Tag Archive for McDonald’s

Shouldn’t We Have Asked the Chickens?

Many groups and organizations have been working hard to be more humane toward chickens by getting them out of cramped, stacked cages and out into the open.  Now we find that free-range chickens tend not to use their freedom to roam.  Instead, they spend their time inside or hovering outside near the door, and when they’re outside they peck at each other.

The reason could be as simple as answering the question, “Where are the trees?”  Apparently our modern chicken is the ancestor of fowl that lived in SE Asia’s jungles, among trees that gave them shade, protection from predators, and places to perch. That environment also gave them ground they could peck at to find food, plus dust that they used to clean themselves.

Oddly enough, it was McDonalds in the UK who figured this out years ago, after announcing that they’d use only free-range eggs. When they planted trees outside hen houses they found an increase in egg production and happier, healthier chickens.  And they “range” (roam) more.  Now the UK calls eggs produced in this way “Freedom Food.”

So, why didn’t someone consult the chickens in the first place?

 

McDonald’s Fries: More to Them than you Think

[When you buy McDonald’s fries, you’re getting a lot more than just potatoes, oil, and salt.  Are you sure you’re hungry for the other 14 ingredients?  Read on.]

Shocking Ingredients in McDonald’s French Fries

Starting last year McDonald’s began a transparency campaign most likely to create a more health- and consumer-conscious image of the corporation.  As a result the company has made their ingredient lists and processing techniques available on their website. Out of curiosity, I had to know exactly what is in those fries.

It turns out that there are 17 ingredients in MickeyD’s French fries!  They contain:

-Potatoes (whew! I’m glad that was the first ingredient)

-Canola oil—Most canola oil is now genetically-modified.

-Hydrogenated soybean oil—Like canola oil, most soybean oil is now extracted from genetically-modified soybeans. Plus the hydrogenation process makes the oil more saturated than it would be in its natural form, and unhealthy.

-Safflower oil—Believed to be a healthier cooking oil, most safflower is unfortunately heated to high temperatures long before it is ever used for cooking, causing it to be chemically-altered from the heat, and a source of inflammation in the body when that is the case.

-”Natural flavor”—McDonald’s natural flavor is apparently obtained from a vegetable source, but the “natural” moniker means nothing since it can even potentially contain the nerve- and brain-toxin monosodium glutamate (MSG).

-Dextrose—a type of sugar.

-Sodium acid pyrophosphate—This ingredient is apparently used to maintain the color of the fries.  On the chemical industry’s own safety data sheets it is listed as hazardous for ingestion, which is exactly what you’ll be doing if you eat those French fries.

-Citric acid—used as a preservative.

-Dimethylpolysiloxane—used as an anti-foaming agent, this industrial chemical is typically used in caulking and sealants and comes with a list of safety concerns.

-Vegetable oil for frying, which is a blend of 7 ingredients, including:  canola oil, corn oil, soybean oil, hydrogenated soybean oil with tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ), citric acid, and dimethylpolysiloxane.  We discussed most of these ingredients above.  Corn oil, like its canola and soybean counterparts is now primarily made of genetically-modified corn.

TBHQ is a petroleum-based, butane-like (yes, that’s lighter fluid!) ingredient used as a preservative.  It has been linked to asthma, skin conditions, hormone disruption, and in long-term animal studies to cancer and damage to DNA.

Contrary to what McDonald’s may claim in its slogan, I’m NOT lovin’ it!


From http://www.care2.com/greenliving/shocking-ingredients-in-mcdonalds-french-fries.html#ixzz2ei9fFep4