When I found out that In-N-Out published their ingredients for the first time I literally SCREAMED.
I’ve been investigating them for what feels like forever.
Up until recently, In-N-Out has refused to share their ingredient lists with the public and didn’t publish them online like other fast food burger chains McDonald’s and Wendy’s do.
Honestly, I’ve been pretty skeptical of them because if their “never frozen” burgers and “hand cut” fries were clean, why would they hide the ingredients?
When I first investigated them back in 2016, I uncovered that they used Yellow 5 and High Fructose Corn Syrup in their burger spread, and Cottonseed Oil in their fryers (we now know they no longer use these ingredients). (1)
I’ve continued to reach out to them over the years asking for ingredient lists, and every time I’d get stonewalled! They’d send me a canned response asking me to call, and when I called they couldn’t provide the ingredient lists.
“The nutritional information you requested is not published. However, if you provide the specific ingredients you are searching for, we can research and confirm whether or not the ingredient is in our cheeseburger. To obtain this information, please call our toll-free Customer Service line at (800) 786-1000.” – July 2024
“I’m sorry we are unable to provide a list of ingredients. However, you are welcome to view our menu and the condiments that come on our burgers on our website at https://www.in-n-out.com/menu”. – May 2022
“The nutritional information you requested is not published. However, if you provide the specific ingredients you are searching for, we can research and confirm whether or not the ingredient is in our products. To obtain this information, please call our toll-free Customer Service line at (800) 786-1000” – November 2017
You get the idea! I’ve been practically begging for their ingredients for nearly a decade.
Even as recently as June of this year, when we asked again, we were told the ingredients were “confidential” and only disclosed for specific allergy concerns. See part of the actual transcript from our last call with them!
Restaurants refusing to disclose ingredients is a major issue that I recently wrote about, because everyone needs to know the truth about the food they are eating. (2) How are Americans supposed to get healthier if we have no clue what’s really in our food?
We now have transparency about what we are really eating at In-N-Out, which I am so thankful for.
The most concerning ingredients in the In-N-Out Cheeseburger are in the sauce, the bun, and actually, the meat itself. Sure, they use “never frozen” beef, but that doesn’t necessarily spell out quality.
Antibiotics in their beef supply?
In-N-Out has been pretty secretive on where or how exactly their beef is raised. It’s been known for a long time that the conventional factory farm Harris Ranch has been one of their suppliers, who have been accused of animal cruelty. (3) Other beef suppliers are unknown.
Way back in 2016, I worked with over 50 consumer interest groups asking them to stop using beef raised on antibiotics. (4) In-N-Out responded to the media that they would work with their suppliers to “move away” from the use of “human antibiotics”. (5)
To this day, In-N-Out-Burger doesn’t have an official antibiotics-use policy on their website (like most fast food restaurants do), and there’s no word on whether they’ve made ANY progress on eliminating antibiotics from their supply chain. (6)
The overuse of antibiotics in factory farms is a major issue. Almost all of the antibiotics used in the U.S. are fed to farm animals, and this is creating “superbugs” (antibiotic-resistant bacteria) that could affect every single one of us. We now have bacterial infections that only a few years ago could be cured and are now NOT responsive to any known antibiotics. Over 35,000 Americans die every year from antibiotic-resistant infections, and this number is rising.
New research finds that even “antibiotics not used in human medicine” used in farms contribute to antibiotic-resistance in humans. So even if In-N-Out makes good on their promise to eliminate those types of antibiotics, it is not good enough. (7)
Pesticide residues detected in their food…
The nonprofit group Moms Across America commissioned an independent lab to test samples of In-N-Out’s Cheeseburger and Fries for pesticide residues in 2023. The tests came back positive for trace amounts of 3 different pesticides plus 12.48 ppb glyphosate (Roundup), which is strongly linked to cancer and chronic disease. (8)
Watch out for these ultraprocessed ingredients added to In-N-Out Burgers…
SOYBEAN OIL & CANOLA OIL: You’ll find refined seed oils in the bun and spread at In-N-Out. The burger seasoning also contains canola oil. These refined oils are processed to death from GMO seeds, with chemical solvents, steamers, neutralizers, de-waxers, bleach and deodorizers. Known to increase the risk of obesity, inflammation, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and autoimmune diseases.
ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS: You’ll find both natural and artificial flavors in In-N-Out’s burger spread, which are proprietary mixtures synthesized in laboratories. They’re cheaper than using real food for flavor and are engineered to make processed food taste irresistible. Artificial flavors are derived from petroleum and other inedible substances.
POLYSORBATE 80: This emulsifier in their spread is linked to weight gain, inflammation and digestive problems.
SOY LECITHIN: This emulsifier in their cheese is likely derived from GMO soybeans and extracted with hexane, a neurotoxin.
PHOSPHATE PRESERVATIVES: Can lead to excessive levels of phosphate in the blood if eaten often, increasing the risk of chronic kidney disease, heart disease, and accelerated aging. Especially a concern for those with kidney disease.
XANTHAN GUM: This is a thickening additive in their spread, which can disrupt gut bacteria. These bacteria are important for our overall health.
SODIUM BENZOATE: This synthetic preservative is found in their spread. When it’s combined with ascorbic acid (found in their bun) it can produce benzene, a known carcinogen.
Those “hand cut” fries at In-N-Out are dunked in fryers full of refined sunflower oil and “dimethylpolysiloxane” aka the main ingredient in Silly Putty. This anti-foaming agent is added to the fryers in some fast food restaurants (but not all, which proves it’s not necessary). The fries are then seasoned with the same mixture used on the burgers, which contains canola oil.
In-N-Out says:
“Our shakes are just as genuine — made with real ice cream. At In-N-Out, that’s the only way we’ll ever make them. Because when you like to keep things simple, doing things the old-fashioned way is the freshest idea of all.”
But the ingredients scream YIKES!
That “real ice cream” is crammed with emulsifiers that wreak havoc on your gut health like carrageenan and cellulose gum, plus corn syrup and ultra-processed additives that you’d never have in your kitchen at home.
This is basically no different than what you’re getting at McDonald’s.
To prove the point…
Is In-N-Out Burger the healthier fast food?
In-N-Out says on their website that they are “working on opportunities to make further improvements” to their ingredients.
How do you think In-N-Out should improve their food? Tell me in the comments!
Xo,
Vani
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