Social media was sent into a frenzy on Tuesday after animal rights group Peta claimed that McDonald’s chips are not suitable for vegetarians. The fast food company has now issued a response to the claims.
Peta, the US group which has the full name People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, commented after a TikTok user shared footage of the French fries being cooked in beef stock.
“Even McDonald’s FRIES aren’t suitable for vegetarians,” Peta wrote with an angry face in a social media message alongside an angry emoji.
Meanwhile, the Mirror reported that TikTok user Jordan the Stallion shared the theory with the comment “bad news for vegetarians”.
McDonald’s has confirmed that while this is the case in some countries, it is not true in the UK, where the chips can be enjoyed by vegetarians and vegans.
French fries are made by McCain’s from Russet Burbank, Pentland Dell, and Shepody potatoes in Britain and not cooked in beef stock, as they reportedly are in some other countries.
“The fries are not coated in any fats or substances from an animal,” McDonald’s website says. The firm has also introduced vegan options to its UK menu, introducing the McPlant burger in the UK using Beyond Meat.
Despite the reassurances for British consumers, the Peta post was enough to spark unrest among heavy users of the fast-food chain.
“Wait.. whaaaat!? I’m vegan and all I can eat from McDonald’s are fries,” one said on TikTok, with another adding: “WTF. Never again.”
There has been further bad news for the chips this week, with a research team in Hangzhou, China, finding fried food can have a negative impact on mental health.
CNN reported on Tuesday that eaters of fried foods, and especially chips, had a 12 per cent higher risk of anxiety and a 7 per cent higher risk of depression than those who never ate them. This is in addition to other known risk factors of the foods such as high blood pressure.
The researchers studied 140,728 people over 11.3 years and also found participants consuming several servings of fried food regularly were more likely to be young men.
