Got a burning question about our beef? Well you’ve come to the right place. We’ve compiled a handy list of the questions we get asked the most.
1. What's really in a McDonald's burger and how are they made?
We only use whole cuts of 100% beef from the forequarter and flank to make our famous burgers with nothing else added apart from a pinch of salt and pepper after cooking. All of our beef is sourced from over 20,000 British and Irish farmers that must meet the standards set by a nationally recognised farm assurance scheme, such as Red Tractor. Butchers prepare these whole cuts of beef, which are then minced and shaped. Our blend of fresh and frozen mince holds the patties together. We don’t need to add any binders, McDonald’s UK burgers are just 100% beef.In our restaurants we don’t use fat or oil to cook our beef burgers. Hot plates cook the beef patties from both sides at once. We then add a pinch of salt and pepper, dress with your chosen filling and serve.
2. Are Chicken McNuggets® made with real chicken?
Chicken breast meat is the only meat we use across our entire chicken range, including our McNuggets®. We’re proud of the suppliers we use and we won’t work with anyone who does not adhere to our own high standards of animal welfare, as well as those required by UK and EU legislation.
3. Are McDonald's fries made with real potatoes? Why are they so long?
Whole potatoes are the only potatoes we use for our Fries. From the Russet Burbank to the Shepody, these are long potatoes that can be cut to make extra-long Fries.These whole potatoes are washed, peeled, cut, prepared and frozen. Our restaurant teams cook them in a blend of rapeseed oil, adding salt before serving.
4. Are McDonald's eggs real eggs? Why are they so round?
All of the eggs we cook across our UK breakfast menu are British and Irish eggs that conform to the Lion Quality Code of Practice or equivalent, and Compassion in World Farming has awarded us a Good Egg Award. The answer to why our eggs are so round is simple. We steam our eggs gently in a ring, which gives them their distinctive round shape. The cooking process is quick and easy. Once cooked, they then fit perfectly into our toasted McMuffin® buns.
5. Where does the pork in McDonald's McMuffins come from?
All of the pork on our menu, used for our streaky bacon and sausage patties, comes from British RSPCA Assured farms, winning us the 2017 RSPCA Assured Award for Commitment to Farm Animal Welfare. We have been committed to using British RSPCA Assured pork across our menu since 2013. This means bright, airy environments are provided for pigs, with bedded pens and plenty of space for them to move around.
6. Is there milk in McDonald's milkshakes?
We only use UK and Northern Irish milk to make our popular milkshakes. We add individual syrups to flavour our milkshakes, whether that’s for strawberry, chocolate, banana or vanilla milkshakes.
7. Is McDonald's food suitable for vegetarians?
We may be famous for burgers but we offer a number of tasty options for vegetarians too. Our French Fries, the Vegetable Patty used in our Spicy Vegetable Deluxe and Vegetable Deluxe have all been approved by the Vegetarian Society and are suitable for vegetarians. All of our fried products from our fries to our vegetable patties are cooked in a blend of rapeseed oil, and in separate vats from our chicken, beef and fish products. Read the full list of products that have been approved by the Vegetarian Society as suitable for vegetarians here.
8. Where does McDonald's source its coffee?
Every single coffee bean we use in our McCafé® range comes from Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms. The Rainforest Alliance works with coffee farmers to improve their livelihoods and the well-being of their local communities. As well as being good for farmers, our coffee also tastes great too. Every cup of coffee we serve – and we serve around 375,000 cups of coffee a day in the UK – uses only 100% freshly ground Arabica coffee beans.
9. How many calories are in McDonald's food?
We want to make sure you have everything you need to make an informed choice about what to eat and drink when you visit our restaurants. That’s why you can find all of our calorie information for our food and drink on the menu boards in our restaurants, on our website and via our mobile phone app. You can also find nutrition and allergen information for all our standard products on the reverse of our trayliners, and a summary of the nutrition information on some of our packaging. An allergen booklet is also available in every McDonald’s restaurant.