Filet-O-Fish Explained

The Filet-O-Fish is a fish sandwich sold by the international fast food restaurant chain McDonald's.[1] It was created in 1962 by Lou Groen, a McDonald's franchise owner in a predominantly Catholic neighborhood in Cincinnati, Ohio,[2] [3] in response to declining hamburger sales on Fridays due to the practice of abstaining from meat on that day. While the fish composition of the sandwich has changed throughout the years to cater to taste preferences and address supply limitations, the framework of its ingredients have remained constant; a fried breaded fish fillet, a steamed bun, tartar sauce and pasteurized American cheese.

History

The sandwich was invented in 1962 by Catholic businessman Lou Groen, a McDonald's franchise owner in Cincinnati.[2] [3] His store at 5425 West North Bend Road[4] was in a predominantly Catholic neighborhood, which led to falling hamburger sales on Fridays resulting from the practice of abstaining from meat on Fridays. The product was named by Cye Landy of Cye Landy Advertising Agency, which was the advertising firm for that particular McDonald's franchise.

The sandwich was the first non-hamburger menu item brought in by Ray Kroc, who purchased McDonald's in 1961.[5] Kroc made a deal with Groen: they would sell two non-meat sandwiches on a Friday, Kroc's Hula Burger (grilled pineapple with cheese on a cold bun) and the Filet-O-Fish, and whichever sold the most would be added to the permanent menu. The Filet-O-Fish "won hands down"[6] and was added to menus throughout 1963 until reaching nationwide status in 1965.[7]

In 1981, when an owner of a New Zealand fisheries company was dissatisfied with the pollock Filet-O-Fish he purchased at the Courtenay Place, Wellington restaurant, he said to the manager that he could make a better-tasting fish fillet. He was handed a box of fillets and told to come back with identical, better-tasting fillets. He substituted the pollock with red cod and after the manager was satisfied with the better-tasting red cod fillets, ended up in agreement to supply the Courtenay Place restaurant (and eventually several other New Zealand restaurants) with the red cod fillets. The similar-tasting hoki was substituted several years later, due to its competitive market value and its boneless fillets, and eventually was introduced widely in the early 1990s when global pollock stocks were facing low numbers.[8]

McDonald's removed the Filet-O-Fish from its menus in the United States on September 26, 1996,[9] and replaced it with the Fish Filet Deluxe sandwich, which was part of McDonald's ill-fated Deluxe line of sandwiches. However, the Filet-O-Fish was brought back to its menus on a gradual basis starting in the middle of 1997, due to overwhelming letters and petitions, receiving the larger fish patty from the Fish Filet Deluxe. The Fish Filet Deluxe itself was discontinued at most restaurants early in 1998, while others continued to offer it until 2000, when it was finally removed from all McDonald's menus.

In November 2007, McDonald's lowered the use of New Zealand hoki and increased the use of Alaska pollock, due to declining New Zealand hoki fishery sustainability and large cutbacks in the total allowable commercial catch of hoki by the New Zealand Ministry of Fisheries - from 250,000 tonnes in 1997 to 90,000 tonnes in 2007.[10] McDonald's originally used Atlantic cod, before declining cod catches forced McDonald's to find sustainable fish elsewhere. McDonald's is trying to maintain fish only from areas certified as sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council, but that is becoming more difficult each year. Hoki is still a major ingredient.[11]

As of March 2009, the Marine Stewardship Council[12] placed the Alaska pollock fisheries in a re-assessment program[13] due to catch numbers declining by over 30% between 2005 and 2008, and by-catch problems with salmon.

As of January 2013, the Marine Stewardship Council stated that the pollock comes from suppliers with sustainable fishing practices, and McDonald's packaging and promotion will reflect that change.[14]

In 2019, McDonald's sent a cease-and-desist letter to a small Canadian restaurant that was selling a fish sandwich it called the 'Effing Filet O' Fish'. McDonald's claimed that the restaurant's use of that term violated McDonald's registered 'Filet-O-Fish' trademark. In response, the restaurant agreed to stop using 'Filet O' Fish' to describe its fish sandwich.[15]

Product description

The fish used for the Filet-O-Fish patty in various markets is as follows:

Half a slice of cheese is used in each Filet-O-Fish sandwich, with McDonald's stating the reason as to prevent the cheese from overwhelming the taste.[21] [22] [23] [24] [25]

A Double Filet-O-Fish is available in some regions.[26] [27]

Society and culture

The Filet-O-Fish is often referred to as a burger outside the U.S.,[28] in particular in Australia,[29] [30] India,[31] [32] New Zealand,[33] [34] and the UK.[35] [36] [37]

Religious observation

The Filet-O-Fish, originally created for Western Christians observing the Friday Fast, remains popularly associated with this community, with US sales significantly rising around Lent. The practice has inspired other fast food chains to offer seafood options during Lent.[38]

This sandwich is also popular among Jewish and Muslim communities due to its ingredients being more aligned with kashrut and halal rules than McDonald's other offerings.[39] [40] The sandwich contains fish, milk in the cheese, and egg yolks in the sauce.[16] In addition, the fish patty is cooked in a separate frypot to avoid giving other items a fishy taste.[41] Certification-wise, the sandwich is certified as halal in the UAE and a few other Muslim-majority countries;[42] it is also available in kosher-supervised restaurants of McDonald's Israel.[43] However, not all Israeli locations are certified and stores in the UK and the US participate in no certification.[44]

Variants

In France, Spain, and Belgium, a variation of the sandwich is sold as the "McFish," using the "Mc-" prefix that McDonald's uses for some of its other products. The French McFish does not include cheese and replaces tartar sauce with ketchup.[45] [46]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Here's why McDonald's Filet-O-Fish sales skyrocket in March. Berger. Arielle. 2019-03-01. Beaumont Enterprise. 2019-03-29. https://web.archive.org/web/20190329090148/https://www.beaumontenterprise.com/technology/businessinsider/article/Why-sales-of-McDonald-s-Filet-o-Fish-sandwiches-10969333.php. 2019-03-29.
  2. Web site: Why Abstain from Meat on Fridays, but Eat Fish?. Catholic Financial Life. October 23, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20190329090039/https://join.catholicfinanciallife.org/blog/why-abstain-from-meat-on-fridays-but-eat-fish. March 29, 2019. dead.
  3. Web site: Clark . Paul . No fish story: Sandwich saved his McDonald's. USA Today . 2007-02-20 . 2017-11-07.
  4. Web site: Amstrong . Patti . How a Catholic Businessman Put the Filet-O-Fish on the McDonald's Menu . National Catholic Register . March 7, 2019 . 8 March 2019.
  5. News: Burger Meister RAY KROC . https://web.archive.org/web/20080307093638/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,989785-2,00.html . dead . March 7, 2008 . Pepin . Jacques . December 7, 1998 . . December 30, 2010 .
  6. News: No fish story: Sandwich saved his McDonald's . Clark . Paul . February 20, 2007 . . December 30, 2010 .
  7. Web site: Travel Through Time With Us! . . December 30, 2010 . November 26, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111126191650/http://www.aboutmcdonalds.com/mcd/our_company/mcd_history.html . dead .
  8. Book: Hepözden, Rosemary . Brian . O'Flaherty . in co-op with McDonald's Restaurants (NZ) Ltd . Golden Arches under Southern Skies: Celebrating 35 years of McDonald's in New Zealand . 2011 . Renaissance Publishing . Auckland . 978-0-9864521-1-6 . 78–79.
  9. Web site: Sarasota Herald-Tribune - Google News Archive Search. January 26, 2014.
  10. News: Bill . Moore . June 28, 2011 . Hoki fishery rebuilt, quota to rise, says minister . Nelson Mail . July 27, 2011.
  11. Web site: Daily Finance Article. 11 September 2009. DailyFinance.com.
  12. Web site: Alaska Pollock- Gulf of Alaska . Msc.org . 2013-10-03.
  13. Web site: Surveillance Report – Gulf of Alaska Pollock Fishery. J Rice . D Bowen . S Hanna . P Knapman . Moody Marine . November 12, 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131005192242/https://www.msc.org/track-a-fishery/fisheries-in-the-program/certified/pacific/gulf-of-alaska-pollock/assessment-downloads-1/GoA-Pollock-Fishery-Surveillance-Report-3-2008.pdf . January 26, 2014. October 5, 2013 .
  14. News: The Associated Press . McDonald's fish to carry 'sustainable' labeling . NY Daily News . January 25, 2013 . October 3, 2013 . New York.
  15. Web site: McDonald's Bullies Local Canadian Burger Joint Over 'Filet O' Fish' Trademark. Wed. Oct 23rd 2019 7:45pm-Timothy Geigner. Techdirt.. October 23, 2019 . 2019-10-24.
  16. Web site: 2020-05-09. https://web.archive.org/web/20200509010850/https://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en-us/product/filet-o-fish.html. Filet-O-Fish . McDonald's . US . May 21, 2020. FISH FILET PATTY Ingredients: Pollock, Water, [etc].
  17. Web site: What Type of Fish do You use in the Filet-O-Fish®?. McDonald's FAQ. January 1, 2021. December 4, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201204212939/https://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en-us/about-our-food/our-food-your-questions/22967-what-type-of-fish-do-you-use-in-the-filet-o-fish.html. dead.
  18. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20191004043251/https://www.mcdonalds.ie/iehome/food/full_menu/fish/filet_o_fish.html. October 4, 2019. Filet-O-Fish . October 4, 2019. McDonald's . Ireland. Filet-O-Fish - Alaskan Pollock or Hoki served with ½ a cheese slice and tartare sauce in a crisp breadcrumb coating..
  19. Web site: Filet-o-Fish Ingredients . McDonald's . UK . May 21, 2020. Delicious white Hoki or Pollock fish in crispy breadcrumbs, with cheese and tartare sauce, in a steamed bun.. https://web.archive.org/web/20200501191353/https://www.mcdonalds.com/gb/en-gb/product/filet-o-fish.html. May 1, 2020.
  20. Web site: Filet-o-Fish . October 4, 2019 . McDonald's . New Zealand.
  21. Web site: Mark. Jorie. 2020-07-06. The reason McDonald's Filet-O-Fish only comes with a half slice of cheese. 2020-10-18. Mashed.com. en-US.
  22. Web site: Why do you only use half a cheese slice in your Filet-O-Fish sandwiches? Has it always been this way?. McDonald's. Canada. https://web.archive.org/web/20140726051005/http://yourquestions.mcdonalds.ca/questions/4980. July 26, 2014.
  23. Web site: Has the quantity of McDonald's Filet-O-FishTM changed? Does a McDonald's Filet-O-Fish use a half slice of cheese?. https://web.archive.org/web/20180610054306/http://www.mcdonalds.com.hk/en/food/learn-more-about-mcdonalds-food/your-questions-answered/lightbox-details.html#c4q2. dead. June 10, 2018. 2020-10-18. www.mcdonalds.com.hk.
  24. Web site: 2018-01-02. Why is S'pore McDonald's Filet-O-Fish served with half a slice of cheese?. 2020-10-18. mothership.sg. en.
  25. Web site: why is the fillet o fish served with half a slice of cheese, don't lie evidence. McDonald's. Canada. https://web.archive.org/web/20120715020102/http://yourquestions.mcdonalds.ca/questions/5996. July 15, 2012 . dead.
  26. Web site: Double Filet-O-Fish . 2023-02-26 . McDonald's Canada . en-CA.
  27. Web site: Doppel Filet-o-Fish . 2023-02-26 . McDonald's Österreich . de.
  28. News: Ewe . Koh . This Instagram Account Features the Saddest McDonald's Burgers You'll Ever See . 9 February 2022 . . 12 November 2021 . en.
  29. Web site: 13 January 2020. Terms and Conditions Maccas Mini Games. McDonald's Australia. 4. PDF. $3 Filet-O-Fish burger offer.
  30. Web site: Gossling. Bronte. 2021-11-23. 'You killed it!': Chef turns Macca's Filet-O-Fish meal into two-course fine dining experience. 2022-02-10. kitchen.nine.com.au. en-AU. Danny Kim, a food-related content creator who goes by @dannygrubs on the video-sharing platform, approached his friend, chef Ashish Alfred, with a challenge: turn his McDonald's Filet-O-Fish burger, fries and apple pie into a gourmet meal..
  31. Web site: Bakshi . Priyaja . Tara Sutaria Enjoys A McDonalds Burger As She Shoots For A New Film . NDTV Food . 9 February 2022 . en . 27 July 2021.
  32. Web site: Filet-O-Fish Meal. 2022-02-10. McDonald's India. Enhance your taste buds with soothing taste of Filet-O-Fish burger.
  33. Web site: Corporate Responsibility McDonald's New Zealand. 2022-02-10. mcdonalds.co.nz. The hoki fish fillets we use to prepare our super-delicious Filet-O-Fish® burgers are renowned for their succulent moist texture, white flesh and great mild taste... We use only skilled professionals to fillet our fish before it's formed into the crumbed, delicious portions we serve you on your favourite Filet-O-Fish burger..
  34. Web site: McDonald. Greer. 2010-08-19. Hook, line and sinker. 2022-02-10. Stuff. en. Little known fact: Martin Bosley, the well-known Wellington chef and restaurant owner, used to work for McDonald's. In fact he loves, nay praises, the fast-food giant, and can't say enough about their Filet-O-Fish burger..
  35. Web site: Mal. Nisha. 2019-09-04. Aldi's new 70p burgers taste just like McDonald's Filet-O-Fish. 2022-02-10. WalesOnline. en. Fans of McDonald's Filet-O-Fish burger have found a new discovery at Aldi, that tastes just as good..
  36. Web site: Shakespeare. Stephan. Stephan Shakespeare. 2017-05-24. Fast-food icon McDonald's will be able to survive the recent dad ad controversy. 2022-02-10. YouGov. en-gb. Last week, McDonalds came under fire for its latest advert. It showed a young boy and his mother discussing his late father and, while it seems they had little in common, the mother told her son that he and his deceased father shared a mutual love of a Filet-O-Fish burger..
  37. Web site: 17 May 2017. McDonald's has pulled this 'offensive' TV advert after being accused of exploiting child bereavement. 2022-02-10. News Shopper. en. Once they arrive at a McDonald's restaurant and the boy orders a Filet-o-Fish burger... Shocked viewers complained on Twitter, saying using death to sell burgers was "disgusting" and "offensive".
  38. Tyko . Kelly . Lent is Filet-O-Fish season at McDonald's . USA Today .
  39. Web site: Long Live the Filet-O-Fish, the McDonald's Sandwich for Jews . Tablet Magazine . 20 September 2016.
  40. Web site: The Filet-O-Fish Says So Much About Growing Up Muslim . www.vice.com . August 15, 2018 . en.
  41. McDonald's China training material, Production Area, Frying. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  42. Web site: Is there any pork or shellfish in your cheeses, or burger buns, breads? . McDonald's UAE FAQ . 2 January 2021 . all our food is a 100% Halal.
  43. Web site: מיני דג . 2023-02-26 . McDonald's Israel . he.
  44. Web site: Is the sauce used in the Filet-o-Fish® vegetarian and/or halal?. McDonald's UK FAQ. January 2, 2021. November 1, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201101084442/https://www.mcdonalds.com/gb/en-gb/help/faq/19067-is-the-sauce-used-in-the-filet-o-fish-vegetarian-andor-halal.html. dead.
  45. Web site: LE McFISH . February 12, 2021 . McDonald's . France.
  46. Web site: McFish - McDonald's - 124 g . February 12, 2021 . Open Food Facts. December 27, 2015 .

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