No, In-N-Out didn't switch to '100% beef tallow,' contrary to White House claim
In a since-modified statement titled "President Trump Delivers on MAHA Push," published July 14, the White House touted recent changes made by major food and beverage companies, including Kraft-Heinz, PepsiCo and Tyson Foods, in response to the administration's "Make America Healthy Again" initiative.
Among the announcements of synthetic dye and additive removals was one bullet point claiming that California-based fast food chain In-N-Out "transitioned to 100% beef tallow," accompanied by a link to a post on X, formerly Twitter.
"It's official. In-N-Out will be transitioning to 100% pure beef tallow. The change is set to become effective on 05/01/2025 at all In-N-Out locations," read the April 1 post.
The message, however, was not from the official In-N-Out account. In fact, it was shared by the fan account @innoutburger_ , which features a bio reading, "Not affiliated with In-N-Out. This is a fan account posting accurate up-to-date information" and a display name reading "Fan In-N-Out Burger." The account does feature a blue checkmark, which became a purchasable feature when Elon Musk took over the social media platform in 2022.
The original post was promptly followed by two more clarifying it as an April Fool's Day joke, with one saying "before this gets out of hand," accompanied by an "April Fools" graphic. Another post came later, saying, "Just to clarify, since some people may have not seen my follow-up post, this was an April Fools joke. I never troll, besides today…"
It went viral at the time regardless, amassing 5 million views and sowing confusion amongst thousands of commenters.
In-N-Out still using sunflower oil for fries, not beef tallow
In-N-Out told USA TODAY in a Tuesday statement that the chain had not changed its frying method.
"Information was recently published in error stating that In-N-Out Burger has transitioned to beef tallow for cooking French fries,' chief operating officer Denny Warnick said. "We continue to work on an upgrade to our current sunflower oil, however, we have not yet made a change.'
The White House has since removed the claim from its updated release, leaving behind the accurate statement that In-N-Out had agreed to "remove synthetic food dyes and artificial flavors from its menu items," citing a May 16 Good Morning America article.
USA TODAY reached out to the White House for comment.
Some restaurants are hopping on the beef tallow trend
Some restaurants, including fellow fast food chain Steak 'n Shake, have switched to frying their food in beef tallow in recent months. The rendered beef fat is a favorite of Human and Health Services Secretary RFK Jr., who has publicly pushed eateries to use it in place of the seed oils he has called 'one of the most unhealthy ingredients that we have in foods.'
Steak 'n Shake announced the switch in March, saying in a social media post at the time, "Steak 'n Shake is proud to support MAHA and Secretary Kennedy! Your days are numbered seed oil. We want to lead the way and make a difference! #MAHA." RFK responded to the post, thanking the restaurant for its "leadership in the crusade to Make America Healthy Again."
Other chains that have opted to use beef tallow for frying include Smashburger, Popeyes, Buffalo Wild Wings and Outback Steakhouse.
Beef tallow is preferred by some as a good source of saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, as well as fat-soluble vitamins, which can have health benefits like immune support, according to the Mayo Clinic. The jury is still out amongst experts on determining if beef tallow is overall better for you than seed oils, however.
Contributing: Cheryl V. Jackson, Indy Star
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