A national restaurant chain is among the first to make a switch to beef tallow to cook their french fries, a move that comes with a push from Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the country's head of Health and Human Services.
What Happened: Kennedy's appointment to lead the Health and Human Services has put a spotlight on vaccines and pharmaceuticals as well as the restaurant and packaged food sectors.
Restaurant company Steak ‘n Shake, which is owned by Biglari Holdings (NYSE:BH), announced this week that its Ohio, Colorado, Florida, Texas and Oklahoma restaurants have switched to cooking fries with beef tallow.
The restaurant chain said it would switch to this method for all its locations next month. The plans were originally announced in January.
"Congratulations @SteaknShake for being the first national fast-food chain to begin the transition away from seed oils," Kennedy tweeted in a since-deleted post, as reported by Politico. "Thanks for leadership in the crusade to Make America Healthy Again."
In a post about the change, Steak ‘n Shake said: "Fries will be RFK'd!"
Beef tallow is derived from animal fat.
Read Also: Trump HHS Pick Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Wealth Comes From Family, Law Practice, Oil, Bitcoin
Why It's Important: With over 400 restaurant locations, Steak ‘n Shake marks one of the biggest restaurants to make the switch with Kennedy urging restaurants to move on from seed oils and use beef tallow instead.
For many customers, the change will likely come down to taste and not the cooking method.
Billionaire Elon Musk replied to Kennedy's deleted post that "the fries taste way better" with this cooking method.
Steak ‘n Shake Chief Operations Officer Daniel Edwards said the company has wanted to make the switch for years but was unable to secure production of the right beef tallow with no additives.
Edwards said Biglari Holdings CEO Sardar Biglari had fries cooked in beef tallow as a child in Europe and has wanted the restaurant to make the switch for some time.
During his interview on "Fox and Friends," Edwards said the restaurant company "RFK'ed" their fries.
"They're so much better," Edwards said.
The restaurant executive said that people who try the fries won't ever go back to the old way of cooking fries.
Steak ‘n Shake’s move will likely be closely watched by the restaurant sector and consumer reports on taste and reviews will also be monitored to see if the comments on taste are true for customers.
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