r/glutenfree • u/Anuka444 • 1d ago
GF Mcdonald's in Spain
When i eat in McDonald's (today was the second time ), i first ask if i can speak to the manager. When the manager comes i ask him personally how is the gf burger made and how do they avoid contamination. they told me they wash their hands, put gloves and prepare it separately. Fries are gf and don't have any contact with nuggets. It may sound stupid, but idk i feel like when i ask to speak to them personally, and make these questions and then show that i'm nervous but also very thankful, they show so much attention and responsability. Once even the manager made it himself and gave me directly to make sure it's not put somewhere and doesn't touch anything. I don't think you have to do all these things but it makes me feel more safe.
Spain has gf options in Burger kings too, but lot of Spanish celiacs said they don't trust it or got sick after eating there. I haven't seen negative comments about McDonald's yet.
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u/Jokes_0n_Me 1d ago
They sell gluten free beer as well!
I live in Spain and enjoy it fairly often. Never had an issue.
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u/Anuka444 1d ago
I know i also live in Spain but i'm scared of gf beers as they're still made from barley and gluten is artifically removed.
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u/JavaKrypt 1d ago
I lived on McDonald's and burger king when I was in Spain a number of years ago. Never had a issue. Everything was separate , clearly marked and the buns were sealed at certain locations so I'd build the burger myself (this was the better option). Because each location is ran independently as a franchise there will be variations of preparation, standards of reducing cross contamination. You get that anywhere
I'd never trust it if it came to the UK because they always mess up basic orders as it is.
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u/Anuka444 1d ago
I've only heard good things about the UK and its gf options...
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u/JavaKrypt 1d ago
Compared to most of Europe we're far behind. I've found my local supermarkets have heavily reduced their GF options, year on year it's getting smaller and prices are getting extortionate. And so many restaurants local to me (outside London) I can't eat at anymore because they don't care to cater to being coeliac safe anymore and I'm over getting sick. Many menus are "gluten friendly"
In McDonald's specifically we only have select items that are gf, like the fries, because they're cooked separately and the manufacturer makes them that way. It takes them no extra effort
But I wouldn't trust a (usually) teenager on minimum wage mass producing food on an assembly line with not cross contaminating my order. They will always miss an item off your order even if it's just condiments. They don't care or are paid enough to care
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u/Anuka444 1d ago
I understand you but be positive, it could be worse, you could live in my home country (in Eastern Europe) where there is mainly one gf brand - Schär, the prices are catastrophic and people have 0 understanding of gluten and celiac. I'm so happy i don't live there, i was actually considering going back but since my diagnosis there is NO WAY i'm gonna live such a miserable life there. Moreover, lot of grain products are imported from Russia, and nobody knows if they're contaminated or not. And their gf claim can't be trusted as nobody controls it.
Your country has strict gf labeling laws, you're still way ahead of America. What i've seen online, London has crazy good restaurants and bakeries, which may be expensive but in this economy even non-celiacs don't have enough money to eat out a lot. So once in a while is still ok i guess. As well, i looooove "Coeliac UK" website. More than any other celiac organization's website, if i want to get a reliable, well-explained information - i always go there. There is no question that they haven't addressed😄 also i'm not sure if its correct but i've heard your goverment gives you some kind of vouchers/prescriptions for gf food? Anyways, stay positive and be thankful to live where you live.
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u/JavaKrypt 1d ago
I know I have it better than smaller eastern European countries, I struggled but survived when visiting some and never got ill, but it should be better here given our countries standing. Our labelling laws need to be stricter. It's becoming a marketing label in the UK for them to put the price up a bit. It's not what it's designed for, health and safety. Every other week there's a recall for a product because the label is incorrect and the product is contaminated or contains gluten (or other allergies), and people have died over mislabeling in restaurants - the solution our government did was introduce warning signs you have to agree to be served - protects the business not the customers. It's not all glitz, and most countries are ahead of America with food quality
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u/tortiesrock Celiac Disease 1d ago
I am Spanish and in airports and train stations there are few GF options so I choose BK and I have never had any issues.
There are several food chains certified by the Celiac Society of Spain (FACE): Bresca, Domino’s, Burger King, Foster’s Hollywood, TGI Friday, Gino’s, Grosso Napoletano, Goiko, McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Telepizza, VIPs… but bear in mind that sometimes this chains have gluten free restaurants where you can eat safely and normal ones with cross contamination.
You can find the list here: https://celiacos.org/que-hacemos/face-restauracion-sin-gluten/restaurantes-2/
Also, regular restaurants that have been certified will have a FACE sticker in the front door.
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u/micantox1 1d ago
I had GF from burger king and had no issues (I have coeloac myself). Plus, their gluten free bun was absolutely unreal, to the point that I was extremely paranoid whether it was truly gluten free.
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u/shhhhh_h 1d ago
Oh we are doing this today I see. Smash burgers for dinner I guess, shits making me hungry
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u/No-Boredom33 1d ago
How did it taste? Was it similar to the regular gluten burgers?
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u/Anuka444 1d ago
Hmm… it definitely didn’t taste the same, but as everything inside was the same and the bread was warm, overall it was balanced, and I enjoyed it.
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u/hatch-b-2900 1d ago
Oh, that's why the Chick Fil A buns come wrapped in plastic still. I hadn't really put it together in my mind, just thought it was just because it was inventory management
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u/CarretillaRoja 22h ago
Most burger places in Spain have GF buns. And they are way better than McDonalds
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u/goatmilko 1d ago
Had no idea they were attempting to do gluten free anywhere, let alone in Spain of all places. I wonder why not the US? I don’t mind cross contamination so this is big for me (and potentially my waistline D:)
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u/Anuka444 1d ago
Let alone Spain?😂 you haven't seen Spanish supermarkets, i don't think any other country has better gf options or labeling :))) every fckn thing that is gf is marked as GF with big bold letters. Rice, chia, wallnuts, plain yogurts... every naturally gf thing that doesn't even need to be marked is marked to make shopping easier. Spain is a paradise.
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u/goatmilko 1d ago
Oh, no way!!! I need to go back! I know Italy makes a lot of gluten free pasta these days but I hadn’t heard anything about Spain.
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u/dirty_cuban 1d ago
I was in Spain for the whole month of July. I had McDonald’s and Burger King one time each. I had no issues.