It looks like chicken, it smells like chicken, it tastes like chicken, but is it…?
Thanks to Events Team Leader Mark Magee for this gem from McDonald’s website, posted on January 13th.
Response to Chicken McNugget Rumors
We welcome the conversation about our food. What's really important is that people have the truth & facts.
The truth is, our Chicken McNuggets are made with 100% USDA Grade A Chicken. A fractional amount of a legal preservative and a miniscule drop of an additive in vegetable oil is added to simply prevent foaming on the surface that naturally occurs in cooking. It’s that simple. Customers can be reassured that these are common and fully-approved ingredients that are completely safe and have been used for decades.
Just as important, these safe and approved ingredients are found in bread, frozen vegetables, canned fruit, soups, cereal, cocoa, candy, crackers, instant noodles and vegetable, sunflower and canola oils … hardly a scary list for consumers.
The use of these ingredients has been approved for many years by government food safety authorities and regulatory agencies around the world, such as the U.S. FDA, European Union Parliament, and the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives.
The Ronald doth protest too much, methinks.
Truth and facts. If this other stuff is so fractional and miniscule, why not just leave them out? Just ‘cause they were approved by the FDA doesn’t mean that they are actually GOOD for you.
Having David Blaine live in a clean sheet for a week would have been more exciting
Mark spotted this second gem in a Procter and Gamble website release.
Procter and Gamble's (NYSE: PG) Downy fabric softener and Macy's (NYSE: M) have partnered to bring consumers an incomparable bedroom experience by combining the "magic" of Macy's sheets with the long-lasting freshness benefits of Ultra Downy April Fresh. This partnership sparked from a National Sleep Foundation 2010 Bedroom Poll (1), which revealed a number of statistics about how important consumers claim fresh smelling sheets to be to their overall bedroom environment. For example, seven out of ten people claim to get a more comfortable night's rest on sheets with a fresh scent.
Downy and Macy's will encourage consumers to take the "Clean Sheet Week" Challenge using Ultra Downy April Fresh on their new Macy's sheets and discover the long-lasting fresh result. On January 26th, Mike Birbiglia, a comedian best known for his award winning show and New York Times best-selling book "Sleepwalk with Me," will be the first person to give a live, real-time demonstration of the Ultra Downy April Fresh "Clean Sheet Week" Challenge by sleeping in a window display at the Macy's Herald Square flagship store in New York City for a full seven days.
In addition to the kick-off with Birbiglia, the partnership includes components such as a special gift of Ultra Downy April Fresh with the purchase of sheets at Macy's, major events in five markets, nationwide in-store promotional displays, exciting broadcasts on the Macy's JumboTron at the Herald Square store, and numerous other elements.
"Our brands strive to deliver superior products that delight consumers," said Mary Pochobradsky, Downy Marketing Director. "That is why we are thrilled to partner with Macy's to transform people's beds and give them long-lasting fresh smelling sheets."
OK. I may be old-fashioned, but fresh smelling sheets do not come from any kind of bottle, they come from hanging the damn things on a washing line outside. Of course, this would mean that you have to go outside to hang them up, but you can take your cell phone with you. And, even better, you save money by not wasting it on Ultra Downy April Fresh and save even more money by not burning up fossil fuels using inefficient electric driers.
P.S. sheets dried outside smell fresh in every month, not just April. ‘Course, they can get a bit stiff in January in Maine, but it can be done. Believe me.
It looks like beef, it smells like beef, it tastes like beef, but is it…?
Didn’t we just do this?
Oh, no, that was chicken.
And Mark, who has clearly been webcrawling this week, also found this January 26th website release from Yum! Brands.
UPDATED STATEMENT REGARDING CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT – January 26, 2011 "The lawsuit is bogus and filled with completely inaccurate facts. Our beef is 100% USDA inspected, just like the quality beef you would buy in a supermarket and prepare in your home. It then is slow-cooked and simmered with proprietary seasonings and spices to provide Taco Bell's signature taste and texture. Our seasoned beef recipe contains 88% quality USDA-inspected beef and 12% seasonings, spices, water and other ingredients that provide taste, texture and moisture. The lawyers got their facts wrong. We take this attack on our quality very seriously and plan to take legal action against them for making false statements about our products. There is no basis in fact or reality for this suit and we will vigorously defend the quality of our products from frivolous and misleading claims such as this."
What is in Taco Bell's recipe for seasoned beef?
"We're cooking with a proprietary recipe to give our seasoned beef flavor and texture, just like you would with any recipe you cook at home.
For example, when you make chili, meatloaf or meatballs, you add your own recipe of seasoning and spices to give the beef flavor and texture, otherwise, it would taste just like unseasoned ground beef. We do the same thing with our recipe for seasoned beef.
Our recipe for seasoned beef includes ingredients you'd find in your home or in the supermarket aisle today:
- 88% USDA-inspected quality beef
- 3-5% water for moisture
- 3-5% spices (including salt, chili pepper, onion powder, tomato powder, sugar, garlic powder, cocoa powder and a proprietary blend of Mexican spices and natural flavors).
- 3-5% oats, starch, sugar, yeast, citric acid, and other ingredients that contribute to the quality of our product.
Our seasoned beef contains no "extenders" to add volume, as some might use.
The Taco Bell doth protest too much, methinks.
Hold on, hold on. 3-5% oats, starch, sugar, yeast, citric acid and “other” ingredients? Oats? Am I missing something in there? Oats are a standard ingredient in chili? And not an “extender”? Do you know anyone who puts oats in their chili?
Paul Hodgson – Senior Research Associate
It looks like chicken, it smells like chicken, it tastes like chicken, but is it…? Thanks to Events Team Leader Mark Magee for this gem from McDonald’s website, posted on January 13th. Response to Chicken McNugget Rumors We welcome the conversation about our food. What's really important is that people have the truth & facts. The truth is, our Chicken McNuggets are made with 100% USDA Grade A Chicken. A fractional amount of a legal preservative and a miniscule drop of an additive in vegetable oil is added to simply prevent foaming on the surface that naturally occurs in cooking. It’s that simple. Customers can be reassured that these are common and fully-approved ingredients that are completely safe and have been used for decades. Just as important, these safe and approved ingredients are found in bread, frozen vegetables, canned fruit, soups, cereal, cocoa, candy, crackers, instant noodles and vegetable, sunflower and canola oils … hardly a scary list for consumers. The use of these ingredients has been approved for many years by government food safety authorities and regulatory agencies around the world, such as the U.S. FDA, European Union Parliament, and the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives. The Ronald doth protest too much, methinks. Truth and facts. If this other stuff is so fractional and miniscule, why not just leave them out? Just ‘cause they were approved by the FDA doesn’t mean that they are actually GOOD for you. Having David Blaine live in a clean sheet for a week would have been more exciting Mark spotted this second gem in a Procter and Gamble website release. Procter and Gamble's (NYSE: PG) Downy fabric softener and Macy's (NYSE: M) have partnered to bring consumers an incomparable bedroom experience by combining the "magic" of Macy's sheets with the long-lasting freshness benefits of Ultra Downy April Fresh. This partnership sparked from a National Sleep Foundation 2010 Bedroom Poll (1), which revealed a number of statistics about how important consumers claim fresh smelling sheets to be to their overall bedroom environment. For example, seven out of ten people claim to get a more comfortable night's rest on sheets with a fresh scent. Downy and Macy's will encourage consumers to take the "Clean Sheet Week" Challenge using Ultra Downy April Fresh on their new Macy's sheets and discover the long-lasting fresh result. On January 26th, Mike Birbiglia, a comedian best known for his award winning show and New York Times best-selling book "Sleepwalk with Me," will be the first person to give a live, real-time demonstration of the Ultra Downy April Fresh "Clean Sheet Week" Challenge by sleeping in a window display at the Macy's Herald Square flagship store in New York City for a full seven days. In addition to the kick-off with Birbiglia, the partnership includes components such as a special gift of Ultra Downy April Fresh with the purchase of sheets at Macy's, major events in five markets, nationwide in-store promotional displays, exciting broadcasts on the Macy's JumboTron at the Herald Square store, and numerous other elements. "Our brands strive to deliver superior products that delight consumers," said Mary Pochobradsky, Downy Marketing Director. "That is why we are thrilled to partner with Macy's to transform people's beds and give them long-lasting fresh smelling sheets." OK. I may be old-fashioned, but fresh smelling sheets do not come from any kind of bottle, they come from hanging the damn things on a washing line outside. Of course, this would mean that you have to go outside to hang them up, but you can take your cell phone with you. And, even better, you save money by not wasting it on Ultra Downy April Fresh and save even more money by not burning up fossil fuels using inefficient electric driers. P.S. sheets dried outside smell fresh in every month, not just April. ‘Course, they can get a bit stiff in January in Maine, but it can be done. Believe me. It looks like beef, it smells like beef, it tastes like beef, but is it…? Didn’t we just do this? Oh, no, that was chicken. And Mark, who has clearly been webcrawling this week, also found this January 26th website release from Yum! Brands. UPDATED STATEMENT REGARDING CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT – January 26, 2011 "The lawsuit is bogus and filled with completely inaccurate facts. Our beef is 100% USDA inspected, just like the quality beef you would buy in a supermarket and prepare in your home. It then is slow-cooked and simmered with proprietary seasonings and spices to provide Taco Bell's signature taste and texture. Our seasoned beef recipe contains 88% quality USDA-inspected beef and 12% seasonings, spices, water and other ingredients that provide taste, texture and moisture. The lawyers got their facts wrong. We take this attack on our quality very seriously and plan to take legal action against them for making false statements about our products. There is no basis in fact or reality for this suit and we will vigorously defend the quality of our products from frivolous and misleading claims such as this." What is in Taco Bell's recipe for seasoned beef? "We're cooking with a proprietary recipe to give our seasoned beef flavor and texture, just like you would with any recipe you cook at home. For example, when you make chili, meatloaf or meatballs, you add your own recipe of seasoning and spices to give the beef flavor and texture, otherwise, it would taste just like unseasoned ground beef. We do the same thing with our recipe for seasoned beef. Our recipe for seasoned beef includes ingredients you'd find in your home or in the supermarket aisle today: • 88% USDA-inspected quality beef • 3-5% water for moisture • 3-5% spices (including salt, chili pepper, onion powder, tomato powder, sugar, garlic powder, cocoa powder and a proprietary blend of Mexican spices and natural flavors). • 3-5% oats, starch, sugar, yeast, citric acid, and other ingredients that contribute to the quality of our product. Our seasoned beef contains no "extenders" to add volume, as some might use. The Taco Bell doth protest too much, methinks. Hold on, hold on. 3-5% oats, starch, sugar, yeast, citric acid and “other” ingredients? Oats? Am I missing something in there? Oats are a standard ingredient in chili? And not an “extender”? Do you know anyone who puts oats in their chili? Paul Hodgson – Senior Research Associate
