Feb. 19, 2006, 2:25PM
McDonald's sued over french fry ingredients
Associated Press
CHICAGO — McDonald's Corp. is facing at least three lawsuits related to its disclosure last week that its french fries contain wheat and dairy products.
Debra Moffatt of Lombard, Ill., seeks unspecified damages in a suit filed Friday in Cook County Circuit Court that accuses the company of misleading the public. Her attorney, Thomas Pakenas, said his client has celiac disease that causes gastrointestinal symptoms when set off by eating gluten, a protein found in wheat.
"You cannot sell gluten-free french fries when they have gluten," Pakenas said. Moffatt's lawsuit seeks class-action status.
McDonald's said Feb. 13 that wheat and dairy ingredients are used to flavor its fries. Those substances can cause allergic or other medical reactions in food-sensitive consumers.
Earlier this month, McDonald's also acknowledged that its fries contain a third more trans fats than it previously knew, citing results of a new testing method it began using in December.
Jack Daly, McDonald's senior vice president, said in a statement the company has not reviewed the case yet and is testing its fries for gluten through a food allergy research program at the University of Nebraska.
On Friday, Mark and Theresa Chimiak of Jupiter, Fla., sued the fast-food chain, claiming their 5-year-old daughter has an intolerance to gluten. On Wednesday, Nadia Sugich of Los Angeles sued McDonald's, saying she is a vegan and would not have eaten the fries if she had known they contained dairy products.
Until recently, the company had said its fries were free of gluten and milk or wheat allergens and safe for people with dietary issues related to the consumption of dairy items. But this month, the fast-food company quietly added "Contains wheat and milk ingredients" to the french fries listing on its Web site.
The company said the move came in response to new rules by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the packaged foods industry, including one requiring that the presence of common allergens such as milk, eggs, wheat, fish or peanuts be reported. As a restaurant operator, Oak Brook, Ill.-based McDonald's does not have to comply but is doing so voluntarily.
I'm not too concerned over the vegan, I think she got done wrong and ate something she wouldn't have eaten otherwise, but I don't see her getting any money over it.
But the kids that can't eat wheat, that's another story. This is well known that some people die if they eat wheat based products, and Mickey Dee's put it in there on the sly all these years.
Does it effect me? Nope.
But how many kids and adults have been sick over the many years from eating fries they thought (and rightly so) were simply potato's and hot grease?
Children with dairy allergies can become very ill. They should list that. I know someone with a kid who is allergic to so many foods. He becomes very ill. Parents need to know.
That's true... like msg as well. I have an allergy to that, and so do many others.
My former mother-in-law has a very serious allergy to peanuts... and we went to a restaurant and she inquired before hand, and they SWORE that there was nothing of that sort in what we were ordering. She ate the food, and her entire throat was closed, and her tongue swelled. It wasn't a pretty sight to see.
:::>^..^<::: ~*~The Journey is more important than the end or the start~*~ :::>^..^<:::
And who in their right minds would even think for a minute that McDonald's or any other companies French fries would be healthy in any way shape or form?
They are fried for pity sakes...and what do you think they fry them in? Lard...vegetable oil....or the best "coconut oil."
Lard. No. That would get the vegetarians in a huff.
Vegetable oil? Yes, but what kind of vegetables? If you are a vegan you can only eat crap like carrots and sht that grow under the earth. Forget cucumbers and tomatos.
Coconut oil? The best for you, but is a coconut vegan approved? I don't think so.
And besides, if they were fried in coconut oil....the price would triple....and the cheap people who think nothing about their health would never pay more than $1 for some cholesterol infused, thigh increasing, heart stopping 'fries."
Lastly, if your children are allergic to X, don't rely on MacDonalds or even Wolfgang Puck's to care for your childs dietary needs. Cook for them at home you dumb cluck.
This isn't about the health of the food, it's about the content, and I think they need to pay up. There is no reason for anyone to think there is wheat in these fries especially since they advertised it as such. Quietly changing this later is just sneaky and deviant.
Most people with these allergies will take the precaution to avoid certain foods, so if the label says it, it better be true. I'm allergic to tree nuts, so I just avoid deserts, even if the person says there are no nuts in it. Better safe than sorry. However, fries are another thing as it falls into the more common foods. It would be like the time I ate some bread that had finely ground nuts in it (and no it wasn't a desert bread like banana nut, it was just regular white baked bread). For me, it was a case of eating something someone baked, but if I ate something like that from a store, I think an angry letter and call to the company would be in store.
I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.
- Bill Cosby
The guy who takes a chance, who walks the line between the known and unknown, who is unafraid of failure, will succeed.
- Gordon Parks
02-20-2006 02:47 AM
