U.S.

French Fry Fracas

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

May 25, 2001 / 4:22 PM EDT / CBS

An apology by McDonald's Corp. for any confusion about the beef flavoring in its U.S. french fries won't affect three lawsuits, the lawyer who filed the cases says.

Harish Bharti of Seattle said Thursday he would continue to pursue the cases he has brought in King County Superior Court and in British Columbia and California.

He also took issue with the language of the apology.

"From my point of view, 'confusion' is not the appropriate term," Bharti said. "They launched a media campaign of deception."

The statement posted by McDonald's on its Web site echoed comments by company officials after the lawsuit in Seattle was filed May 1 on behalf of two Hindus, whose religion bars beef consumption, and a non-Hindu vegetarian.

"Because it is our policy to communicate to customers, we regret if customers felt that the information we provided was not complete enough to meet their needs," the statement said. "If there was confusion, we apologize."

The lawsuit accused McDonald's of using beef tallow in U.S. fries long after making a widely publicized pledge in 1990 to cook them only in vegetable oil. McDonald's says it does cook the fries in vegetable oil before they are served at each restaurant.

Out Of The Frying Bin,
Into The Fire

From McDonald's online ingredient list:

"French Fries:
Potatoes, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, natural flavor, dextrose, sodium acid pyrophosphate (to preserve natural color). Cooked in partially hydrogenated soybean and corn oils, TBHQ (to protect flavor)."

Click here to see the list.

Click here to read McDonald's statement on the fries controversy.

The company explains that potatoes are washed, steam-peeled, cut, blanched and then par-fired at the plant. During the frying process, "a small amount of beef flavoring is added," the company says.

The restaurant chain says it publicizes ingredient information via posters, wallet-sized cards and brochures. However, an online ingredient list only says the fries contain "natural flavor." The fish filet and grilled chicken sandwich also list natural flavoring.

"This description is in full compliance with and permited by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)," McDonald's contends.

According to the most recent updated version of the Code of Federal Regulations, "the term natural flavor or natural flavoring means the essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis, which contains the flavoring constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof, whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional."

McDonald's asserts it makes adjustments to its ingredients to satisfy local customs and religious practices in some of the 120 countries in which it does business.

"For example, in predominantly Muslim countries — as in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa — McDonald's strictly conforms to Halal standards," a release by the chain says. "This means no use of beef or pork flavorings or ingredients in our French fries."

"In India, where vegetarian concerns are paramount, no beef or pork flavorings are used in our vegetarian menu items," the statement adds.

McDonald's operates more than 28,000 stores and reports $21 billion in assets. Last year, it posted revenues of $14 billion and income of $1.9 billion.