Steak 'n Shake has announced that it will completely switch from vegetable oil cooking to “100% natural beef tallow” by the end of February.
This announcement was made after Steak 'n Shake Posted We will be conducting a survey on X accounts on Monday. More than 90% of respondents said they want chains to switch to healthier cooking options. (Related: George Kharizanoff: From Fat to Healthy — Conservatives Must Lead the Fight for America's Health)
Chris Ward, chief supply chain officer for the Indianapolis-based company, said Thursday: “Our fries are made using authentic methods using 100% beef tallow for the highest quality and best taste. “It will be cooked in the kitchen,” he said. statement.
By the end of February 2025, all locations will be using 100% natural beef tallow.
Even if vegetable oil breaks your heart, our tallow will make you fall in love again 🍟❤️
— SteaknShake (@SteaknShake) January 17, 2025
McDonald's used to use beef tallow to cook its fries, but switched to vegetable oil in 1990. According to restaurant business. This came at a time when there were health concerns about consuming saturated fats found in animal products such as beef tallow. McDonald's made the switch due to concerns about losing customers.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s 2024 presidential campaign and subsequent support for Trump, as well as the president-elect's nomination to the post of Secretary of Health and Human Services, have focused attention on the food Americans eat. This coincided with the “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) movement. According to Restaurant Business, this is causing people to avoid vegetable cooking oils made from seeds such as soybean, canola, sunflower and corn.
“Seed oil is one of the most unhealthy ingredients in food,” RFK Jr. said in a 2024 lecture. fox news interview. “And the reason they're in our food is because they're heavily subsidized. They're very cheap, but they can cause all sorts of problems, including inflammation throughout the body, which affects our overall health. associated with a variety of very serious illnesses.”
Seed oil is one of the most unhealthy ingredients in food. I have to make the frying fat again. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/OOqGffhFUy
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (@RobertKennedyJr) October 25, 2024
The candidate also claimed that “seed oil is one of the drivers of the obesity epidemic.”
Fast food is part of American culture. But that doesn't mean you have to be unhealthy or that you can't make better choices. Did you know that McDonald's used beef tallow to make French fries from 1940 until they phased out tallow in favor of seed oil in 1990? This switch… pic.twitter.com/ygijMtsSQt
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (@RobertKennedyJr) October 21, 2024
“Interestingly, this percentage began to increase rapidly around the same time that fast-food restaurants switched from beef tallow to seed oil in their fryers,” RFK Jr. claimed.
According to a study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 60% of Americans' diets come from processed foods. Found. Soybean oil has been linked to many health problems, including an unhealthy gut. According to Researchers at the University of California, Riverside (UC Riverside).
“Our research builds on decades of evidence that many chronic diseases are caused by eating too much saturated fat from animal foods, and conversely that unsaturated fats from plants are necessarily more effective. ,” said the UC Riverside Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology and their collaborators. said author Sonia Punamjot Deol.
However, some criticize eliminating seed oil from the diet. The American Heart Association suggests that “less than 5% to 6% of your daily calories come from saturated fat.” According to Mayo Clinic. The clinic said unsaturated fats, including seed oils, are healthier for most people. According to the Mayo Clinic, seed oil can help prevent type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
These fats “play an important role in the body.” According to Colorado State University Kendall Regan Nutrition Center. These provide energy, protect people's organs, help absorb nutrients, help regulate body temperature, and support the immune system, the center's staff wrote.
Steak 'n Shake's parent company, Biglari Holdings, did not respond to requests for comment from The Daily Caller.