Ingredients in Chick-fill-A grilled chicken sandwiches makes it unsafe for consumption? Know the facts. 

Chick-fil-A is an American fast-food restaurant chain that specializes in chicken sandwiches and it headquartered in College Park, Georgia. It is a family-owned company and operates across US, Canada and the UK.

Recently, Chick-fil-A has become the talk on social media when users started pointing out that it uses harmful additives in its grilled chicken sandwich. Users are claiming that : Chick-fil-A grilled chicken sandwiches contain bleached flour, MSG, seed oils and TBHQ which are not safe for human consumption.

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Fact Check- 

Let’s check whether the ingredients mentioned in the post are used in Chick-fil-A grilled sandwiches. We found that the Chick-fil-A  website mentioned the list of the ingredients used in the grilled chicken sandwich in which bleached flour, MSG and TBHQ are not mentioned. Instead, we found Enriched Flour used as an ingredient. 

Let’s check the facts of the mentioned ingredients.

Enriched Flour: 

Enriched flour is refined wheat flour that has vital vitamins and minerals added back to it which were lost during the manufacturing process. According to the Code of Federal Regulations, vitamins and minerals like thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid, and iron were added back as per the limits set by the regulation. The flour may include up to 5% wheat germ or partly defatted wheat germ by weight. These standards ensure that enriched flour provides better nutritional value compared to regular refined flour.

Canada’s Food Inspection Agency had made it mandatory to enrich the flour with B vitamins, iron and folic acid. These flours help in preventing nutrient deficiencies and maintain or improve the nutritional quality of the food supply. 

According to regulations set by Food and Drugs Act and Food and Drug Regulations (FDR) food products like breads, cookies, pastries etc must be made from enriched white flour. This means vitamins and minerals such as thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid, and iron must be added. Selling or using unenriched white flour for food in Canada is not allowed, except when the flour is used only to make gluten, starch or in products not meant to be sold or eaten in Canada.

Seed Oils: 

Major seed oils used in Chick-fil-A grilled sandwiches are soybean oil, canola oil and sunflower oil. 

Canola Oil: According to the Canola Council, Canola oil has been declared Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) by the U.S. Food and Drugs Administration. The FDA also allowed canola oil to carry a health claim, saying it might help lower the risk of heart disease when used instead of saturated fats. However, this is not conclusive. FDA had also approved to carry a claim for high oleic canola oil because it has a lot of healthy monounsaturated fats. In Canada, canola oil is approved to carry a health claim that replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats can help lower blood cholesterol.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also considers canola oil safe because it has very low toxicity and is already approved as an edible oil for human food. Studies have shown its safety and nutritional properties are similar to other vegetable oils. The EPA has granted it for use on many food crops, ornamental plants, and houseplants to control pests like aphids, beetles, mites, and caterpillars. Since it breaks down quickly in the environment and poses little risk to people, animals, and wildlife.

Sunflower Oil: EFSA explained that sunflower oil is generally safe for people, animals, and the environment when used properly. It is also used as a fungicide on vegetables. It is not toxic, does not cause health problems, and breaks down naturally without leaving harmful residues. EFSA even agreed that there are no major risks to consumers, workers, or the environment when exposed to it. However, some areas need more data for further study, but overall, the oil is considered safe and suitable for use for agricultural purposes as well. 

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) includes sunflower seed oil and its triglycerides or fatty acids on its list of indirect food additives. These ingredients can be used in special coatings that might touch food by accident. The CIR Panel studied sunflower seed oil, hydrogenated sunflower seed oil, and sunflower seed acid and found these to be safe when used in cosmetics and personal care products as well.

Conclusion: 

Fact Crescendo found the claim to be misleading. Few of the ingredients like TBHQ and MSG are not listed as ingredients in the Chick-fil-A chicken grilled sandwiches. Rest of the ingredients are safe and have been approved to be used in foods.