Tuesday, February 21, 2006

McDonald's now denies allergens

It has been just a week since McDonald's announced that their fries were not gluten free, as they had claimed for years. In those 7 days at least 3 lawsuits have been filed against McDonald's. They have now changed their mind again. McDonald's released a statement today stating that a top allergen expert had tested their fries and deemed them gluten and allergen free.

McDonald's statement:
“We understand the concern that individuals in the Celiac community and others with food allergies may have regarding foods that meet their individual needs. That is why we are eager to provide them with the most factual information we can.

“Scientific evaluation by one of the world’s leading experts on gluten sensitivity and allergenicity, Dr. Steven Taylor of the Food Allergy Research and Resource Program of the University of Nebraska, has confirmed again that our fries are gluten free and allergen free.

“Based on this analysis, we believe the lawsuits filed are without legal merit.”

-Jack Daly, Senior Vice President, McDonald’s Corporation
This back-and-forth by McDonald's is fishy. And if it isn't fishy it is at the very least irresponsible and symptomatic of some serious corporate confusion.

1 comment:

Tehra said...

sure, maybe they were.... before they were fried in the same oil as their chicken. so, technically, they're can't be said to be lying. although, those who have recently been diagnosed with Celiac, for instance, perhaps don't realize that they cannot eat food that has even *touched* wheat/gluten. it's frustrating. i don't know, maybe McDonald's doesn't realize this either.