McDonald's French Fries Are Still Not Vegetarian

Most animal-rights activists follow a plant-based diet for ethical reasons and studiously avoid places where meat makes up the bulk of the menu. Still, vegetarians or vegans may occasionally find themselves inclined to sneak into McDonald's for a serving of the famous Golden Arches French fries. If they're serious about living meat-free, however, they should stop. Despite numerous protests—and lawsuits—McDonald's fries aren't and never have been, vegan or vegetarian. "But how can that be?" you may ask. "French fries are made from potatoes and fried in oil, so where's the harm?" (Surprise: there's beef in the oil.)

Learn why McDonald's makes beef-free fries in India but hasn't changed its recipe in the United States.

McDonald's Fries in India vs. the U.S.

In India, cows are sacred and not meant for human consumption. Fortunately, in that country, vegetarians can consume all the McDonald's French fries their hearts desire because the menu item is made of strictly plant-based ingredients. In fact, in India, McDonald's locations don't serve pork or beef products at all.

But, French fries served at American McDonald’s locations aren't vegetarian. Why not, you might ask?

McDonald’s cooked its fries in animal fat (lard) for decades; the fat supposedly gave the fries their famous flavor. Eventually, the chain switched from lard to vegetable oil, but customers complained that the fries weren't as tasty. The company solved this problem by adding natural beef flavor to the spuds during the production cycle.

What's Your Beef? A Class-Action Lawsuit

In 2001, McDonald’s was hit with a class-action lawsuit, led by a group of Hindu customers who felt they were being duped into unwittingly consuming animal products—which is strictly against their religion. Other vegetarians and vegans joined the fight, pointing out that the company was disseminating misleading information.

Customers were told that the French fries were fried in vegetable oil—the inference being that the fries were no longer cooked in lard and were therefore veg-friendly. Admitting that the fries were coated in beef flavoring, McDonald's settled for $10 million, with $6 million going to vegetarian organizations.

But the company didn’t change its recipe. The McDonald's website still lists the beef ingredient for all to see.

As a company spokesperson explained: “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.'" The same McDonald's representative expanded on the explanation, "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.”

How the Beef Gets in the Fries

In the U.S., McDonald's French fry suppliers add a small amount of beef flavor to the oil in the par-frying process at the potato processing plant before shipping the fries to individual outlets. Once at the restaurant, the spuds are cooked in vegetable oil. For vegans and vegetarians, the extra beef flavoring step is a deal-breaker.

How difficult would it be to omit the meat? Probably, not that hard at all. However, the impact on the bottom line could potentially be enormous.

In India, where the majority of customers are vegetarian or vegan, not accommodating meat-free food choices doesn't make sense from an economic standpoint. In the United States, however, the opposite is true. If McDonald's started leaving out the signature ingredient that's long given its fries their famous flavor, you might ask "Do you want fries with that?" and the answer could very well be, "No!"