{"id":1739,"date":"2016-02-27T13:19:54","date_gmt":"2016-02-27T21:19:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/re-tales.net\/?p=1739"},"modified":"2016-02-27T13:19:54","modified_gmt":"2016-02-27T21:19:54","slug":"dissecting-in-n-out-burger-gross-or-healthy-you-decide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/re-tales.net\/?p=1739","title":{"rendered":"Dissecting In-N-Out Burger (Gross or Healthy? You decide!)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 \u00a0I have talked about In-N-Out a lot, besides having delicious food and being incredibly successful, they are known as a great employer, pay well, and are one of the few companies left that haven’t prostituted their brand by expanding their menu, selling their food at the grocery store or slapping their name on other products. \u00a0 \u00a0So it caught my eye when I saw this article by the “Food Babe” \u00a0(that should have been my first clue…) about how unhealthy their food is. \u00a0 Since the fries are made fresh and the rest of the burger seems pretty clean, that didn’t feel right but her article is pretty scathing. \u00a0Be sure to read the second part AFTER her article:<\/span><\/h3>\n

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There\u2019s some good news and bad news I need to share with you about the beloved In-N-Out burger chain. I started investigating the\u00a0food at In-N-Out Burger for so many reasons.\u00a0There is a ton of hype surrounding these restaurants. The burgers are\u00a0quick and simple. People actually drive dozens of miles out of their way to eat there. I\u2019m sure you\u2019ve seen all the celebrities that tweet about this place and show pictures of them eating it, and for some reason it has this untouchable cloak around it that makes it seem healthier than McDonald\u2019s and other mainstream fast food restaurants.<\/em><\/div>\n
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Even Eric Schlosser, who is one of the most influential food investigators of our time\u00a0that helped to change\u00a0the way that I and so many others view food when he wrote Fast Food Nation, once said\u00a0about\u00a0In-N-Out<\/a>: \u201cIt isn\u2019t health food, but it\u2019s food with integrity. It\u2019s the real deal\u201d. \u00a0<\/em><\/div>\n

But is it really???<\/em><\/h3>\n
\"FB_DissectingInNoutBurger640x480_2\"<\/em><\/div>\n
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Up until this point, In-N-Out Burger has refused to tell us exactly what is\u00a0in their food, which should make everyone skeptical\u2026\u00a0<\/em><\/h3>\n
They have such a basic menu, but they don\u2019t list ingredients online and blatantly refuse to tell you the full list of ingredients when you ask. I\u2019ve gotten lots of emails from readers that are frustrated about this too and asked me to reach out to them.\u00a0Just like when I first investigated Chipotle back in 2012<\/a>, In-N-Out describes their food as made fresh\u00a0with quality ingredients:\u00a0\u201cWe don\u2019t freeze. We don\u2019t pre-package. We don\u2019t over-process. We just make things the old-fashioned way\u201d.<\/em><\/div>\n

Well, if that\u2019s true \u2013 why hide the ingredient list?<\/em><\/h3>\n

I realize that In-N-Out Burger has been in business for a very long time, but it\u2019s not the 1950\u2019s anymore. People have woken up to the alarming amount of food additives that are used in most fast food places, and who\u2019s to say that In-N-Out is any different? It\u2019s time for them to\u00a0publish their ingredients online like almost every other fast food restaurant does (and Chipotle<\/a>\u00a0and Starbucks<\/a> do\u00a0now!) This is an important step towards transparency that more and more customers now want and expect.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

My team and I spent months contacting In-N-Out\u2019s\u00a0Customer Service\u00a0and spoke directly with some restaurant locations trying to nail down all of their ingredients. We were successful in obtaining some ingredients used by In-N-Out,\u00a0but because they are unwilling to share the complete list they would only confirm or deny if specific ingredients are used \u2013 one, by one, by one (which is so ridiculous!)<\/em><\/div>\n
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Eventually last December,\u00a0I\u00a0sent a letter to the owner and President of In-N-Out, Ms. Lynsi Snyder, asking to chat\u00a0with her to discuss my concerns. She declined without further comment. I moved forward by replying to her\u00a0assistant and\u00a0asking\u00a0directly for a list of ingredients and also for\u00a0their policy on the use of antibiotics in the production of their meat. A few weeks later on January 15, 2016, I received an email from Keith Brazeau, Vice President of Quality,\u00a0with an exciting announcement!<\/em><\/div>\n
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\"In-N-Out<\/em><\/div>\n
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He wrote: \u201cwe are already working toward publishing our ingredients. Our goal is to ensure this information is readily available to any customer looking for it; and that it will be useful, clear, and of course, accurate.\u201c<\/em><\/div>\n
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I\u2019m thrilled that our behind-the-scenes pressure made In-N-Out Burger commit to publishing \u201cuseful\u201d \u201cclear\u201d and \u201caccurate\u201d ingredient lists online, but when will they do it?<\/em><\/div>\n
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The size of their regular menu is super limited, so it really should only take an hour (or less!) for someone to add a PDF of the ingredient list to their website. This is not a difficult task and I see no reason why they cannot implement it immediately, do you? They also didn\u2019t send me the list of ingredients, which they could have easily and quickly done. I followed up with them twice now asking for a timeline and\u00a0haven\u2019t heard back from them yet (but will update this\u00a0post when they do).<\/em><\/div>\n

How healthy do you think In-N-Out\u2019s ingredients are\u00a0going to be? Here\u2019s what we already know\u2026\u00a0<\/em><\/h3>\n

\"FB_InNoutBurgerFries_4\"<\/em><\/p>\n

(We found the\u00a0information above by asking Customer Service about each ingredient individually. I find it appalling that the corporate headquarters didn\u2019t send this information to me after direct communication.)<\/em><\/p>\n

1. \u00a0They admit\u00a0that they use Cottonseed Oil<\/strong>\u00a0to fry their fries. Cottonseed oil does not belong in our food supply and should be strictly avoided. This oil is made from a byproduct of the industrial waste from the cotton farming industry, which isn\u2019t a food crop. Despite being\u00a0one of the most prevalent\u00a0GMO crops\u00a0(designed to produce an insecticide), cotton crops still require an intense application of agricultural chemicals and that\u2019s why cotton has been called the \u201cWorld\u2019s Dirtiest Crop<\/a>\u201d.\u00a0Residues from these pesticides\u00a0can remain in cottonseed oil according to data collected<\/a> by the FAO\/WHO Joint Meetings on Pesticides Residues in Food. If that isn\u2019t bad enough, to extract the oil the cottonseeds are subjected to intensive chemical refining<\/a> with toxic hexane, bleach, and deodorizers<\/a>.<\/em><\/div>\n
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2. \u00a0They get their meat from one of the largest factory farms<\/a>. If you\u2019ve drive on I-5 in central California \u2013 you\u2019ve probably smelled it. I posted a video of what it looks like on Instagram \u2013 check it out here. <\/a>Harris Ranch is one the largest concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFO) on the west coast \u2013 critics call it \u201ccowschwitz<\/a>\u201d because thousands of cows can be seen crowded and walking in their own excrement.<\/em><\/div>\n
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3. The cows are raised with GMO feed. Study after study is revealing that meat raised organically<\/a> and grass-fed is healthier for us because it is higher in healthy fatty acids, and is not raised with antibiotics or growth hormones linked to cancer<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/div>\n
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4. \u00a0The spread on their burgers and their shakes both contain\u00a0High Fructose Corn Syrup. <\/strong>One study found that this sweetener can be\u00a0contaminated with toxic mercury<\/a>. HFCS\u00a0has been shown to contribute to type II diabetes<\/a>, especially in children<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/div>\n
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5. \u00a0Their burger spread is artificially colored with Yellow #5<\/strong>. This is the same dye I petitioned Kraft to remove from their mac\u00a0&\u00a0cheese (which they have done<\/a>) because it\u2019s derived from petroleum<\/a> and linked to\u00a0childhood behavioral problems <\/a>that\u00a0require\u00a0a food warning label in Europe.\u00a0If you add pickles to your burger, those are colored with yellow #5 as well.\u00a0<\/em><\/div>\n
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6. \u00a0We were able to get some of the bun ingredients from their supplier and\u00a0released them in this post about fast food buns.<\/a>\u00a0They contain: Enriched Flour, Water, Sugar (from sugar beets), Yeast, Fully Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Salt, Calcium Propionate<\/strong>\u2026 (and may contain more ingredients that haven\u2019t been disclosed yet).\u00a0<\/em><\/div>\n
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7. \u00a0They use the Artificial Flavor Vanillin<\/strong>, which is typically made from petrochemicals and paper industry waste<\/a>,\u00a0in their shakes. An\u00a0awesome reader sent me this email recently:<\/em><\/div>\n
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\u201cYears ago we used to eat at In-N-Out because they advertise \u201cno preservatives\u201d etc. But our family noticed that we didn\u2019t feel good whenever we ate there, so we now just pack a cooler for road trips or try and find a Chipotle. A couple of months ago we stopped for gas on a road trip and went into an In-N-Out that was next door. I asked the manager what the ingredients were in the milk shake \u2013 the menu says \u201cmade with real ice cream\u201d. He said he didn\u2019t know, but had a company hotline he could call to ask about a specific ingredient. I chose one that I thought would tell me the quality of their ingredients \u2013 Vanillin. Sure enough, he came back to the counter and said their milkshakes contain Vanillin. The company keeps their ingredient list completely private and won\u2019t share with consumers. I know many, many families who think that In-N-Out represents a healthier fast food option. Would you consider doing an investigation or requesting that they share their ingredients with the public?\u201d<\/em><\/div>\n
\u2013 Jennifer<\/em><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

There is no time like the present for\u00a0In-N-Out to post\u00a0their ingredients, as\u00a0we all deserve to know what we are eating and In-N-Out shouldn\u2019t hide their ingredient lists from their customers.<\/em><\/p>\n

But \u2013 the broader and more\u00a0important commitment here is for In-N-Out to stop using meat from animals that are routinely fed antibiotics and growth hormones on factory farms.\u00a0<\/em><\/h3>\n

The routine use of antibiotics is a major issue<\/a> that I\u2019ve written several times about (here<\/a>, here<\/a>, here<\/a>, here<\/a>).\u00a0I am continuing to work with several\u00a0consumer advocacy groups (CALPIRG Education Fund, Friends of the Earth, Center for Food Safety, Consumers Union<\/strong>) to eliminate this practice.<\/em><\/p>\n

In January, we\u00a0sent a letter to\u00a0Lynsi Snyder\u00a0of In-N-Out Burger outlining the public health threat\u00a0we are facing in regards to the misuse of antibiotics on farms\u00a0and what In-N-Out can do address it. Specifically, we\u00a0asked Ms. Snyder to develop an antibiotic use policy that prohibits their meat suppliers from\u00a0routinely using antibiotics in the raising of their meat.<\/em><\/p>\n

We received a response to our letter on February 16, 2016 from Mr. Brazeau at In-N-Out that stated, \u201cwe support Food and Drug Administration guidance on the use of antibiotics in livestock which were designed to protect both animal and human health.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

The FDA\u2019s new guidelines on antibiotic use do not go far enough. Here\u2019s why:<\/em><\/h3>\n

The FDA\u2019s policy is full of gaps<\/a> and still\u00a0allows for\u00a0the routine use of antibiotics on animals that are not sick, and is only phasing\u00a0out the routine use of antibiotics for growth\u00a0promotion<\/strong>. The FDA will\u00a0continue to allow farms to routinely use antibiotics to prevent<\/strong>\u00a0diseases that the animals are at risk for when they are raised in crowded factory farms. As you can see, anyone who is following the FDA\u2019s guidelines will be able to continue regularly administering antibiotics to their livestock\u00a0and\u00a0does little to curb its use.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

In-N-Out is a highly regarded chain that many people believe serves better food than other fast food competitors. It\u2019s time to live up to their reputation and stop lagging behind companies like Elevation Burger and Shake Shack who have responsibly decided not to serve meat raised with routine antibiotics or growth hormones. Switching to sustainable grass-fed beef is one way In-N-Out Burger could meet this requirement and help encourage best management practices for animals.<\/em><\/p>\n

Collectively, we made\u00a0a huge impact last year when we petitioned Subway to stop serving meat raised on routine antibiotics andwere successful<\/a>. Now, we can do this again and we need your help!<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Get<\/em><\/p>\n

Contact In-N-Out Burger today and ask them to:<\/em><\/h3>\n
    \n
  1. \n

    Phase out the routine use of antibiotics and growth hormones across all of their meat supply chains<\/em><\/h4>\n<\/li>\n
  2. \n

    Require suppliers to improve management practices and conditions for animals in their facilities, reducing the need for routine use of these drugs.<\/em><\/h4>\n<\/li>\n
  3. \n

    Provide a more healthful and sustainable grass-fed option on the menu.<\/em><\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Make Your Voice Heard!<\/em><\/h3>\n