Are McDonald's Fries Vegan?

Who doesn't love the iconic taste of McDonald's fries?

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McDonald's fries are often voted the best fast food fries around, but there's a surprising twist to their ingredients that might have you rethinking your order.

Many years ago I decided to quit eating meat after watching a fantastic little film called Vegucated [2011].

It was difficult at first because I was used to eating nearly every day at fast food restaurants. My terrible diet is a story for another day. But there was one meat-free option I could always turn to: hot, delicous french fries!

My world was soon crushed when I found out this shocking news:

McDonald's fries are NOT vegan! 😱

How is that possible? They're just potatoes!

Well, the answer to that question depends on which country you are in.

I learned that historically the chain had perfected the flavor of their fries by frying them in beef tallow.

Later, when studies showed the health dangers of animal fats, McDonald's shifted to using vegetable oil instead.

In their attempts to replicate the classic McDonald's fry flavor, they discovered they could use a vaguely-named "beef flavoring" to season the fries before they arrived at each restaurant.

The US McDonald's website states "When our suppliers partially fry our cut potatoes, they use an oil blend that contains beef flavoring. This ensures the great-tasting and recognizable flavor we all love".

Today this "beef flavoring" is stated to contain milk ingredients, making it possibly vegetarian-friendly, but not suitable for vegans.

Possibly vegetarian?

Possibly, you say? Yes, and here's the problem. US law doesn't require McDonald's to disclose "beef" in their food. They must, however, disclose the presence of milk, a potentially dangerous allergen.

I could almost assume the fries in the United States are vegetarian if it wasn't for this fact:
Japan states that their fries contain beef! 🐮

Due to various lawsuits and government regulations, McDonald's has had to modify their recipe in most other countries to omit the animal products from their french fries altogether.

Why can't they do that in the United States and Japan? Presumably it's because they aren't forced to.

Where are they vegan?

Below is a list to help you identify where the fries are vegan/vegetarian and which are not. Included with each is a link to the company's own nutritional/allergy information for the territory listed.

Note that McDonald's mostly avoids using the word vegan, perhaps due to cross-contamination concerns and the liability it may bring.