Questions answered
There are 81 questions about “French Fries” in the “What's in the food?” topic.
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- 61. Don't wonder what's in the food now but wondered what was in the food 10 years ago before you jumped on the bandwagon, also, why not put salt in sachets like at KFC instead of coating chips in happy meals with it?
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McDonald’s has always taken great pride in sourcing quality produce. The burgers have always been 100 percent beef and the Chicken McNuggets and McChicken sandwiches have always been made from carefully selected chickens. Food issues and trends tend to change, and McDonald’s is adapting its menu to reflect this. Hoki fish rather than cod is now used in the Filet-o-Fish and Fish Fingers to help protect cod stocks, and new ranges such as the salads and the Toasted Deli Sandwiches have been introduced because customers have asked for variety. Salt levels are also a major food concern and McDonalds is taking this very seriously across all its menu items. If you would like your French Fries unsalted, please ask at the counter and the staff will make a portion up as requested.
NOVEMBER 07 UPDATE:
From mid November 2007, McDonald's Filet-o-Fish will be prepared using Alaskan Pollock fish, which is sourced from Marine Stewardship Council certified fisheries. Fish Fingers will continue to be made from Hoki, also sourced from Marine Stewardship Council certified fisheries.
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 62. Why do you put salt on childrens food as a standard. Surley you should not put any additional salt into childrens meals. And why when you ask for no salt do you have to wait an extra 10 minutes - not 2 as stated by your staff, by which time the food is cold?
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McDonald's has spent some time working on reducing the salt in its French Fries. The company conducted a trial of self-salting fries in 13 restaurants. The trial revealed that customers preferred salted fries, and that when they added salt themselves; customers tended to put more salt onto their fries than when the restaurant salted them. As a result, McDonald's has reverted to salted fries but has reduced the amount of salt by 24 percent compared with three years ago. The company continues to provide unsalted fries to customers who ask for them.
If you do make an order of fries to be prepared without salt, it may take a little longer than the time that the crew member has given you. In this case, just ask the crew member to gather the order at the same time that the fries are ready, or to keep the rest of your food in the warming bin until your complete order is ready to be served.
McDonald's also realises that marketing to children is a sensitive issue and the company is careful to talk to children in a responsible way. For the most part, it is parents who make the decisions about the food their children eat and a lot of time is spent considering the opinions of parents in order to create marketing and advertising that conveys positive messages to children about food choices, using their imaginations and taking part in physical activity. For example, McDonald's television advertising to children only shows Happy Meal combinations that include one portion of fruit or veg, in support of the Government's 5-a-Day programme.
95 percent of McDonald's advertising budget is directed at people over the age of 16. Our Happy Meals are designed for children and we take our responsibility for marketing them seriously. We believe the food offered is of good quality - it is not junk - and can be enjoyed as part of a balanced diet and lifestyle.
(August 2007)
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 63. Is it true that you put meat juice on your fries.
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No, this is not true. The fries are suitable for vegetarians as they are fried in 100 per cent vegetable oil.
(September 2007)
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 64. 'Do your French Fries contain sugar which adds to their addictive qualities?' you answered 'No McDonald’s menu item is created to be addictive. In addition all food served at McDonald’s has to comply with strict quality standards and food safety laws for the UK and European Community.' and realized that you didmt actually answer the question; do they contain sugar or dont they? why have this website if you skirt the issue? once and for all, do your French Fries contain sugar? yes or no?
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Yes, a natural wheat-based sugar called Dextrose is added to the French Fries that are made from potatoes harvested and processed at a certain time of the year. At the beginning of the potato season, newly picked potatoes will not contain the levels of natural sugars that develop during the storage period and this means that they will not cook correctly. Therefore, for this batch of 'young potatoes', McDonald's will lightly coat the Fries with Dextrose; this turns the Fries brown in the frying process. The sugar content remains constant throughout the year, however, as the Dextrose simply acts as a substitute for the natural sugars found in stored potatoes. You will find that this is the case with all ready-to-eat fries. (June 2007)
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 65. A friend of mine who used to work at a McDonalds in the mid to late 80s swears that the fries turned up in a powdered form. Is this true?
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Happily there is no truth in this. All McDonald's French Fries have always been made from potatoes - and not just any old potatoes, either. In the UK, only Russett Burbank, Shepody and Pentland Dell potatoes are selected because of their long shape and great taste.
(August 2007)
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 66. Hello! I heard that mcdonald chips(french fries) contain beef powder. Is it true or do you use any other meat product for chips?
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No, this is not true. The ingredients for the French Fries are as follows: Potatoes, 100 percent Vegetable Oil and Dextrose is added at the beginning of the potato season to help them brown naturally. A little Salt is added after cooking. A full list of ingredients for all the Menu items available at McDonald's is available at www.mcdonalds.co.uk. Just click on the 'Eat Smart' section and go to the 'Ingredients List' for more information.
(August 2007)
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 67. how much does the chicken deli and medium fries weigh?
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One Chicken Salad Toasted Deli Sandwich with cheese and Medium Fries weigh approximately 370g. One Sweet Chilli Chicken Deli with cheese and Medium Fries weigh approximately 390g. You can find all portion weights on the reverse of the tray liners in all the McDonald's restaurants.
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 68. what are your fries made of?
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All McDonald's French Fries are made from potatoes - and not just any old potatoes, either. In the UK, only Russett Burbank, Shepody and Pentland Dell potatoes are selected because of their long shape and great taste.
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 69. Why do the fries in a Happy Meal have to have salt on them?
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The French Fries are salted because that's how most customers say they prefer them. There are trials underway in selected restaurants with unsalted Fries, but whether this will roll out to all restaurants depends on customer feedback. But you can always ask for your Fries unsalted and restaurant staff should be able to make you a portion as requested. You may be interested to know that McDonald's has been working closely with the Food Standard's Agency to reduce salt levels across its menu and is well on track to meeting the targets set by the Government for 2010.
(August 2007)
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 70. Do your French Fries contain sugar?
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There is a very short period at the beginning of the potato season when young potatoes do not have enough natural sugars of their own to brown properly. During this period McDonald's will lightly coat the Fries with dextrose, a natural wheat-based sugar, to help them brown. McDonald's ensures that nutritional information for the French Fries, and all other food items, is online at www.mcdonaldsmenu.info and on the back of the tray liners in restaurants. The sugar content, for example, for a portion of medium fries is 1g per portion, which would be typical for fries even with added dextrose.
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 71. The FAQ mentions that your fries are coated with dextrose some times of the year, though you say your fries are gluten free. When dextrose is extracted from wheat and not corn, people with wheat intolerences/coeliac disease can react to it. Are you aware of this, and do your provide sufficient warnings about this in your product information?
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Thank you for your question. The dextrose that is occasionally used with McDonald's French Fries is actually manufactured from maize corn and is gluten free.
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 72. my son is allergic to eggs and nuts are your new crinkle fries ok for him. many thanks.
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The full ingredients for the promotional Crinkle Fries are: Potatoes, vegetable oil, maize (5 percent), modified starch, starch, salt, flavourings (maize flavour which contains sesame oil), sugar, rice flour, onion powder, garlic powder, thickeners (methyl cellulose, xanthan gum), spices (white pepper), spice extracts (turmeric, paprika) and dextrose. They do not contain egg or nuts but they do contain maize and sesame oil which could be two potential allergens. If you are worried about any food product you should consult with your doctor beforehand.
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 73. why are the chips so saltey?
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The French Fries are seasoned by hand, so the amount of salt in one portion of Fries may vary slightly from the next, but they should not be too salty, or under-salted. If you are unhappy with your Fries, please bring it to the attention of the restaurant manager, who will be happy to prepare you a fresh portion. You can also request a portion of no-salt Fries when you place your order.
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 74. Why do your fries taste different in America? you say there is no animal fat used in the UK but "surely" this is used in the USA - they taste how the fries USED to taste over here before the world went mad and healthy
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As in the UK, McDonald’s US does not use animal fats to cook the French Fries. However, the oil used and the variety of potato used will be different to those used in the UK, which could account for the slightly different taste.
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 75. Do mcdonalds put salt on the fries always? My local drive sell fries that are already salted. Can i request non salted fries?
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The French Fries are lightly salted by hand after cooking. If you would like a portion of non-salted fries, just request this when placing your order and a non-salted portion will be freshly prepared for you.
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