Earlier this month Stake 'n Shake announced it plans to use "100 percent beef tallow," or animal fat, for cooking its fries rather than vegetable oil. Vegetable oil has been sharply criticized on health grounds including by President Donald Trump's secretary of health nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The move has raised questions over whether other fast-food companies such as McDonald's could adopt similar policies, with one nutrition expert telling Newsweek such a move could "might resonate" with the restaurant chain's history.
Newsweek contacted the McDonald's press office for comment via email.
Kennedy, who Trump wants to head the Department of Health & Human Services, is a fierce critic of certain types of seed oil, also known as vegetable oil, and has claimed Americans are being "unknowingly poisoned" by the product.
A range of companies have made moves to ingratiate themselves with the Trump administration, for example by scrapping or rolling back diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs. If Congress confirms Kennedy as health secretary restaurant chains could come under direct or indirect pressure to dump vegetable oil in exchange for beef tallow.
In a statement posted on X earlier this month Stake 'n Shake, which has 493 restaurants across the U.S., said: "Steak n Shake to Use 100% Beef Tallow. No Cap."
The chain later added: "By the end of February 2025, all locations will use 100% all-natural beef tallow. If veg oil broke your heart, our tallow will make you fall in love again."
Following his election victory in November, Trump announced he'd selected Kennedy, who had been running as an independent candidate before dropping out and endorsing the Republican nominee, as his secretary of health pick.
Kennedy was fiercely critical of seed oils in an October 21 X post in which he said Americans are "being unknowingly poisoned by heavily subsidized seed oils." He added: "It's time to Make Frying Oil Tallow Again."
The health impact of cooking with vegetable oils is a contentious issue. The American Heart Association says there is "no reason" to avoid them.
McDonald's used to cook its fries primarily in beef tallow before switching to vegetable oil in the 1990s, a move some customers said had a substantial impact on the flavor.
According to food website Taste of Home the companies tried adding natural beef flavoring to replicate the taste of beef tallow, but "this was a poor replacement for the original flavor."
Speaking to Newsweek Lauren Manaker, a registered dietitian nutritionist and spokesperson for Nutrition Advisory, said reverting to beef tallow is a serious option for McDonald's.
She said: "For a giant like McDonald's, adopting beef tallow might resonate with its history, as it initially prepared its fries with a tallow blend before shifting to vegetable oil decades ago."
She continued: "While a return to tallow could be seen as aligning with Kennedy's ideals and potentially offering taste improvements, the underlying health concerns with deep-fried foods would remain. Small adjustments like these may not transform fast food into health food, but they do signal a shift toward more thoughtful ingredient choices."
However Manaker was clear that even if they revert to cooking with beef tallow McDonald's food would be a health concern if consumed to excess.
She commented: "While the change to beef tallow may appeal to those concerned about the industrial processing of seed oils, it's important to consider the larger picture when discussing fast food and health. Regardless of the frying medium, deep-fried foods, whether prepared in tallow or seed oil, are not the most nutritious options and should be consumed in moderation, as recommended by the American Heart Association."
In an interview with Newsweek Dana Olstad, a nutrition expert who teaches at the University of Calgary's Cummings School of Medicine, questioned Kennedy's claim that cooking in vegetable oils is unhealthy.
She said: "The idea that vegetable oils are harmful is not supported by the best available evidence. Vegetable oils are rich in polyunsaturated fats. As a category, vegetable oils have been associated with lower levels of LDL-cholesterol when they replace saturated fats in the diet, of which beef tallow is one.
"However, the key thing to keep in mind is that no one should be eating enough fast food that it should matter whether their fast food is cooked with seed oils or beef tallow. Fast food should be at most an occasional indulgence."
Kennedy had his first Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday. If confirmed as secretary of health it remains to be seen how far he will go in promoting beef tallow over vegetable oils, and to what extent this has the backing of the wider Trump administration.