain wheat. V confusing!
Hey Lara
I’m sending this off to McDonald’s as we speak! Thanks for this.
I went to the Gatwick Mcdonalds whilst picking up a relative from the airport…I have a strict gluten free diet but after hearing they were gluten free, I gave them a try. I ordered a large portion of fries but within a few hours I was violently ill…I know that the gatwick one is very busy…so my concern was that they were using the friers for both fries, onion rings etc due to being so busy??…it has certainly put me off visiting again :(
I have not eaten chips at a Mcdonalds in the U.K. for sometime now as they always made me ill. This was before I went onto a gluten free diet but it seems a bit of a coincidence.
I had mcdonalds fries a few nights ago for the first time after I was diagnosed with celiac and I won’t be having them again! I was ill that evening and that was the only thing I ate that day that could have possibly been a bit iffy. That was in the exeter store. I suppose its going to depend on their staff and if they do thjngs how they are meant to.
Macdonalds in Norwich… I had bad reaction to their gluten free products, and the food was cold. Not a place I want to eat at, but my companion did, added to that 1060 calories for burger and chips I won’t return.
Anybody have any info on Spanish McD’s?
I have been ok so far with Fries, Wedges and plain ice cream from McD’s Cartagena (Espacio Mediterraneo).
However, beware VALOR chocolate cafe. Valor chocolate bars are GF and very good, but the chocolate served in their cafe’s is not GF…. Big Dose, Very Poorly!!
I don’t know about the Spanish ones I’m afraid Adrian. Hopefully someone else can help you.
Several times in the past I have been ill after eating chips in McDonalds. This has been in various branches. Sorry, I just do not believe that they are gluten free and now avoid eating anything in their restaurants.
This is really interesting. I ate at McDonalds a while a go now and had the fries. I was unwell the next day and couldn’t work out what it was that glutened me. I assumed it must have been something at McD’s and haven’t eaten there since! This now makes perfect sense! Thank you!
Recently been diagnosed with coeliac. Mcdonalds in Bognor Regis are brilliant and I have not had a problem there. They even let me bring in my own buns. I’ve eaten there 3 times since diagnosis, once was a breakfast.
Went to another mcdonalds though. I assumed it would be the same. Now I feel very very ill. All I had were the fries.
I think you are right, that it is some restaurants not adhering to the rules. All it takes is for a bit if bread or something to fall into the oil, and I don’t know how often they change the oil.
I’m thinking of sending an email to mcdonalds head office as this was the only thing I have eaten today that could have made me ill. Everything else is food I’ve prepared myself.
I personally would not eat at McDonalds due to fears of cross-contamination. I have been told by staff in their restaurants that they do cook gluten items in the same vat as fries so for me it is just not worth the risk.
I’ve also been ill after eating fries at McDonalds Waterloo station.
This is untrue. I have worked in McDonald’s for years and I have seen fry vats used for onion rings when they are out AND veggie burgers daily!!
I have only recently been diagnosed as coeliac so never thought anything of it until now as I’m sure most staff there don’t. Cross contamination for vegetarians is considered but gluten was never mentioned
I had stop going to McDonald’s because didn’t do any Gluten free food in Stafford Staffordshire McDonald’s so lost one customer now why because I now Coeliac Disease only can eat Gluten-free food can’t even have brown sauce now. If but wheat in chips I can’t have so disappointed
Hi Victoria, I’m gluten free and live in Stafford. The Soup Kitchen do a decent range of GF food. If you can drive out towards Penkridge, Pillatons also have a lot of GF. Much nicer food than McDonalds.
I have celiac disease and have eaten McDonald’s French Fries in restaurants in the United States where I live. I have never gotten sick from eating McDonald’s French Fries. I was surprised to learn that McDonald’s French Fries contain wheat. But I did read that a test was done which found no gluten in the fries. I think McDonald’s in the US just state that the fries have gluten because they don’t want a lawsuit. Some people with celiac disease are more sensitive to gluten than others. So please don’t think this means that McDonald’s French Fries are gluten free and ok for anyone with celiac disease to eat.