<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> As one of the Listowners of this discussion group, I've been working on getting a detailed statement from McDonalds to share with the Celiac community. It finally arrived today, and I've placed the entire email below. As we all know, most McDonalds fried products are not gluten free, so it is still each person's responsibility to verify that the particular outlet you patronize follows the McDonalds corporate requirements to isolate the fries from gluten containing products. Bill Elkus ---------------------------------- Dear Bill, I work for Ann Rusniak, McDonald's Chief Nutritionist, who asked me to respond to your letter of September 4. We thank you for your patience and for your diligence in obtaining accurate information to share with your discussion group. We fully understand the critical nature of the diet for celiacs and wanted to verify our answers to your questions before responding. First, we would like to confirm that McDonald's hash browns and French fries are indeed gluten-free. No gluten containing ingredients are used in the recipes for the hash browns and French fries. In fact, the hash browns were reformulated several years ago in response to concerns voiced from celiacs that McDonald's fries would be contaminated since these products are cooked in the same frying vats. At that time, McDonald's also established operational procedures for its restaurants on the proper use of dedicated fryers, baskets, and utensils for preparing and serving French fries and hash browns. In addition, procedures were developed to ensure that there is no cross-contamination of gluten in the cleaning and filtering of frying equipment and oils. Frequent reminders are made to operators and managers about the critical nature of following these procedures, and we fully expect these procedures to be followed. Regarding the transition to a new cooking oil, we can assure you that this will not introduce any gluten or wheat products to McDonald's French fries or hash browns. It is correct that McDonald's fried products, including French fries, McNuggets, Filet-O-Fish, hash browns, and crispy chicken patties, will all be cooked in a reformulated oil that contains lower levels of harmful trans fatty acids. However, the procedures described above will not change, and thus McDonald's French fries and hash browns will remain gluten-free. Ensuring the safety of McDonald's foods for people with celiac disease and for others with food allergies is of utmost importance to us. We sincerely appreciate your efforts to disseminate accurate and helpful information to the celiac community. If we can be of assistance in the future, please don't hesitate to contact Ann or myself. Healthy regards, Betsy Hornick, MS, RD McDonald's Nutrition Consultant ----------------------------------- *Support summarization of posts, reply to the SENDER not the CELIAC List*