What’s really in your Macca’s nuggets?

Ever wondered what’s in your nuggets? With food being made in factories behind closed doors, it’s sometimes a mystery when it comes to the ingredients. Fast food giant McDonald’s has answered some very tough questions from customers about their nuggets and here’s what they said…

What’s in your chicken nuggets?

Our Chicken McNuggets are made with chicken breast and some skin. After mincing, the breast and skin are mixed together with water and seasoning and shaped into nuggets. Then they’re battered, breaded and coated with our tasty tempura batter for extra crunch.

How much chicken is in the chicken nuggets?

Chicken makes up 95% of the meat portion of our Chicken McNuggets, which includes both breast and skin. The remaining ingredients in the meat portion of the nugget include water and seasoning for flavour and a succulent texture. The skin is less than 10% of the coated nugget.

A photo posted by McDonald’s Sverige (@mcdonaldssverige) on Jan 13, 2016 at 4:37am PST

What oil are the chicken nuggets cooked in?

Our Chicken McNuggets are fried to perfection in a canola oil blend.

What percentage of your chicken nuggets are actual meat Vs tendon, muscles, tendon, cartridge, carcass and organs?

Chicken McNuggets are made with 100% Australian chicken breast (which is muscle) with some skin. This makes up 95% of the meat portion with the remaining 5% of ingredients being water, salt and mineral salts, which help retain moisture in the meat for succulence.

Chicken McNuggets ingredients are also listed as containing: Chicken, Water, Flour (Maize, Bleached Wheat), Salt, Canola oil, Thickener (1404), Raising Agents and Mineral Salts (341, 451, 450, 500, 541, 551, 327), Spice, Wheat Starch. Contains gluten.

But wait.

Let’s see what the numbers mean…

341: Calcium phosphate, dibasic or calcium hydrogen phosphate, monobasic or calcium dihydrogen phosphate, tribasic. Calcium phosphate is used in baking as a raising agent and also used in cheese products.

451: Triphosphates, Potassium tripolyphosphate, Sodium tripolyphosphate. Triphosphates is a bulking agent, thickener, emulsifier.

450: Pyrophosphates, Potassium pyrophosphate, Sodium acid pyrophosphate, Sodium pyrophosphate.

500: Sodium bicarbonate is baking soda and Sodium carbonate is known as washing soda or soda ash and used as an acidity regulator, anti-caking agent, raising agent, and stabiliser. It is also found in buns, cakes and noodles.

541: Sodium aluminium phosphate is a leavening agent that’s often used in flour mixes, like the breaded part of the McNugget.

551: Silicon dioxide, amorphous. This is used in salts, icing sugar, dry mixes and spices such as cayenne pepper and chilli powder to prevent clumping and keep them free flowing.

327: Calcium lactate. While this is used as a calcium supplement and to fortify foods, calcium lactate is also used in the food industry as an approved firming agent, thickener, flavour enhancer and leavening agent.

Credit: Food code source from Fedup.

Do you eat McDonald’s nuggets? Do you think it’s okay to eat fast food sometimes?