Y2J
05-03-2001, 05:09 PM
A consumer lawsuit filed Tuesday charges McDonald's with "fraudulently concealing the existence of beef in their french fries." The lawsuit, filed in King County Superior Court in Seattle, seeks an injunction against the use of beef tallow, which is made from the fat of cattle. McDonald's denies the existence of beef tallow in its french fries.
The plaintiffs are three vegetarians, including two Hindus who avoid meat for religious reasons. They claim they were "fraudulently induced to purchase and consume McDonald's french fries." Their suit seeks class-action status on behalf of all vegetarians who have eaten McDonald's french fries since 1990.
"We never made any claims of vegetarianism with our french fries or any other product," McDonald's spokesman Walt Riker said. "We have said that we use beef flavoring all along."
The lawsuit contends "a reasonable person would reasonably conclude the use of the term 'natural flavor' to mean flavors natural to the potatoes or vegetable oils in which the product is presumably cooked." McDonald's literature says its fries are cooked in hydrogenated soybean oils and corn oils.
In 1990, McDonald's made a big to-do of cooking its fries in 100% vegetable oil. The company and the plaintiffs disagree on whether that amounted to a claim that the fries were 100% vegetarian.
But the acknowledgment of the presence of beef extract could alienate vegetarians who had considered the fries to be entirely untouched by meat.
The plaintiffs are three vegetarians, including two Hindus who avoid meat for religious reasons. They claim they were "fraudulently induced to purchase and consume McDonald's french fries." Their suit seeks class-action status on behalf of all vegetarians who have eaten McDonald's french fries since 1990.
"We never made any claims of vegetarianism with our french fries or any other product," McDonald's spokesman Walt Riker said. "We have said that we use beef flavoring all along."
The lawsuit contends "a reasonable person would reasonably conclude the use of the term 'natural flavor' to mean flavors natural to the potatoes or vegetable oils in which the product is presumably cooked." McDonald's literature says its fries are cooked in hydrogenated soybean oils and corn oils.
In 1990, McDonald's made a big to-do of cooking its fries in 100% vegetable oil. The company and the plaintiffs disagree on whether that amounted to a claim that the fries were 100% vegetarian.
But the acknowledgment of the presence of beef extract could alienate vegetarians who had considered the fries to be entirely untouched by meat.