KUALA LUMPUR: Fans of popular fast food giant McDonald's were recently surprised to learn that the chain's famous French fries contain beef flavouring, which adds to their taste.

The news has been spreading like wildfire across the internet this month, thanks to two TikTok users, Zack D @zackd.filmspt01 and Jordan_The_Stallion8, who posted short videos revealing the "secret ingredient" behind McDonald's French fries.

In Zack D's post, he explained that McDonald's originally cooked its fries in beef tallow (rendered fat from beef or mutton fat), but switched to vegetable oil in the 1980s due to health concerns.

However, he claimed that customers noticed that the fries did not taste as good as they used to, so McDonald's added beef flavouring to the vegetable oil as a solution.

"This is a practice done by them that still continues to this very day," he said in the video.

While some netizens were shocked and concerned, others said this was no news as McDonald's in the United States clearly stated "natural beef flavour" under the list of ingredients for the French fries.

Further, in its "Snacks & Sides FAQs", McDonald's US clarified that their suppliers use an oil blend that contains "natural beef flavour" when partially frying the cut potatoes for their fries.

"This ensures the great-tasting and recognisable flavour we all love from our World Famous Fries®," it wrote.

It is, however, understood that this does not apply to all countries.

McDonalds United Kingdom website, for instance, stated that "the fries are not coated in any fats or substances from an animal" and are fried in the UK in a "non-hydrogenated blend of sunflower and rapeseed oil".

Therefore, they are "100 per cent suitable for vegans", it said.

Worldwide netizens, including Malaysians, expressed their concern as if they were betrayed.

"Oh, my god! I was eating beef the whole time?" said one user @DMVP in the comment section.

"Is this true? Please stop it. There are vegans (people who do not consume food derived from animals) eating your French fries," said another social media user @kuhanrajendraan.

But, some of the netizens under the comment section of the post, had different perspectives from other social media users on the issue of beef flavouring being included in French fries.

"Chill guys, it is just flavouring. Beef flavouring but not the actual beef," said one of the netizens @likeseriously, under the comment section.

"This only happens in the United States," another netizen @yudhisthra_the_gr assured himself that other countries' McDonald's French fries do not contain beef flavouring.

"This is not true, I worked on a McDonald's potato project before and they did not change anything," said another social media user @yoshita2194.

McDonald's Malaysia has been contacted by the New Straits Times for further explanations on the matter as the website does not detail the ingredients for the fries.

However, according to a 2001 news report spotted by the NST, McDonald's Malaysian franchisee Golden Arches Restaurants was back then quoted as saying that its outlets do not use beef extract in preparing French fries, but instead fry them in palm oil-based cooking oil.

https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2023/04/...surprising-fans

Triggered intensifies

Burger king Malaysia flies are nice too

noice,i rike

Nothing to trigger if just flavoring.

Same like vegan/vegetarian eat mock meat.

That's why!! I always felt like eating some butter/beef taste when I am eating the fries..

still tastier, cant stop eating right

In B4 wumao, 50 cents post bla bla
https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news/res...-to-depression/

In my past 10 years experience,
Almost all ppl in food industried know this.
But they have been using flavouring d, expensive to use real beef

In high end restaurant some even fry potato with duck fats

This post has been edited by munak991: Apr 28 2023, 03:39 PM

fry in pork fat lagi sedap

nope i dont find it any tasty as proclaimed. its bland and soggy

lard use mostly for stir fry, like fried rice and stuff.

But when comes to deep fry, chicken oil, beef talon, and duck fats is the oooophm

Cows got talon?

wait.... vegan go mcd? Shouldn't you be grazing by the roadside instead?

This post has been edited by epsilon_chinwk86: Apr 28 2023, 03:39 PM

Beef Tallow*

They do sell beef, so I don't see anything too controversial to add beef flavoring (if it doesn't contain any meat substance).

You're just being unreasonable with that argument but hey, it's up to you if it feels good to provoke.

we have been eating Lembu Goreng fries all along

only gen Z are surprise pickachu about this, in fact its already well known

boycott

what??

chill guys ....we using petronas palm oil to cook those fries

Did any Buddhist make a scene like how certain ppl in malaysia make a scene about meatball?

naaah
here kfc did their fries right

It's not even flavoring nor it is a secret.

People have been frying things in beef, pig duck or chicken fat for a long time

Perisa tiruan sahaja, bukan letak lembu betul.

Nobody...Not one single person at all reading this news about Mcd fries thought about wumao CCP for one second. Why you people have persecution complex is it?

Real beef oil is expensive. So too are other animal oil.
More over in Malaysia palm oil is 10x cheaper than any other animal oil.
How many restaurants in Malaysia can afford to serve fries/chips fried in animal blended oil?

those vegan since birth one will curi2 go n try beef now after knowing this

Mcd already serving beef burger, probably sharing same utensils.

you cant take beef, just eat at KFC

elite danger cows do

there are many cows at kfc

ya la. triggered soyboys so bodo. how to put a whole cow in the frying area.

This post has been edited by nasiputih: Apr 28 2023, 04:59 PM

Deep sarcasm detected

beef jer..kalau pork
fuuuuuuuuuu

biasa lo... i see ppl buy Ramly burger stall, ask don't put beef patty, but then never realized they all use the same spot when frying....

This post has been edited by jmtstan: Apr 28 2023, 04:57 PM

I can say with rising cost and constant conscious about health and vegan
dont think animal fats blend will be a thing in Malaysia

Yup exactly. I also tak kisah as i am christian, makan all