Questions answered
There are 19 questions about “Vegetarian” in the “What's in the food?” topic.
Click on a question to read our answer.
- 1. are mcdonalds fries and milkshakes suitable for vegetarians
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Both McDonald's French Fries and Milkshakes are suitable for vegetarians. McDonald’s UK French Fries are cooked using a non-hydrogenated cooking oil. The oil (a blend of sunflower and rapeseed) has been carefully developed to ensure it does not raise saturated fat content, or change the taste which research has shown is important to customers. You may also be interested to know that McDonald's French Fries are also officially accredited by the Vegetarian Society.
(July 2008)
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 2. why have you changed the veggie deluxe to the spicy one? will you be changing it back soon? and does the spicy one contain coriander?
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McDonald's is sorry to hear that you are not enjoying the new Toasted Deli Spicy Veggie sandwich. Due to the overall popularity of the sandwich, the Veggie Deluxe is now only available in restaurants where the demand for it is high. However, McDonald’s is always monitoring its menu and the choices available to all customers. If you feel strongly about seeing more vegetarian options on the menu, please email McDonald's using the 'Contact Us' link at www.mcdonalds.co.uk, and just to let you know there is no coriander in the spicy veggie patty. You can find ingredient information on the Spicy Veggie Patty and indeed all McDonald’s food items in the ‘Ingredient List’ which is in the ‘Eat Smart’ section at www.mcdonalds.co.uk.
In the mean time, there are still some other tasty menu items available on the menu that are suitable for vegetarians, such as the Garden Side Salad, all of the Milkshakes and McDonald's French Fries, which are accredited with the Vegetarian Society seal of approval.
(February 2008)
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 3. is the fillet o fish fried in vegetable oil? or wit the other meat products? is the cheese and the bap you use for the fillet o fish suitable for vegetarians? are all your milkshakes suitable for vegetarians?
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The Filet-o-Fish is cooked in a new non-hydrogenated blend of sunflower and rapeseed oil in dedicated cooking fryers. These fryers are exclusively for the purpose of cooking a specific product and that product alone. When it comes to filtering oil, McDonald’s has two different types of filtering processes - although the company does not maintain a central record of the processes used in each restaurant. One process is self-filtering where oil will not be mixed from one fryer to another. The second filtering process uses the same unit across all fryers but the fryers are filtered in a specific order. So the French Fries fryer is filtered first, followed by the Veggie Deluxe fryer, the Apple Pies fryer, the chicken fryer and then the Filet-o-Fish fryer. The machine is thoroughly cleaned after every filtering session. The buns served in McDonald’s are vegetarian, as is the cheese (if you eat dairy). All the milkshakes are suitable for vegetarians who eat dairy. (May 2007)
FEBRUARY '08 UPDATE: McDonald’s UK now do not use any hydrogenated oil in any food items across the entire menu
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 4. what are the vegetable burgers made of and the strawbeery milkshake as well please
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The Veggie Deluxe ingredients are as follows: Quarter Bun: Flour, Water, Sugar, Yeast, Vegetable Oil, Salt, Emulsifier E472(e), Soya Flour, Sesame Seeds, Preservative : Calcium Propionate (E282). Flour Treatment Agent : Ascorbic Acid (E300), Palm Oil. Vegetable Patty: Vegetables 40% (Petit Pois, Carrot, Red Peppers, Green Beans, Onion), Wheat Flour, Water, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Dehydrated Potato, Rice, Spices, Modified Waxy Maize Starch, Hydrolysed Vegetable Protein, Salt, Wheat Starch, Potato Starch, Yeast, Raising agents (E450 Diphosphates, E500 Sodium Bicarbonate). Sandwich Sauce: Water, Vegetable Oil, Sugar, Spirit Vinegar, Modified Maize Starch, Egg Yolk, Stabiliser (E415 Xanthan Gum, Lemon Juice, Salt, Mustard Seed, Preservative (E202 Potassium Sorbate), Mustard Flour (contains Mustard), Onion Concentrate (Onion Extractives (96%), Glycerides, E322 Soya Lecithin, E270 Lactic Acid), Garlic Powder, White Pepper, Colour (E100 Curcumin), Spice Extract. Lettuce: 100 percent iceberg lettuce. In a McDonald’s Strawberry Milkshake there are 22 ingredients. 75 percent of the milkshake is milk from the British Isles. The additional ingredients are: sugar, cream, strawberry juice concentrate (natural flavouring) and other ingredients that are added are very carefully selected to ensure safe as well as tasty drinks. Wherever possible McDonald’s uses natural flavourings and colours. A full list of milkshake ingredients - in fact a breakdown of the ingredients for every McDonald's food item - is available for download in the 'Eat Smart' section of www.mcdonalds.co.uk in the 'Ingredients list' section.
McDonald’s Fries are just like the other menu choices: made with care and attention plus quality ingredients ensures that food tastes as good as possible. The French Fries are made from three different types of potato: Russett Burbank, Shepody and Pentland Dell. These potatoes are not just grown for their flavour, but also their uniquely long shape. They’re cooked in partially hydrogenated 100 percent rapeseed oil and then lightly salted after cooking. At the beginning of the potato season the fries may be given a light coating with dextrose to help them brown properly. This is only to compensate for the low natural sugar level in young potatoes.
FEBRUARY '08 UPDATE: McDonald’s UK now do not use any hydrogenated oil in any food items across the entire menu.
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 5. are your milshakes and mcflurries suitable for vegetarians? Also are the fries cooked in vegetarian fats? And is it certain that a veggie burger will be cooked separate from meat?
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All the Milkshakes are suitable for vegetarians, while all the McFlurrys are suitable for vegetarians except the Smarties variety. The Smarties contain E120 cochineal, a red colouring agent of animal origin. The French Fries are prepared in new non-hydrogenated, GM free cooking oil. This reduces the levels of Trans Fatty Acids (TFAs) to their lowest possible levels - less than two percent (naturally occurring TFAs make it impossible to reach zero percent). The oil (a blend of sunflower and rapeseed) has been carefully developed to ensure it does not raise saturated fat content, or change the taste. The Veggie burgers are also cooked in their own dedicated cooking vats. A full list of what's suitable for vegetarian consumption, along with comprehensive nutritional breakdowns for all McDonald's items is available online at www.mcdonaldsmenu.info or on the back of the tray liners in the restaurants.
(November 2007)
DECEMBER '07 UPDATE: McDonald's French Fries are now fully accredited by the Vegetarian Society. (December 2007)
FEBRUARY '08 UPDATE: McDonald’s UK now do not use any hydrogenated oil in any food items across the entire menu
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 6. Ive been told that your vegetarian meals actually contain real beef mince. Is this true? And also is it true that your kitchens were voted the dirtiest kitchens in any fast food restaurant?
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Rest assured, there is no meat in any of the vegetarian meals and many of our vegetarian items are now certified by the Vegetarian Society. All McDonald's ingredients and nutritional information is available online in the 'Ingredients List' which is in the 'Eat Smart' section of www.mcdonalds.co.uk. Also, there is a comprehensive list of nutritional and allergen information available at www.mcdonaldsmenu.info
McDonald's is unsure where you heard that it was voted the dirtiest kitchen. The company doesn't agree with this as it is proud of its high standards of hygiene and food quality.
However, if you're ever dissatisfied with the food you have received, McDonald's encourages you to inform the restaurant manager or visit the ‘Contact Us’ section at www.mcdonalds.co.uk.
(September 2007)
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 7. is the hamburger suitable for vegetarian? k thx.
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No, sorry.
(November 2007)
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 8. I tried your veggie burgers the other night. Damn that's some good burger. I haven't eaten at Mcdonald's for years because I turned veggie. Thanks for taking notice.
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McDonald's is glad to hear you're enjoying its food.
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 9. Is the McFlurry suitable for vegetarians?
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Most McFlurries are suitable for vegetarians, but the McFlurry – Smarties, is not. The Smarties contain E120 cochineal, a red colouring agent of animal origin. A full list of what's suitable for vegetarian consumption, along with comprehensive nutritional breakdowns for all McDonald's items is available online at www.mcdonaldsmenu.info or on the back of the tray liners in the restaurants. You will be happy to know that the Strawberry Milkshake is now suitable for vegetarians. McDonald's no longer uses E120 cochineal as a colouring in the Strawberry Milkshake. The new colouring is a beetroot juice concentrate (E162) which is a natural extract of beetroot. (May 2007)
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 10. Hey there, i was once told your sundae's are not suitable for vegetarians. Is this true, as i love the hot fudge one. I am a vegetarian.
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Sundaes are suitable for vegetarians and McDonald's is currently in conversation with the Vegetarian Society about getting formal recognition for this menu item and other vegetarian options on the current menu. If you are ever in doubt, you can always check the full list of ingredients at www.mcdonalds.co.uk.
(December 2006)
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 11. how much fat in veggie delibrownoll without cheese,garden salad and diet coke
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The total fat content for the New Toasted Deli Spicy Veggie Sandwich (brown roll, without cheese), a Garden Salad and Medium Diet Coca cola 400ml is 14g.
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 12. Is your new caramel apple sundae vegetarian? What makes the strawberry milkshake, non-vegetarian?
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The Sundaes were taken off the menu a while back, however you will be pleased to know that they are currently back on the menu. Currently only the strawberry is available, although it is quite likely that the other flavours will be available in the near future. The Strawberry Milkshake was not suitable for vegetarians because of the E120 cochineal- the red colouring used. This was of animal origin which made the Strawberry Milkshake unsuitable for vegetarians. However, McDonald's no longer uses E120 cochineal, the new colouring is an extract of beetroot which makes all the milkshakes suitable for those concerned with animal products (May 2007)
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 13. Is the fillet-o-fish suitable for a vegetarian diet?or a hala diet?
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McDonald's does not consider the Filet-o-Fish to be vegetarian. McDonald's also does not classify any of the items on its menu as Halal.
JUNE'07 UPDATE: McDonald's trials Halal chicken at a restaurant in Southall, London. Click here for more information: http://www.makeupyourownmind.co.uk/our-halal-trial.html (June 2007)
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 14. why is your strawberry milkshake unsuitable for vegetarians?? Also why do you not advertise this fact?
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McDonald’s Strawberry Milkshake used to contain E120 cochineal, which is a natural colour sourced from animals, making this unsuitable for vegetarians or those concerned about products of animal origin. But you will be happy to know that McDonald`s no longer uses this ingredient! The colouring used is a beetroot juice concentrate (E162) which is a natural extract of beetroot which makes the Strawberry Milkshake suitable for all to enjoy! (May 2007)
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 15. Is there any likelihood of the happy meals range having a vegetarian option? My children can't attend birthday parties at macdonalds because of this! They have to have fries and salad bags, in one restaurant the were given cheese burgers without the burger - and yet charged full price. I thought that was out of order
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The Happy Meal menu is constantly under review to ensure that McDonald’s is offering the best range of products to meet all customers’ needs. To date, there has not been sufficient interest in a vegetarian option for children to warrant its addition to the menu list. However, that is not to say that this won’t change in the future and the company is sorry to hear that your children’s experience of McDonald’s birthday parties has been undermined by the lack of a vegetarian option. As for the full price charge for the Cheeseburger without the patty, please contact Customer Services on 08705 244 622 and they will resolve this for you.
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