Lent, Fasting, French Fries

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DomaGB3

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It has come to my attention that the French Fries served at McDonalds has beef in it. It had been for years but McDonalds changed their oil, and was told that beef was no longer used. However this is not true, the beef is added at the factory preparation not at local stores in the new oil.

McDonalds serves wonderful Filet-O-Fish specials during lent, and this often times includes specials on Fries. I live in Wisconsin with lots of Catholics, and many come to McDonald’s for Fish and Fries on Fridays during lent. Please be warned that you are breaking Catholic regulations.

I looked up the official use of meat on Fridays for lent, it says its only ok if its in a product if it not for the flavor (years ago they used to line canned goods with beef fat as an example). However beef flavor has been added to the fries for flavor!

I have links for all these facts, but don’t want to break any forum rules by posting links.

Please fellow Catholics, do not eat McDonald’s fries on Lent Fridays!
 
Be sure to let us know what you find out about Burger King.
 
Thanks for that, I totally ate some Mcdonald fries a few weeks ago - DARN!
 
You won’t be breaking any forum rules to provide links to what you are claiming. I don’t think you are correct. So please provide your link.

From the USCCB
Abstinence laws consider that meat comes only from animals such as chickens, cows, sheep or pigs — all of which live on land. Birds are also considered meat. Abstinence **does not include meat juices and liquid foods made from meat. Thus, such foods as chicken broth, consomme, soups cooked or flavored with meat, meat gravies or sauces, as well as seasonings or condiments made from animal fat are technically not forbidden. ** However, moral theologians have traditionally taught that we should abstain from all animal-derived products (except foods such as gelatin, butter, cheese and eggs, which do not have any meat taste). Fish are a different category of animal. Salt and freshwater species of fish, amphibians, reptiles, (cold-blooded animals) and shellfish are permitted.
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This would seem to be counter to what you wrote
 
The Filet are fine, and so is everything else. You can view a PDF file from McDonalds off their website listing every ingredient. Nothing contains beef except what you expect, except the French Fries, and 1 other item: Hashbrowns.

So if you want to avoid meat on Fridays and get a bagel or some other item (parfait, muffin, biscuit…) and a hash brown, please note that McD’s Hashbrowns and their fries contain beef. And its purpose in them is for flavor, thus voiding the Catholic regulation on fasting for beef on Fridays for lent.

Please pass the word out too all your catholic friends. This may also violate other religous dietary rules, like for Muslims or for Vegan rules. But I cannot vouch for other belief systems regulations.

So eat the fish and other products at McDonalds, but don’t be tempted by their current 50cent large fry offer for their lent special!
 
ok here are the links:

nutrition.mcdonalds.com/getnutrition/ingredientslist.pdf

Even Time magazine discusses it here:

time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2104472_2104473_2104489,00.html

And the following article discusses the change of oil, and how beef was still added:

personal.psu.edu/afr3/blogs/SIOW/2011/10/meat-extract-in-mcdonalds-french-fries.html

The taste of any fried food is largely determined by cooking oil and for years McDonald’s had cooked its fries in 93% beef tallow and 7% cottonseed oil. This mixture gave fries a distinct flavor that the world craved. When McDonald’s changed to 100% vegetable oil the taste of their fries was altered and in order to maintain the original flavor, a small amount of beef flavoring was added.

And CBS discusses it as well:

cbsnews.com/2100-201_162-511109.html
 
Thousands or even millions of Catholics in sin and don’t know it.
 
adrift said:
You won’t be breaking any forum rules to provide links to what you are claiming. I don’t think you are correct. So please provide your link.

From the USCCB
This would seem to be counter to what you wrote
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catholic.org/clife/lent/abfast.php

Abstinence The law of abstinence requires a Catholic 14 years of age until death to abstain from eating meat on Fridays in honor of the Passion of Jesus on Good Friday. Meat is considered to be the flesh and organs of mammals and fowl. Also forbidden are soups or gravies made from them. Salt and freshwater species of fish, amphibians, reptiles and shellfish are permitted, as are animal derived products such as margarine and gelatin which do not have any meat taste.
Soups and gravies are not permitted, then listed are items which are, but ends with: “which do not have any meat taste.” McDonald’s fries have beef added specifically for the taste. I have a link above discussing this, it is for taste.
 
Looks like we’ve got dueling citations here:

DomaGB3’s citation says soups or gravies made from meat are banned:
DomaGB3 said:
catholic.org/clife/lent/abfast.php
Also forbidden are soups or gravies made from them.
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adrift’s citation says soups or gravies made from meat are allowed:
usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/liturgical-resources/lent/questions-and-answers-about-lent.cfm
Thus, such foods as chicken broth, consomme, soups cooked or flavored with meat, meat gravies or sauces, as well as seasonings or condiments made from animal fat are technically not forbidden.
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Jimmy Akin’s addresses the issue of “and soups made from meat” by looking at Paenitemini (the 1966 Apostolic Constitution On Penance) and the differences between the 1917 and1983 Codes of Canon Law. He comes to a conclusion that matches the USCCB’s instructions:
Since Paenitemini drops part of what the 1917 Code said about the law of abstinence but leaves the rest intact, it derogates from (partially revokes) what the 1917 Code said on that point. Thus “soups made from meat” are now kosher on days of abstinence.
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It seems to me that your are free to have a stricter interpretation of this issue than the USCCB – and thus choose to avoid McDonald’s French Fries and Hash Browns on Lenten fridays if you wish – but it isn’t obvious that anyone who eats the fries that come with their Filet-o-Fish is violating the abstinence rules. (Personally, I can’t taste the “natural beef flavor” that McDonald’s uses in pre-cooking their fries at the potato processing plant.)
 
DomaGB3 said:
Thousands or even millions of Catholics in sin and don’t know it.
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No. Thousands of Catholics are NOT in sin and don’t know it. Sin is a choice. The sin is not in eating meat, meat is morally neutral, the sin is in being disobedient to Church laws. The sin is disobedience, not eating meat. Unknowingly eating something cooked in meat fat is not a sin. In any case, there is no absolute prohibition against cooking in meat fat. You read the citations. At the very best, there is some ambiguity.

Please read the Catechism on sin to clear up your confusion on it. Otherwise you may be led into scrupulosity, which is a bad thing.
 
Here’s what the vatican has to say:
"http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/_P4O.HTM:
Can. 1251 Abstinence from eating meat or some other food according to the prescripts of the conference of bishops is to be observed on ,of abstinence binds those who have completed their fourteenth year of age. The law of fasting, however, binds all those who have attained their majority until the beginning of their sixtieth year. Nevertheless, pastors of souls and parents are to take care that minors not bound by the law of fast and abstinence are also educated in a genuine sense of penance.

Can. 1253 The conference of bishops can determine more precisely the observance of fast and abstinence as well as substitute other forms of penance, especially works of charity and exercises of piety, in whole or in part, for abstinence and fast.
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So it would seem to me that the USCCB has the authority here.
DomaGB3 said:
so instead we have a church division between catholic.org and usccb.org
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Curiously, the webpage: catholic.org/clife/lent/abfast.php you linked to listed these same canon laws recognizing the authority of the conference of bishops. So no, no division in the church. I don’t know why they provide this strict interpretation of fasting and abstinence guidelines.

Additionally,
Catholic Online operates as a for- profit business…
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so they should not be considered to hold any authority. (I’m not trying to undermine the value of their work, mind you)

I may be mistaken, but I believe each individual bishop is not strictly bound by the decisions of the conference. Therefore, you may decide to contact the office of your bishop and request that they clarify the abstinence of meat for your diocese.
 
The Orthodox maintain far stricter rules on fasting, and I think the following, taken from a [post=6297240]post[/post] of a former forum member, is a very helpful guide:
Once upon a time, a saintly Russian Orthodox bishop was eating a cracker. A zealous seminarian said, “Oh, Vladika! Don’t you know that contains beef fat and milk?”
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The Bishop replied, “But I’m not eating beef fat and milk. I’m eating a cracker.”
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Obviously a cheese danish or something that has recognizable milk products in it, like ice cream, would be against the usual Eastern custom.
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But my own rule: If I can’t see it or taste it, it’s not there.
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On Friday for lunch I eat a couple of Boca Burger, the flame grilled ones. They are delicious and filling but they have a bit too much sodium so I do not recommend them for every day consumption. These are patties made from vegetable protein, and they are flavored with all kinds of stuff…garlic, pepper, smoke, and beef flavoring…whatever that is. According to the nutrition label there is no meat or meat products in the things, so I feel safe in eating them. I enjoy a few baked tater tots with them as well.
 
Oh MY. Is this really the most important thing we have to worry about? :rolleyes:

I once had “duck fat fries” in a fancy pants resturant. Let me assure you that whatever they add to McDonald’s fries does not make them taste like beef! Much less turns them into beef! (However the duck fat fries were absolutely wonderful! I highly recommend them for a Thursday night dinner! 😉 )
 
DomaGB3 said:
It has come to my attention that the French Fries served at McDonalds has beef in it. It had been for years but McDonalds changed their oil, and was told that beef was no longer used. However this is not true, the beef is added at the factory preparation not at local stores in the new oil.

McDonalds serves wonderful Filet-O-Fish specials during lent, and this often times includes specials on Fries. I live in Wisconsin with lots of Catholics, and many come to McDonald’s for Fish and Fries on Fridays during lent. Please be warned that you are breaking Catholic regulations.

I looked up the official use of meat on Fridays for lent, it says its only ok if its in a product if it not for the flavor (years ago they used to line canned goods with beef fat as an example). However beef flavor has been added to the fries for flavor!

I have links for all these facts, but don’t want to break any forum rules by posting links.

Please fellow Catholics, do not eat McDonald’s fries on Lent Fridays!
Click to expand...
I hate to be a wet blanket, especially since I’m not Catholic, but you might also think twice about eating pizza on Fridays during Lent since some pizza shops add beef flavor to cheese pizza. (Besides, ordinary cheese pizza is not considered kosher since it often contains the animal enzyme, rennet.)
 
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