HEALTH
Energy:
Longevity:
Appearance: french fries are bad for / increase the risk of weight gain
French fries are…
- Acidic pH after digestion
- May or may not be Gluten Free
- Not a common Food Allergen
ENVIRONMENT
Destruction:
French fries are…
ANIMALS
Kills: none, no animals must die to produce french fries
Harms: none, no animals are typically involved in the production of french fries
Indirectly kills or harms: various animals, animal oils are sometimes used to fry french fries
French fries are…
- Typically Vegan
LABORERS
French fries are…
french fries are acidic.
Are french fries alkaline or acidic? French fries are acidic.
When you eat food, it is broken down to an ash residue that can be neutral, acidic or alkaline. Minerals such as potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, zinc, silver, copper and iron produce an alkaline ash; whereas sulfur, phosphorus, chlorine and iodine, which are found in meat, coffee, dairy and alcohol, leave an acid ash.
Going alkaline easier than ever with this: Acidic and Alkaline Foods List
french fries may contain gluten.
Are french fries gluten free? It depends. French fries may contain gluten. French fry batter may contain wheat flour or there could be cross contamination from fryers, making it glutinous. If made at home, french fries, or cut potato wedges seasoned with salt and oil, would be gluten free. French fries are made from potatoes, therefore making it a naturally gluten free food.
While celiac disease may not be as rampant as many marketing trends lead us to believe, you may have a gluten sensitivity…
Celiac and gluten sensitivity symptoms are similar and may include: recurring abdominal pain, chronic diarrhea, constipation, tingling, numbness in hands and feet, chronic fatigue, joint pain, unexplained infertility and low bone density (osteopenia or osteoporosis).
There are hundreds of potential symptoms, many of which are also symptoms of other conditions.
Going gluten free easier than ever with this: Gluten and Gluten Free Foods List
french fries may contain a common food allergen: wheat.
Are french fries a common food allergen? No, french fries do not contain a common food allergen unless they come from a restaurant where they may contain wheat from seasoning, batter or cross contamination. Many people may experience allergic reactions to wheat. Otherwise, french fries as sliced potatoes seasoned with salt and oil are allergen free.
A group of the eight major allergenic foods is often referred to as the Big-8 and includes milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat and soybeans.
These foods account for about 90% of all food allergies in the United States.
Severe food allergies can be life threatening. Following ingestion of a food allergen, a person with food allergies can experience a severe, life-threatening allergic reaction called anaphylaxis.
Persons may still be allergic to and have serious reactions to foods other than the eight foods identified by the law.
Be aware of common dietary restrictions and food allergens with this: The Big 8 Most Common Food Allergens List
french fries have a high carbon footprint when processed and frozen and moderate carbon footprint when fresh or homemade.
Do french fries have a high or low carbon footprint? French fries have a relatively high carbon footprint when processed and frozen and moderate carbon footprint when fresh or homemade.
What is the carbon footprint of french fries? It takes around 3.95 kg CO2e to produce 1 kilogram or 2.2 pounds of processed, frozen fried potatoes, a car driving equivalent of 9 miles or 14.5 kilometers. It takes around 2.9 kg CO2e to produce 1 kilogram or 2.2 pounds of potatoes, a car driving equivalent of 6.75 miles or 11 kilometers.
Food not only has a water footprint but also a carbon footprint, known as CO2e, which stands for carbon dioxide equivalent. Since carbon measurements are a bit more difficult to comprehend, it is common to equate CO2e to the distance which a car drives in miles or kilometers.
When calculating product emissions, some factors that may be included are… farm equipment, animal feed production, hothouses (greenhouses), food processing, packaging, transport, refrigeration, freezing, package waste, and more.
There are a number of steps that can be taken to reduce energy output. According to Oxford Martin School researchers, if the world went vegan, eliminating animal-derived products, it could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by two thirds and avoid climate damages of $1.5 trillion.
But that’s not all!
It’s best to keep the following in mind when grocery shopping:
- shopping locally reduces transportation emissions
- food without packaging reduces waste as well as the carbon footprint
- refrigerated and frozen foods increase carbon emissions
- seasonal foods reduce carbon emissions from hothouses (greenhouses)
- growing plant-based foods at home is the most environmentally sustainable method with zero carbon footprint
Find out how much carbon your food emits with this: Carbon Footprints of Foods and Ingredients List
french fries are moderately sustainable.
Overall, are french fries eco friendly? Are french fries sustainable?
French fry production is moderately sustainable due to its high carbon footprint. Aside from this, there is no known significant damage to air, water, land, soil, forests, etc. as long as pesticides have not been used. Be sure to buy Non-GMO/organic, as toxic, chemical pesticides contaminate air, water, soil, etc. when using regenerative practices.
A 2018 Oxford University study – which is the most comprehensive analysis to date of the damage farming does to the planet – found that ‘avoiding meat and dairy is the single biggest way to reduce your impact on Earth’ as animal farming provides just 18% of calories but takes up 83% of our farmland.
Consuming animal products and byproducts is not environmentally friendly and is one of the worst things for the Earth. Not only is meat production wasteful, it causes enormous amounts of pollution. The industry is one of the biggest causes of climate change.
A 2010 United Nations report said that a global shift towards a vegan diet is vital to save the world the worst impacts of climate change.
french fries may or may not be vegan.
Are french fries vegan? Possibly. French fries, or potatoes fried in vegetable oil, are vegan. However, some restaurant french fries may contain beef drippings. Be sure to check specific french fry brands to determine whether french fries are vegan.
According to Sentient Media, “more than 200 million land animals are killed for food around the world every day. Including wild-caught and farmed fishes, we get a total closer to 3 billion animals killed daily.”
Animals of factory farms and the livestock industry are suffering. They live in horrific conditions that often include confinement, physical abuse and unnatural environments…so much so that they need to receive antibiotics to keep from getting ill or spreading disease. They’re also injected with growth hormones to become fatter faster and live short lives, being slaughtered as soon as they finish growing and are killed prematurely, well before their natural lifespan.
Because we cannot see for ourselves how these animals live and what they endure does not mean it isn’t happening. The meat, poultry and dairy industries do everything they can to distance us from knowing how our food comes to be in order to keep us in the dark about what we support each time we buy animal derived products and byproducts.
Go vegan for animals!
It’s the best way to help animals and it’s not as difficult as you may think. Speak for animals with your actions, for they cannot speak at all.
Going vegan is easier than ever, at a glance with this: Vegan and Non Vegan Foods List
french fries are a product that may or may not have labor issues.
Are french fries a product that has known labor issues? At this time, there are no known specific reports of worker mistreatment regarding potato farming but that doesn’t mean it isn’t happening.
Did you know the single largest employer in the world is agriculture? The labor involved behind each and every product cannot go unrecognized.
Sadly, many labor concerns exist around the world in both developed and developing countries. We must be vigilant to ensure what we buy is not contributing to industries that are unfair to their valuable workers. Some known problems include workplace health and safety, child labor, gender inequality, inadequate pay, wage theft and exploitation. Workers can even be subjected to harassment, humiliation and violence and unfair employers often fail to provide laborers with access to shade, drinking water, restrooms and breaks. Consequently, laborers can face nausea, dizziness, heat exhaustion, dehydration and heat stroke -the leading cause of farmworker death!
Such mistreatment has been likened to modern day slavery. Workers are often afraid to report issues because they fear it will result in losing their jobs or deportation.
Fair trade organizations fight to ensure better social, environmental and economic standards.
We can improve people’s lives with foods we eat every day simply by buying products that are certified fair trade.
Sources:
french fries – FoodData Central
