Photo: Alamy
Health and Human Services Secretary RFK Jr. visited famed fast food chain Steak n Shake this week following the company’s decision to embrace a healthier frying option for its French fries.
The restaurant recently switched its frying oil to beef tallow – an option touted as a much healthier alternative to seed oils.
“People are raving about these French fries,” Kennedy told Fox News’ Sean Hannity during a sit-down segment shot at the restaurant.
Kennedy said tasting the beef-tallow French fries “is a completely different experience.”
The company’s official X page shared a photo of the secretary visiting one of their locations and wrote, “Thank you for visiting Steak n Shake Secretary Kennedy!”
What’s so special about beef tallow? According to an article published by the Mayo Clinic, it is made by clarifying the fatty tissue surrounding the organs of “ruminant animals,” like cows, sheep, and goats. What may make it a better alternative than seed oils is its blend of stearic acid and monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, which could help stop arterial plaque buildup, per the article.
Kennedy has strongly and consistently advocated against using seed oils in American food. In a video uploaded to his social media account in 2024, he noted that seed oils were among the most unhealthy things Americans could consume.
“The reason they’re in the foods is because they’re heavily subsidized – they’re very, very cheap, but they are associated with all kinds of very, very serious illnesses including body-wide inflammation, which affects all of our health,” he explained.
He added, “It’s one of the worst things you can eat and it’s almost impossible to avoid. If you’re eating processed food, you’re going to be eating seed oil.”
In light of Kennedy’s previous advocacy against seed oils and his call for American fast food restaurants to switch back to beef tallow, this is a big win for the “Make America Healthy Again” movement.
