McDonald's fries would not be vegetarian, at least in some countries. The animal rights association Peta accused the fast-food chain on Saturday of cooking its fries in an oil containing beef, reports BFMTV.

The information, which spread very quickly on social networks, panicked many consumers... wrongly. It all started with a video posted on TikTok on April 13, in which Jordan Howlett, accustomed to the little secrets of fast food, explained why McDonald's fries taste "different". "McDonald's cooks its fries with a beef-flavored blend mixed with their vegetable oil," the American explained.


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No beef aroma in France

At the end of the video, the influencer specifies that this mixture is only used in the United States and not in other English-speaking countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada or Australia. But this Saturday, Peta took over the information without any nuance. "Even McDonald's FRITES are not suitable for vegetarians," the association simply wrote on Facebook.



However, this is an untruth. On its website, McDonald's United States does not hide the use of this beef flavor, composed of "wheat and milk derivatives". Both ingredients taste like beef when heated to high temperatures in frying oil, says The Independent.



In France, this aroma is simply not used. "We fry our fries in a mixture of vegetable oils (sunflower and rapeseed)," says the website of the French fast-food branch. "We don't add flavouring agents, artificial flavours or additives of animal origin."

  • McDonald's
  • French fries
  • Vegetarian
  • USA
  • Peta
  • World