That food you’re eating may not be what it seems—and that’s exactly how the companies want it. An advertising worker broke down what it means when foods say they are made “with 100%” beef or chicken.
Many people find food in the U.S. questionable. From ultra-processed snacks designed to be addictive to chicken breast that is suspiciously large, it’s hard to navigate the grocery aisle with a level of confidence in what you’re buying (not to mention how shrinkflation has chipped away at quantity while prices go up).
Labels like “natural” and “cage-free” can be misleading. While the government technically regulates food safety, its oversight is fragmented and full of loopholes. The FDA lets food manufacturers determine what ingredients are “generally recognized as safe” (GRAs) and decide whether or not to disclose an ingredient’s underlying safety data, NYU reported.
On top of that, the U.S. allows additives, preservatives, and dyes that are banned in Europe and other countries.
But advertising worker Luke (@lukegreatguy) is here to reveal a trick you can use to understand what a food label is really saying.
Where’s the beef?
His video has more than 407,000 views.
“I learned something that now I can never unsee,” Luke says in his video.
While eating a bag of beef jerky, Luke noticed it said “Made with 100% beef.” He says it reminded him of a tidbit he learned a while ago.
Luke explains that he works in advertising. He says he was once on a project with McDonald’s that revealed so much about food labels.
He points out that “made with” is a “funny twist of words,” because it means the product was made with 100% beef, not 100% beef.
With McDonald’s, he says it claimed its chicken nuggets were made with 100% chicken. But there’s more in those nuggets than that, according to the ingredients list on the McDonald’s site.
“There’s a lot of other stuff in there, and some of it might not be 100% chicken. But it’s made with 100%,” he says.
“Still tastes good,” Luke adds as he pops a piece of jerky in his mouth.
Banned abroad, legal in the U.S.
Several food additives are banned in Europe but are legal here. These are a few examples reported by Everyday Health:
- Titanium Dioxide: a food coloring found in candy, soups, and baked goods, it often appears on a label as “artificial color.” Studies have found it can have cancerous effects. (Though in 2023, the World Health Organization and United Nations group stated it doesn’t pose a health risk.)
- Food dyes (Yellow No. 5, Yellow No. 6, Red No. 40): These can reportedly affect children and are linked to hyperactivity and behavioral changes.
- Potassium Bromate: This is used in foods like flour, bread, and pizza crusts to make dough rise higher. Scientists reportedly believe it might damage human DNA and has been shown to cause cancer in animals.
Commenters react
“Nah that should definitely be illegal lmao,” a top comment read.
“I’m so tired of sleazy food company marketing,” a person said.
@lukegreatguy ♬ original sound – lukegreatguy
“Can we just get food companies to make their products with the actual food that they are trying to trick people into believing?” another urged.
The Daily Dot reached out to Luke for comment via TikTok direct message and comment and to McDonald’s via email.
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