Note to self....Mcdonald's and milk allergies

Since my son and nephew have been diagnosed with a severe milik allergy I've been of course looking at every label over and over....my SIL happened to look at the MacDonald's website the other day to make sure the chicken strips have no milk (they don't) and she finds that the french fries do!!!


Now we don't eat there all the time, but when we do my little guy loves the fries. Great....now to tell his older sisters that they can't eat the fries in front of him....should be interesting.

Message edited 4/9/2008 6:56:08 AM.

Re: Note to self....Mcdonald's and milk allergies

DS has a milk allergy and eats the McDonalds fries, chicken strips and plain hamburger. Never any problems. I don't know why, since they say they contain milk but I really feel that b/c it is within the vegetable oil as a starter ingredient in the beef flavor it is broken down during the frying process. With that said, DS throws up if he ingests any form of a milk protein and has been eating the fries for over a year.

Message edited 4/9/2008 7:57:50 AM.

Re: Note to self....Mcdonald's and milk allergies

Right from the website's listing of ingredients for fries: (Natural beef flavor contains hydrolyzed wheat and hydrolyzed milk as starting ingredients.)

BTW, our allergist told us that one way they can hide allergens - including milk - in a label and not disclose it's there is to list "Natural flavoring". It's one of the stupid loopholes to that law where they have to disclose allergens on the label. It doesn't mean that it always contains allergens but she told us to try to avoid foods that use that generic term.

Re: Note to self....Mcdonald's and milk allergies

McDonald's is pretty much banned from our house. I gave DD a french fry from there once not realizing and she broke out in a rash immediately. DD doesn't like hamburgers so I see no point in taking her there.

Re: Note to self....Mcdonald's and milk allergies

It's a matter of comfort level. My very milk allergic son eats McD's french fries all the time and never had a problem...I mean, this is a kid where a drop of milk touches his skin and he gets hives. Yet, he was eating them for a year or so before the new labeling law went into effect and McD's put out a statement saying that their oil supplier for the fries changed their labeling saying the oil contains milk.

I spoke to my son's allergist at that time and he told me that if he's been eating them all along and no reaction, then he by all means can continue to eat them. However, FAAN recommends that milk allergic kids avoid them. We don't. He doesn't eat anything else that contains milk, but he is o.k. with these fries. I think it's a tough call that each parent has to make with their doctor.

My DS eats the strips, hamburger and fries all the time with no problems.