Gluten Free Menu Options At Mcdonalds And Wendys

[lovegrov]

Note that most of the info on this thread is two years old. Maybe a mod could start a new thread?

richard

[psawyer]

  On 10/14/2012 at 1:49 PM, come dance with me said:

It probably differs from one place to another, but our Maccas has a dedicated fryer for the fries, they are guaranteed gluten free and vegan, same with the hash browns. The oil is a vegan oil too.

You are in Australia, I believe. In Canada and the US, the oil for the first (partial) fry at the factory contains a flavor that has a milk derivative.

[come dance with me]

  On 10/15/2012 at 5:06 PM, psawyer said:

You are in Australia, I believe. In Canada and the US, the oil for the first (partial) fry at the factory contains a flavor that has a milk derivative.

Yes, that's why I said it probably differs from one place to the next. I realise there are not many Aussies on here, but I'm not familiar with how it works in other countries. They are guaranteed gluten free and vegan, they have a reference book that tells them so we're not just relying on the word of a 15 year old. It says what's what in all their food. I don't personally like oily stuff but it's handy to have as an option.

[kbug]

Today I ordered fries from McDonalds (in Oklahoma), and I know the lady that took my order. Her husband has celiac, and she is used to scoping out labels. She found on the back of the cardboard box the fries are shipped in that there is a wheat derivative in the fries. She even brought a box out so I could see for myself. This makes perfect sense to me, since my stomach always hurt after eating fries there. I'm not sure if a "derivative" is enough to cause a problem, but BEWARE!

[psawyer]

There is a flavoring in the oil that the fries are partially fried in prior to being frozen for shipping to the restaurant. That artificial beef flavor contains elements derived form both wheat and milk, so that must be declared by US federal law on the package shipped from the factory.

Those derivatives are part of the flavor. The flavoring is a small part of the oil. A small portion of the oil gets absorbed in the initial frying process. At the restaurant, the frying process is completed in 100% vegetable oil in dedicated fryers. The final product has been independently tested and found to contain no detectable gluten using the most sensitive available tests.

Make up your own mind, but for me, cross contamination by crew members is a bigger issue. If you are worried about the derivatives in the fry oil flavor, then you probably should not be at McDonalds in the first place. Just saying. I do eat McDonalds fries from time to time, without problems.