Why American McDonald's Fries Have More Ingredients Than European Fries

Although McDonald's is an undeniably American institution, the majority of its restaurants are not located in the United States. The fast food chain boasts some 40,000 franchises spread across over 100 countries. Naturally, all of these McDonald's restaurants scattered across the globe don't serve the exact same menu. The flashy and exciting variations in international McDonald's offerings — like Japan's unbeatable shrimp burger and the European countries where you can order beer — are a constant source of surprise, delight, and sometimes disgust for Golden Arches lovers. However, some key differences in global McDonald's menus are far more subtle.

McDonald's "World Famous Fries" are prepared with varying ingredients depending on where, exactly, you are in the world. In the United States, the primary ingredients in McDonald's fries are potatoes, vegetable oil (which contains five sub-ingredients), dextrose, sodium acid pyrophosphate to maintain color, and salt. In the United Kingdom, the ingredient list is notably pared down, containing only potatoes, non-hydrogenated vegetable oil, dextrose, and salt.

The most dramatic difference between McDonald's fries in the United States and the United Kingdom is the frying oil — the U.S. version uses "vegetable oil," which contains canola oil, corn oil, soybean oil, hydrogenated soybean oil, and natural beef flavor, while the U.K. version simply contains non-hydrogenated rapeseed oil. The American fries also contain a color-maintaining chemical, which is not added to the U.K. version, presumably to keep them looking appetizingly golden. According to McDonald's, the variations between U.S. and U.K. fries are due to local customer tastes, ingredient availability, and regulations (of course, the company insists that there's no compromise in taste or safety).

Some would argue that the U.K. McDonald's fries are slightly healthier thanks to their shorter ingredient list. It's also worth noting that the U.K. fries are vegan, while the U.S. ones are not, because the natural beef flavor contains milk derivatives. Luckily, Americans feeling salty about these differences can console themselves with the knowledge that U.S. McDonald's customers can expect larger portion sizes. Perhaps more importantly, although American McDonald's fries do include some ingredients that are more strictly regulated across the pond, they don't appear to contain anything that is outright banned in Europe (unlike a popular snack food considered healthy in the States). 

No matter where you are in the world, however, we recommend upgrading your Golden Arches experience with this McDonald's fry trick for easy dipping on the go.