Carrageenan is another example of a long employed food additive. Used for thickening, this seaweed derivative is usually found in desserts like ice cream, and thus in McDonald's menu items such as the chocolate shake — and anything else that contains McDonald's ice cream.
McDonald's has a beyond restricted substance list (BRSL) for chemicals of high concern (CHCs) in food packaging that includes bisphenol A (BPA), bisphenol S (BPS), phthalates, and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
Every one of our McDonald's burgers is made with 100% pure beef and cooked and prepared with salt, pepper and nothing else—no fillers, no additives, no preservatives. We use the trimmings of cuts like the chuck, round and sirloin for our burgers, which are ground and formed into our hamburger patties.
In 2016, McDonald's eliminated artificial preservatives from its McNuggets and ditched high fructose corn syrup in its buns. Earlier this year, the company replaced frozen beef with fresh beef in its Quarter Pounders and rejiggered its Happy Meal offerings with healthier options, like milk.
FRESH INGREDIENTS
From the potatoes that become World Famous Fries, to the 100% pure beef in our burgers, we're committed to serving you the very best. We serve only high-quality, real food, every time.
Wondering what are McDonald's Chicken Nuggets made of? Chicken McNuggets® are made with all white meat chicken and no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. There are 170 calories in a 4-piece Chicken McNuggets®.
French Fries
Ingredients: Potatoes, Vegetable Oil (canola Oil, Corn Oil, Soybean Oil, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Natural Beef Flavor [wheat And Milk Derivatives]*), Dextrose, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate (maintain Color), Salt.
Common foods that contain carrageenan include dairy products such as cottage cheese and flavored milk, prepared juices and juices with pulp, ice creams and other frozen desserts, and sauces and condiments, such as ketchup or mustard.
We season with just a punch of salt and pepper, otherwise nothing else is added. No fillers, no additives and no preservatives. Some consumers may be familiar with the practice of using lean, finely textured beef sometimes treated with ammonia, which is referred to by some as “pink slime.” We do not use this.
All of our beef patties are made from 100 percent pure beef—that means no additives, preservatives or fillers—and seasoned with only a pinch of salt and pepper.
There is no MSG (Mono Sodium Glutamate) in any food sold in McDonald's UK restaurants. You can find a full ingredient declaration for all food (including our burgers) served in the U.K. by visiting our online nutritional calculator tool <a href="/gb/en-gb/good-to-know/nutrition-calculator.
But by analysing the 2,000 ingredients on the company's nutrition web pages, The Independent has established that McDonald's uses a range of 78 different additives on 578 separate occasions.
We don't use hydrogenated vegetable oil - we only use non-hydrogenated vegetable cooking oils in our restaurants.
In addition to frying and seasoning the fries, McDonald's coats them in dextrose, a form a sugar.
When cooked at high temperatures, sugars react with amino acids, including asparagine, in a chemical process known as the Maillard reaction. The reaction is what gives fried potatoes their prized flavor and color, but it is also what produces acrylamide.
PFAS (Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances) are a group of synthetic chemicals used in a variety of products due to their water and oil-resistant properties. They are commonly found in non-stick cookware, waterproof clothing, and fire-fighting foams.
Once everything is mixed, we create the four famous Chicken McNuggets® shapes—bell, boot, ball and bone. They're coated in a light tempura batter, partially fried and quickly frozen to preserve flavor. Once in our restaurants, they're fully fried and served hot to you with a delicious taste that is full of flavor.
According to Steward, the dark meat from the drumsticks and the thighs does not go into the McNuggets. However, the breast and rib meat, as well as the chicken tenderloin, are used to make McNuggets. Before McNuggets are made, the entire chicken skin is removed initially, and a small portion is added back "for flavor."
No, our Chicken McNuggets® do not contain what some people call "pink slime" or "pink goop." We've seen the photo of "pink goop" or "pink slime" in association with McDonald's. Let's set the record straight: this image in connection with McDonald's is a myth.
Carrageenan is an essential ingredient in many of the foods and beverages consumed every day, including nut and soy milks, deli meats, protein shakes and powders, chocolate milk, yogurt, popsicles, prepared meals such as frozen burritos and pizza, ice cream, and infant formula.
"It's because McDonald's cooks their fries with beef flavoring mixed within their vegetable oil," divulged the content creator.
Our Potatoes
We use varieties such as Pentland Dell, Russet Burbank, Ivory Russet, Innovator and Shepody potatoes which all make our world-famous fries. And as they're bigger spuds, it means the fries we cut from them are long enough for you to nibble and dip.
Ingredients: Potatoes, Non-Hydrogenated Vegetable Oils (Rapeseed), Dextrose (predominantly added at beginning of the potato season). Prepared in the restaurants using a non-hydrogenated vegetable oil. Salt is added after cooking.