McDonald's French Fries
Summary
McDonald's French Fries score 4/100. A seemingly simple fast food staple hiding one of the worst oil blends in the food industry. Potatoes fried in a quad oil blend: canola oil, corn oil, soybean oil, and hydrogenated soybean oil — three seed oils plus a partially hydrogenated oil containing trans fats. Dextrose (refined corn sugar) added for browning. Sodium acid pyrophosphate prevents graying. 'Natural beef flavor' is lab-derived from hydrolyzed wheat and milk — not actual beef. NOVA 4 ultra-processed. The clean fries equivalent (Jesse & Ben's: potatoes, grass-fed beef tallow, sea salt) scores 93/100. Owned by McDonald's Corporation.
At a glance
Key ingredients 9
PotatoesGood
Whole food base providing potassium, vitamin C, and dietary fiber. The one real food in this product.
See more about Potatoes →Canola OilVery Bad
Inflammatory seed oil high in omega-6. Chemically extracted with hexane solvent. First of four oils in the frying blend.
See more about Canola Oil →Corn OilVery Bad
Inflammatory seed oil high in omega-6 fatty acids. Second seed oil in the blend.
See more about Corn Oil →Soybean OilVery Bad
Inflammatory seed oil high in omega-6. Third seed oil in the blend.
See more about Soybean Oil →Hydrogenated Soybean OilVery Bad
Contains trans fats — among the most dangerous fats in the food supply. Linked to heart disease, systemic inflammation, and metabolic dysfunction. Banned in many countries.
See more about Hydrogenated Soybean Oil →Natural Beef Flavor (Hydrolyzed Wheat and Milk)Bad
Lab-derived flavoring — not actual beef. Made from hydrolyzed wheat and hydrolyzed milk. A processed flavor simulation.
See more about Natural Beef Flavor (Hydrolyzed Wheat and Milk) →DextroseBad
Refined corn sugar added for uniform golden browning. Unnecessary added sugar in a savory product.
See more about Dextrose →Sodium Acid PyrophosphateBad
Synthetic chemical additive to prevent potato graying. Industrial food processing aid.
See more about Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate →SaltNeutral
Standard flavoring.
See more about Salt →Processing
Ultra-Processed Foods
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