The Official French Fries Pages:
French Fry Nutrition

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When we started this site, one of the most common requests was for nutritional information about French Fries, especially for the popular fast food restaurants. Back in 1996 and even in 2000, they weren't terribly happy to provide such information and it was certainly nowhere to be found on any of their sites (for the few which had actual sites and not just billboards with their logos).

It was possible to go into some restaurants and get partial information, but as we've seen in recent lawsuits, such information was limited, sometimes misleading and occasionally a blatant lie. With food allergies the big rage these days, companies have had to publish their full ingredients and even specify things beyond what governmnet regulations call for, like the meaning of "natural flavorings" which could include beef, wheat, dairy and/or soy extracts (and often do).

Why is it all such a big deal?

Fast food isn't really the pinnacle of nutrition, and up until around 2002 people were more concerned about image than substance when it came to food: signs with "Low cholesterol!" and "Low fat!" were everywhere, as were such spurious claims of "heart healthy" on bottles of cooking oil. Any chef will tell you that diners do not want to know what's in their food because a nice meal in a decent restaurant can easily contains more than a full day's calorie and fat content. When you go for fast food, you want speed and taste (which is primarily in fat). Why burst people's bubbles? More importantly from the marketing perspective, you have to give them what they want. If we had to pin it down, we'd say it started with Wendy's in the 1990s when cholesterol was the big buzzword. They switched their fryers to a shortening which had no animal fat and claimed their French fries were "cholesterol-free", never mind the fact that they would (and still do) cook meat products in the same fryers as the potatoes, negating the claim unless the oil had just been changed before they cooked thr French fries. No one was asking about the calorie content, all that mattered was cholesterol.

As the other big chains played along McDonald's eventually felt forced into this stupid game and came up with a way to give their French Fries the same flavour as cooking them in their "Formula 47" shortening which contained 13% beef fat: they'd add the flavour during processing. Along the production line, French fries for McDonald's were coated with the above-mentioned "natural flavors", an ingredient listed on the box but which they were loathe to disclose and which they refused to discuss. When questioned by vegetarians the answer came back that their French Fries were indeed suitable. It's a well-known fact that McDonald's doesn't allow cooking anything but French Fries in the French Fry vats so vegetarians accepted this. Whoops.

Production line

Compounding matters are additional ingredients -- flavouring, crisping and preservation agents primarily -- which are added during French Fry production that introduce other allergens like gluten. The amounts are miniscule but in some sensitive cases, milligrams are enough. Every chain (except In-N-Out which cut potatoes fresh in-store) has its own specifications: McD's have hteir flavouring, BK have the rice flour and potato starch coating to make their fries extra crispy, and there are other tweaks which aren't public knowledge and which we promised we wouldn't let on about (just like BK's coating in 2001 but which is now public knowledge, although we still won't say which company actually does the production).

Legal stuff

This list -- by no means comprehensive -- is our attempt to provide the basics: calories, fat, carbs and protein. Where possible we list all the ingredients. Some chains provide only limited information, a few don't offer ingredients on-line, and a couple don't give out any info at all.

Attention Corporate HQs, Moles and Whistleblowers

If you can provide additional information for this chart we'll be happy to add it, but it must be sourced and it will be vetted before being added because we don't want to be sued nor do we want to be deposed or called as witnesses for any court case revolving around French Fries. If there are errors please don't sue us. Just let us know what we got wrong (probably a typo) and we'll fix it. If you're a whistleblower with further information, we're used to protecting the identities of our sources and more than one industry mole has assisted us on these pages without being named. Free E-Mail addresses are easy to come by.

Why in the world would we combine messages to the corporate world and their "enemies"? Because we're fair. We won't publish rumours or flawed study results. We won't publish unedited press releases. We check our facts. We love French Fries and know that billions of others do, too. We provide facts and facts alone, sometimes requiring weeks of research, phone calls and mail. We believe this is in everyone's interest.

Note: Don't ask about acrylamide here. We're working on a serious information page about that. The long and the short of it is: You can safely ignore all those scaremonger worries about acrylamide. Honest. We're working hard on this and we not only cite our sources, we vet them, too. You can trust us. We have no commercial interests beyond ad impressions and clicks.

On with the show
So with that out of the way, let's have a look at the restaurants, portion sizes and scores. Prices aren't included since they vary regionally as well as internationally. The numbers also don't take into account any condiments like ketchup (much sugar) or mayo (much, much oil).


Restaurant Size Calories Cal./100g Cal. from fat Total Fat Carbohydrates Protein
Arby's
Curly 		Small: 3.7oz/106g 338 319 181 20g 39g 4g
Medium: 4.4oz/125g 397 212 24g 46g 5g
Large: 7oz/198g 631 337 37g 73g 8g
Arby's
Homestyle 		Small: 4oz/113g 302 266 177 20g 44g 3g
Medium: 5oz/142g 377 221 25g 55g 4g
Large: 7.5oz/213g 566 331 37g 82g 6g
Burger King Small: 3oz/74g 230 311 n/a 13g 26g 2g
Medium: 4oz/116g 360 n/a 20g 41g 4g
Large: 5.6oz/160g 500 n/a 28g 57g 5g
King: 6.8oz/194g 600 n/a 33g 69g 6g
Chick-fil-A
Waffle Fries 		Small: 3oz/85g 270 314 120 13g 34g 3g
Medium: 4oz/113g 350 150 17g 46g 4g
Large: 4.5oz/128g 400 170 19g 51g 5g
Hardee's
Crispy Curls 		Small: 3.8oz/109g 340 312 150 17g 43g 4g
Medium: 4.7oz/132g 410 180 20g 52g 5g
Large: 5.4oz/153g 480 210 23g 60g 6g
Hardee's
French Fries 		Small: 4.4oz/126g 390 313 170 19g 51g 6g
Medium: 5.9oz/166g 520 220 24g 67g 8g
Large: 7oz/193g 610 260 28g 78g 10g
In-N-Out 3.3oz/125g 400 320 160 18g 54g 7g
Jack in the Box
Natural Cut 		Small: 4.4oz/124g 337 272 156 17g 41g 5g
Medium: 5.8oz/166g 452 209 23g 55g 6g
Large: 8.3oz/236g 642 297 33g 77g 9g
Jack in the Box
Seasoned Curly 		Small: 3oz/84g 270 322 140 15g 30g 4g
Medium: 4.4oz/125g 400 200 23g 45g 6g
Large: 6oz/170g 550 280 31g 60g 8g
KFC Wedges 3.5oz/100g 260 260 110 13g 33g 4g
Krystal Regular: 4oz/119g 470 395 180 20g 53g 4g
Chili Cheese: 7.3oz/207g 540 261* 250 28g 59g 13g
McDonald's Small: 2.6oz/74g 250 334 120 13g 30g 2g
Medium: 4oz/114g 380 180 20g 47g 4g
Large: 6oz/170g 570 270 30g 70g 6g
Popeye's 3.1oz/88g 310 352 n/a 17g 26g 4g
Steak 'n Shake Small: 2.75oz/78g 260 332 n/a 12g 34g 2g
Medium: 5oz/142g 472 n/a 23g 62g 4g
Large: 7.25oz/206g 684 n/a 33.5g 90g 7g
Steak 'n Shake
Cheddar Cheese 		Small: 2.75oz/78g 260 393 n/a 18.5g 38g 5g
Medium: 5oz/142g 626 n/a 34.5g 70g 10g
Large: 7.25oz/206g 838 n/a 45g 98g 12g
Steak 'n Shake
Chili Cheese 		Small: 2.75oz/78g 1279 1640 n/a 72.5g 132g 24g
Wendy's Small: 4oz/113g 330 294 150 16g 42g 4g
Medium: 5oz/142g 420 180 20g 53g 6g
Large: 6.5oz/184g 540 240 26g 69g 7g

The minor discrepancies in calories/100g from the same restaurant are due to rounding errors introduced when calculating portion sizes compouded by averaging those results, with differences under 00.5%. While the median seems to be around 315cal/100g, there are a couple notable exceptions: KFC Wedges, Arby's Homestyle Fries and Jack in the Box Natural Cut Fries are both much larger than normal shoestring fries. They therefore have less overall surface area and will hold less oil. McDonald's and their thinnest French Fries in major production has a noticeably higher calorie count for the same reason: more surface area = more oil retained. Popeye's also has very thin shoestrings.


Ingredients:

Arby's
Curly Fries: Potatoes, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Enriched Bleached Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Salt, Modified Food Starch, Spices, Onion Powder, Corn Meal, Garlic Powder, Leavening (Disodium Dihydrogen Pyrophosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate), Dried Yeast, Torula Yeast, Hydrolyzed Whey Protein, Hydrolyzed Wheat Bran, Natural Flavor, Spice and Coloring, Dextrose. (Milk, Wheat, Gluten)

Homestyle Fries: Potatoes, Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Shortening (Soybean Oil and/or Canola Oil), Modified Food Starch, Rice Flour, Dextrin, Salt, Leavening (Disodium Dihydrogen Pyrophosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate), Dextrose, Xanthan Gum. (NKA)

Burger King
Potatoes, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Modified Potato Starch, Rice Flour, Potato Dextrin, Salt, Leavening (Disodium Dihydrogen Pyrophosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate), Dextrose, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate added to preserve natural color.

Chick-fil-A
Potatoes, may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable shortening (soybean oil and/or canola) and/or palm oil, disodium dihydrogen pyrophosphate (to promote color retention), dextrose, Peanut Oil (fully refined peanut oil with TBHQ and citric acid added to preserve freshness and dimethylpolysiloxane, an anti-foaming agent added).

Jack in the Box
Natural Cut: Potatoes, Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Shortening (Soybean Oil and/or Canola Oil), Salt, Disodium Dihydrogen Pyrophosphate (to promote color retention), Dextrose. Cooked in FRYING SHORTENING (Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil and Partially Hydrogenated Cottonseed Oil, TBHQ, Citric Acid (to help protect flavor), Dimethylpolysiloxane (Antifoam Agent)).

Seasoned Curly Fries: Potatoes, Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Shortening (Soybean Oil And/Or Canola Oil), Enriched Bleached Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Salt, Modified Food Starch, Dextrin, Corn Meal, Cornstarch, Corn Flour, Garlic Powder, Leavening (Disodium Dihydrogen Pyrophosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate), Spices, Onion Powder, Spice and Coloring, Yeast Extract, Natural Flavor, Dextrose, Sugar, Artificial Color. Cooked in frying shortening. Contains Wheat

In-N-Out

Fresh potatoes, 100% cottonseed oil. That's it.
Note: Information on In-N-Out's oil wasn't included on their Web site. They answered a request through their information form within 30 minutes. French fries prepared in non-hydrogenated cottonseed oil are significantly lower in trans-fatty acids and saturated fat than those prepared in partially hydrogenated canola oil or soybean oil, the two most commonly used oils in deep-fat frying. Impressive.

KFC
Potato Wedges: Potatoes, Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (Soybean and/or Cottonseed Oils), and or Vegetable Oil (Canola, Soybean, and/or Sunflower Oils), Batter Mix (Enriched Bleached Flour (Wheat Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Rice flour, Food Starch-modified, Salt, Monosodium Glutamate, Yellow Corn Meal, Spices, Leavening) Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate), May Contain Dextrose. Contains: Wheat and Soy

OR

Potatoes, Vegetable Oil (Contains One or More of the Following: Canola Oil, Corn Oil, Cottonseed Oil, Palm Oil, Soybean Oil, Sunflower Oil), Enriched Bleached Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Rice Flour, Modified Food Starch, Salt, Monosodium Glutamate, Corn Meal, Spices, As of May 2007 Leavening (Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate), Dextrose. Contains: Wheat

McDonald's
Potatoes, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, natural flavor (beef source), dextrose, sodium acid pyrophosphate (to preserve natural color). Cooked in partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, (may contain partially hydrogenated soybean oil and/or partially hydrogenated corn oil and/or partially hydrogenated canola oil and/or cottonseed oil and/or sunflower oil and/or corn oil). TBHQ and citric acid added to help preserve freshness. Dimethylpolysiloxane added as an anti-foaming agent.

[orig: potatoes, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, natural flavour, dextrose, citric acid, sodium acid pyrophosphate (to preserve natural colour), cooked in partially hydrogenated soybean and corn oils, TBHQ (to protect flavour) and natural flavour.]

"Natural flavour" refers to beef extract and gluten.

Wendy's
Potatoes, Vegetable Oil Shortening (contains one or more of the following: partially hydrogenated canola oil, partially hydrogenated soybean oil), Disodium Dihydrogen Pyrophosphate (color protector), Dextrose. Cooked in Vegetable Oil. Note: may be cooked in the same oil as Fish Fillets (where available) and Crispy Chicken Nuggets.

Sources:
http://www.arbys.com/nutrition/
http://www.bk.com/Nutrition/PDFs/brochure.pdf
http://www.chick-fil-a.com/MenuTable.asp
http://www.hardees.com/nutrition/
http://www.jackinthebox.com/ourfood/build.php?cat=4&m=0
http://www.yum.com/nutrition/documents/kfc_nutrition.pdf
http://www.krystal.com/Krystal_Nutrition_Facts.pdf
http://www.mcdonalds.com/app_controller.nutrition.categories.ingredients.index.html#1
http://www.mcdonalds.com/app_controller.nutrition.index1.html
http://www.popeyes.com/nutrition.pdf
http://www.steaknshake.com/nutritional_info/index.asp?p=2&t=2
http://www.wendys.com/food/Nutrition.jsp
E-Mail from In-N-Out

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