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By James Bickerton
News Reporter
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Steak 'n Shake has announced that by the end of February it will use "100 percent beef tallow," or animal fat, for cooking its fries rather than vegetable oil, which has come under criticism on health grounds.
Newsweek contacted Steak 'n Shake for comment Friday via the company's online inquiry form outside of regular office hours.
Why It Matters
Incoming president Donald Trump has nominated environmental campaigner Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be the secretary of health in his administration.
Read More on U.S.
Kennedy has been a staunch critic of certain types of seed oil, also known as vegetable oil, and has said Americans are being "unknowingly poisoned" by the product.
Some companies have announced policy changes likely to curry favor with Trump since his election win, such as rolling back diversity, equity and inclusion (or DEI) programs.
What To Know
In a Thursday post on X (formerly Twitter), Steak 'n Shake wrote: "Steak n Shake to Use 100% Beef Tallow. No Cap."
The post went viral on the platform, racking up more than 7,000 reposts and 4.9 million views.
Steak 'n Shake 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 [french fries and red heart emoji]."
Steak 'n Shake had 493 restaurants as of March 31, 2023, with the highest concentration in the Midwest, according to parent company Biglari Holdings. The restaurant chain, founded in 1934 in Illinois, specializes in burgers, including steak burgers, and hand-dipped milkshakes, hence its name.
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 has vowed to improve public health in the U.S. as part of what has been dubbed his Make America Health Again (MAHA) campaign, a play on Trump's MAGA movement.
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He 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.
Speaking to Health.com, Missouri-based dietitian Kristen White said: "Seed oils offer pros and cons. They're rich in polyunsaturated fats and vitamin E, which are beneficial in moderation."
However, she added that seed oils are "high in omega-6 fats, which may promote inflammation if consumed in excess, and they can become unstable at high heat, forming harmful byproducts."
What People Are Saying
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wrote on X in October: "Fast Food is a part of American culture. But that doesn't mean it has to be unhealthy, and that we can't make better choices. Did you know that McDonald's used to use beef tallow to make their fries from 1940 until phasing it out in favor of seed oils in 1990? This switch was made because saturated animal fats were thought to be unhealthy, but we have since discovered that seed oils are one of the driving causes of the obesity epidemic. Interestingly enough, this began to drastically rise around the same time fast food restaurants switched from beef tallow to seed oils in their fryers."
Speaking about the health benefits of vegetable oil versus beef tallow, Emma Laing, a University of Georgia nutritional scientist, told Health.com: "Choosing one over the other is nuanced and is dependent on a person's lifestyle, behavior, and environmental circumstances."
What Happens Next
It remains to be seen whether Steak 'n Shake's move is a one-off change or the beginning of a broader industry trend toward using beef tallow instead of vegetable oil.
If the Senate confirms Kennedy as health secretary, he could use the position to encourage the broader adoption of beef tallow in the U.S.
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