Friday December 17, 2004 Previous | Next

Dear Yahoo!:
Is the fish sandwich at McDonald's made of real fish?
Fishing for Answers


Dear Fishing:
McDonald's appears to be the subject of more mythology than the Greek god Apollo. Remember the rumor about the complete lack of milk in the shakes? Not true. Yet your question remains: is there something fishy about the fish?
An ingredient list at McDonald's specifies the following for their "Filet-O-Fish": fish filet patty, bun, tartar sauce, pasteurized processed American cheese, and seasoning. Still, any product with such a poor spelling of "fillet of fish" bears further scrutiny.

So we waddled over to DietRiot.com, where we found the F-O-F contains pollock or hoki, both of which, though not exactly seafood superstars, do qualify as actual fish.

Maybe the real question ought to be: what else does the Filet-O-Fish contain besides the fish? The caloric ratio of the sandwich is 46% fat, 39% carbs, and just 15% protein. Take another look at DietRiot, and you'll notice, in addition to the "foaming agent" dimethylpolysiloxane, several partially hydrogenated oils, which produce trans fat.

The Filet-O-Fish is also cited in an obesity lawsuit against the company. Of course, the world's largest fast food chain does have its fans. So if you want to make the Filet-O-Fish at home, go right ahead. Just remember, when adding dimethylpolysiloxane, season to taste.