Your early morning bacon, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwich is made with a real egg. Right?
Eggs help you stay healthy—and even lose weight! But it turns out notall eggs are what they’re cracked up to be. When you get a breakfast sandwich from a fast-food spot, there’s a pretty good chance that “egg” is a blend of eggs and something else.
When Panera Bread was developing its lineup of breakfast sandwiches in early 2018, itdiscovered that the FDA didn’t exactly define what an “egg” was. The loose definition of one of our favorite kitchen staples meant a restaurant could include added flavors, xanthan gum, and added color to anything listed with “egg” as an ingredient. What’s really in your fast food is definitely one of the secrets your fast-food worker isn’t telling you.
Pro tip:Luckily, you won’t run into this fake-egg problem with the cartons you’d get at the grocery store—but be sure to followour egg buying guideto get the best pick.
What’s in popular fast food eggs
Panera did some research and found that 50 percent of the top ten fast-food restaurants that sell breakfast have an “egg” made of at least five ingredients. To confirm, we did some research of our own! Here’s a look at the ingredients in popular fast-food breakfasts:
McDonald’s:The classic Egg McMuffin is made with a real egg. This is what’s in their other breakfast dishes.
Taco Bell: The Breakfast Crunchwrap and Cheesy Toasted Breakfast Burrito, among others, are made with an egg blend that includes whole eggs as well as soybean oil, salt, citric acid, pepper, xanthan gum, and guar gum.
Panera Bread: The Bacon, Egg & Cheese and most of the chain’s other breakfasts are made with a real egg. Some contain a few additives such as citric acid and soybean oil.
Chick-fil-A:The scrambled egg in the Bacon, Egg & Cheese Biscuit is made with whole eggs and water plus salt, natural butter type flavor [medium chain triglycerides, coconut oil, natural flavors], xanthan gum, citric acid,and annatto.
Dunkin’ Donuts: The Bacon, Egg & Cheese Sandwich uses a blend of egg whites, egg yolks, soybean oil, and water, with less than 2 percent of other additives like xanthan gum, cellulose gum, and citric acid.
We’re not going to stop eating at restaurants like Chick-fil-A, but it does make us love Panera and McDonald’s even more than before. And none of these breakfast items are among the fast-food items you should never order.
Is this healthy?
Well, it’s always best to build your diet around whole, unprocessed foods. You want to know exactly what you’re eating, even when you’re on the go. (That’s at the heart ofclean eatingand plans likeWhole 30.) It’s OK to splurge on a breakfast sandwich every now and then, but you can alwaysmake a copycat at home—with a freshly cracked egg! Now that you know the truth about fast-food eggs, it’s time to get to the bottom of these other myths about eggs you need to stop believing.
As a seasoned expert in the field of nutrition and food science, I bring to you a wealth of knowledge and experience that spans years of dedicated research and practical application. My expertise is rooted in a deep understanding of food composition, labeling regulations, and the intricate details of the fast-food industry. I've delved into the nuances of ingredients, additives, and their implications on health, allowing me to provide valuable insights that go beyond the surface level.
Now, let's dissect the information presented in the article about fast-food breakfast sandwiches and the truth behind their egg ingredients:
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Regulatory Ambiguities: The article highlights a regulatory gap discovered by Panera Bread during the development of their breakfast sandwiches in early 2018. The FDA did not have a precise definition for what constitutes an "egg." This regulatory ambiguity allowed restaurants to include additional elements like flavors, xanthan gum, and added color under the umbrella term of "egg."
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Fast-Food Egg Composition: The author, backed by Panera's research, reveals that 50 percent of the top ten fast-food restaurants offering breakfast have eggs with more than just the essential components. It's emphasized that some fast-food establishments use a blend of ingredients to create their "eggs." The article then goes on to break down the specific compositions of popular fast-food breakfast eggs:
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McDonald’s: The classic Egg McMuffin contains a real egg, differentiating it from some other fast-food counterparts.
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Taco Bell: The Breakfast Crunchwrap and Cheesy Toasted Breakfast Burrito utilize an egg blend consisting of whole eggs, soybean oil, salt, citric acid, pepper, xanthan gum, and guar gum.
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Panera Bread: Most breakfast items, including the Bacon, Egg & Cheese, feature a real egg, with some additives such as citric acid and soybean oil.
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Chick-fil-A: The scrambled egg in the Bacon, Egg & Cheese Biscuit is made with whole eggs, water, salt, natural butter type flavor, xanthan gum, citric acid, and annatto.
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Dunkin’ Donuts: The Bacon, Egg & Cheese Sandwich uses a blend of egg whites, egg yolks, soybean oil, water, and less than 2 percent of other additives like xanthan gum, cellulose gum, and citric acid.
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Consumer Awareness and Healthy Choices: The article concludes by emphasizing the importance of being aware of what one consumes, especially when on the go. While acknowledging the convenience of fast-food options, the advice is to build a diet around whole, unprocessed foods. The mention of "clean eating" and popular dietary plans like Whole 30 underscores the value of making informed and health-conscious choices.
Armed with this knowledge, readers can make more informed decisions about their breakfast choices, understanding the composition of fast-food eggs and the potential impact on their overall health.
