The
transparency campaign initiated by McDonald’s last year was intended at
marketing a more health conscious image of McDonald’s Corp.–and at using social
media more effectively, but instead of talking about their love for the brand,
the hashtag became a forum for people to talk about how disgusting they believe
the food is. The ingredients in their french fries went viral. Instead of the
basic two ingredients-potatoes and oil, consumers found out McDonald’s french
fries contain 17 ingredients.
The
campaign isn’t brand new. Launched by McDonald’s last June using a YouTube video to answer a consumer’s question
about why their food looks so drastically different in commercials than in the
restaurant, the “Our Food, Your Questions” premise opened McDonalds’ kitchen
doors, lending the brand to a supposed more honest and transparent feel. By
prompting consumers to ask their questions on Facebook or Twitter, McDonald’s hoped
to build trust and credibility in a marketplace where bad press has followed
them in the form of viral videos and unappetizing images.
McDonald’s
eventually began disclosing the secret behind how the fast food chain’s fries
are made. They produced a video answering a series of questions about McDonald’s
fries: where the potatoes come from, how they are processed, what kind of oil
they’re fried in, and why there is so much salt on them.
Mario Dupuis, a production manager at McCain Foods in New Brunswick,
discussed where the potatoes are washed, peel and cut. They are also blanched
to “remove natural sugars” that would cause color variations then soaked in
dextrose for an even color. There’s also an ingredient to prevent greying,
drying to remove excess moisture and a quick-fry for 45 to 60 seconds before
the fries are frozen for shipping.
The worst
part are the ingredients. Instead of the standard two ingredients necessary to
make french fries-potatoes and oil, there are approximately 17 as reported on
the ingredients facts list on the McDonald’s website.
They
include:
Potatoes, canola oil, hydrogenated soybean oil, safflower oil, natural flavor (vegetable source), dextrose, sodium acid pyrophosphate (maintain color), citric acid (preservative), dimethylpolysiloxane (anti-foaming agent) and cooked in vegetable oil (Canola oil, corn oil, soybean oil, hydrogenated soybean oil with THBQ, citric acid and dimethylpolysiloxane) and salt (silicoaluminate, dextrose, potassium iodide).
Potatoes, canola oil, hydrogenated soybean oil, safflower oil, natural flavor (vegetable source), dextrose, sodium acid pyrophosphate (maintain color), citric acid (preservative), dimethylpolysiloxane (anti-foaming agent) and cooked in vegetable oil (Canola oil, corn oil, soybean oil, hydrogenated soybean oil with THBQ, citric acid and dimethylpolysiloxane) and salt (silicoaluminate, dextrose, potassium iodide).
At a
glance, many of the ingredients above are hazardous to human health, including
those which are genetically modified (canola oil, corn oil, soybean oil),
hydrogenated (soybean oil), chemically preserved and anti-foaming (THBQ, citric
acid, dimethylpolysiloxane), and artificially colored (sodium acid
pyrophosphate).
Source: Prevent Disease
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They also contain beef tallow
ReplyDeleteThey also contain beef tallow
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