McDonald's New Zealand Seed Oil Report Card
Based on our menu research, McDonald's New Zealand cooks with: Canola (McDonald's NZ quoted in the NZ Herald: fries contain 'the canola oil they are cooked in'; the NZ guide says fried items are 'cooked in a McDonald's Vegetable Oil blend' and the fries, nuggets, McBites and spicy fillet statements print canola). Across the 133 menu items we analyzed, it averages 3.2g estimated PUFA per item, earning a seed-oil grade of A (Low Risk).
Ask McDonald's New Zealand to drop seed oils
12 people have asked so far.
One tap, anonymous, no signup. We keep each chain's total public so the demand is impossible to ignore.
Safest Orders at McDonald's New Zealand
Learn this once: a salad with grilled protein and the dressing left off is nearly always the lowest seed oil order anywhere. So the list below sticks to real meals, salads included, never just a water.
Cleanest full order: Cheeseburger + Kiwi Blue Water, 1.0g total
| Item | PUFA |
|---|---|
| Garden Salad | 0.0g |
| Long Black (Medium) | 0.0g |
| Iced Long Black (Medium) | 0.0g |
| L&P (Medium) | 0.0g |
| Frozen Lift (Medium) | 0.0g |
What to Avoid at McDonald's New Zealand
| Item | PUFA |
|---|---|
| Double McChicken | 19.7g |
| 20pc Chicken McNuggets | 17.8g |
| Grilled Chicken McWrap | 17.2g |
| Big Arch | 15.5g |
| Double Filet-O-Fish | 14.8g |
Every McDonald's New Zealand item, ranked
All 133 items we have for McDonald's New Zealand, safest first. Values are estimated grams of seed-oil PUFA per item.
| Item | PUFA |
|---|---|
| Garden Salad | 0.0g |
| Ketchup | 0.0g |
| Sweet Chilli Dipping Sauce | 0.0g |
| Hotcake Syrup | 0.0g |
| Long Black (Medium) | 0.0g |
| Iced Long Black (Medium) | 0.0g |
| Espresso | 0.0g |
| English Breakfast Tea | 0.0g |
| Earl Grey Tea | 0.0g |
| Green Tea | 0.0g |
| Peppermint Tea | 0.0g |
| Black Tea (Large) | 0.0g |
| Coca-Cola (Medium) | 0.0g |
| Coca-Cola Zero Sugar (Medium) | 0.0g |
| Sprite Zero Sugar (Medium) | 0.0g |
| L&P (Medium) | 0.0g |
| Fanta Orange (Medium) | 0.0g |
| Fanta Raspberry (Medium) | 0.0g |
| Frozen Coke (Medium) | 0.0g |
| Frozen Coke Zero Sugar (Medium) | 0.0g |
| Frozen Lift (Medium) | 0.0g |
| Frozen Sprite (Medium) | 0.0g |
| Frozen L&P (Medium) | 0.0g |
| Frozen Fanta Orange (Medium) | 0.0g |
| Frozen Fanta Raspberry (Medium) | 0.0g |
| Frozen Coke Raspberry (Medium) | 0.0g |
| Kiwi Blue Water | 0.0g |
| Keri Orange Juice (Medium) | 0.0g |
| Keri Orange & Apple Juice (Medium) | 0.0g |
| FUZE Tea Peach Black Iced Tea (Medium) | 0.0g |
| Keri Apple & Blackcurrant Fruit Drink | 0.0g |
| Pump Mini Water | 0.0g |
| Apple Slices | 0.1g |
| Sweet 'n' Sour Sauce | 0.1g |
| Piccolo Latte | 0.1g |
| Fluffy | 0.1g |
| Barbeque Sauce | 0.2g |
| Soft Serve Cone | 0.2g |
| Frozen Coke McFloat (Medium) | 0.2g |
| Frozen Coke Zero Sugar McFloat (Medium) | 0.2g |
| Frozen L&P McFloat (Medium) | 0.2g |
| Frozen Lift McFloat (Medium) | 0.2g |
| Frozen Sprite McFloat (Medium) | 0.2g |
| Frozen Fanta Orange McFloat (Medium) | 0.2g |
| Frozen Fanta Raspberry McFloat (Medium) | 0.2g |
| Frozen Coke Raspberry McFloat (Medium) | 0.2g |
| Strawberry Sundae (Small) | 0.3g |
| Plain Sundae (Small) | 0.3g |
| Soft Serve Cone with Cadbury Flake | 0.3g |
| Whipped Butter | 0.3g |
| Caramel Sundae (Small) | 0.4g |
| Cappuccino (Medium) | 0.4g |
| Flat White (Medium) | 0.4g |
| Latte (Medium) | 0.4g |
| Mocha (Medium) | 0.4g |
| Chai Latte (Medium) | 0.4g |
| Matcha Latte (Medium) | 0.4g |
| Iced Matcha Latte (Medium) | 0.4g |
| Iced Strawberry Matcha Latte (Medium) | 0.4g |
| Iced Latte (Medium) | 0.4g |
| Iced Caramel Latte (Medium) | 0.4g |
| Iced Mocha (Medium) | 0.4g |
| Hot Fudge Sundae (Small) | 0.5g |
| Chocolate Shake (Medium) | 0.5g |
| Strawberry Shake (Medium) | 0.5g |
| Vanilla Shake (Medium) | 0.5g |
| Banana Shake (Medium) | 0.5g |
| Hot Chocolate (Medium) | 0.5g |
| Iced Chai (Medium) | 0.5g |
| M&M's Minis McFlurry | 0.6g |
| Choc McDip | 0.6g |
| Iced Chocolate (Medium) | 0.6g |
| Tim Tam & Jatz Inspired McFlurry | 0.8g |
| Cheeseburger | 1.0g |
| OREO Cookies McFlurry | 1.0g |
| Choc Top Super Sundae | 1.0g |
| Hamburger | 1.2g |
| Double Cheeseburger | 1.5g |
| Apple Pie | 1.5g |
| Quarter Pounder | 2.0g |
| McHappy Cookies | 2.0g |
| Triple Cheeseburger | 2.2g |
| Grilled Chicken Snack Wrap | 2.5g |
| Balsamic Dressing | 2.6g |
| Hotcakes with Butter & Syrup | 2.6g |
| 3pc Chicken McNuggets | 2.7g |
| Sausage McMuffin | 2.9g |
| Bacon & Egg McMuffin | 3.0g |
| Creme Brulee Pie | 3.0g |
| Honey Sriracha Sauce | 3.0g |
| Hash Brown | 3.1g |
| Double Quarter Pounder | 3.4g |
| 10pc Chicken McBites | 3.5g |
| Fries (Small) | 3.9g |
| Hotcakes (Happy Meal) | 4.0g |
| Sausage & Egg McMuffin | 4.3g |
| Serious Beef | 5.0g |
| 3pc Mozzarella Sticks | 5.0g |
| 6pc Chicken McNuggets | 5.3g |
| Fries (Medium) | 5.3g |
| Mayonnaise | 5.7g |
| McCrispy Bacon Deluxe | 6.1g |
| Chicken & Bacon McMuffin | 6.1g |
| Massive McMuffin | 6.1g |
| Salad Burger | 6.4g |
| Crispy Chicken Snack Wrap | 6.5g |
| Crispy Chicken McWrap | 6.5g |
| Almighty Texan BBQ | 6.7g |
| Big Brekkie Beef Burger | 6.7g |
| Fries (Large) | 6.8g |
| BLT Bagel | 7.1g |
| McCrispy | 7.7g |
| Filet-O-Fish | 8.1g |
| Grilled Chicken Bacon Deluxe | 8.4g |
| Chicken McMuffin | 8.5g |
| Mega Brekkie McWrap | 8.6g |
| Big Mac | 8.8g |
| 10pc Chicken McNuggets | 8.9g |
| 3pc Chicken McWings | 8.9g |
| NYC Benedict Bagel | 9.1g |
| Cheesy Chicken Burger | 10.0g |
| Honey Sriracha Massive McMuffin | 10.0g |
| Double Big Mac | 10.5g |
| McChicken | 11.0g |
| Honey Sriracha Mega Brekkie Wrap | 13.0g |
| Honey Sriracha Big Brekkie Burger | 14.0g |
| Double McCrispy | 14.3g |
| McSpicy | 14.7g |
| Double Filet-O-Fish | 14.8g |
| Big Arch | 15.5g |
| Grilled Chicken McWrap | 17.2g |
| 20pc Chicken McNuggets | 17.8g |
| Double McChicken | 19.7g |
Frequently asked
Does McDonald's New Zealand use seed oils?
Based on our menu research, McDonald's New Zealand cooks with: Canola (McDonald's NZ quoted in the NZ Herald: fries contain 'the canola oil they are cooked in'; the NZ guide says fried items are 'cooked in a McDonald's Vegetable Oil blend' and the fries, nuggets, McBites and spicy fillet statements print canola). Across the 133 menu items we analyzed, it averages 3.2g estimated PUFA per item, earning a seed-oil grade of A (Low Risk).
What oil does McDonald's New Zealand cook with?
Our research indicates: Canola (McDonald's NZ quoted in the NZ Herald: fries contain 'the canola oil they are cooked in'; the NZ guide says fried items are 'cooked in a McDonald's Vegetable Oil blend' and the fries, nuggets, McBites and spicy fillet statements print canola). Preparation can vary by location, so treat PUFA numbers as estimates.
Does McDonald's New Zealand use beef tallow?
No. Our research indicates McDonald's New Zealand cooks with Canola (McDonald's NZ quoted in the NZ Herald: fries contain 'the canola oil they are cooked in'; the NZ guide says fried items are 'cooked in a McDonald's Vegetable Oil blend' and the fries, nuggets, McBites and spicy fillet statements print canola), not beef tallow. For chains that fry in tallow or other real fats, see Tallow Watch.
Is McDonald's New Zealand seed oil free?
No. Our research indicates McDonald's New Zealand cooks with Canola (McDonald's NZ quoted in the NZ Herald: fries contain 'the canola oil they are cooked in'; the NZ guide says fried items are 'cooked in a McDonald's Vegetable Oil blend' and the fries, nuggets, McBites and spicy fillet statements print canola), which includes seed oils. See the lower-PUFA orders above for the cleanest picks.
What is the safest thing to order at McDonald's New Zealand?
Garden Salad is the lowest-PUFA item we analyzed at McDonald's New Zealand, at an estimated 0.0g PUFA. See the Safest Orders list on this page for more options.
What should I avoid at McDonald's New Zealand?
Double McChicken is the highest-PUFA item we analyzed at McDonald's New Zealand, at an estimated 19.7g PUFA. Fried items and creamy, mayo-based sauces are usually the heaviest.
What are seed oils?
Seed oils — canola, soybean, sunflower, corn, and similar vegetable oils — are extracted from seeds using high heat and chemical solvents. They are very high in polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs), which are unstable at cooking temperatures and can oxidize easily. Many health-conscious eaters choose to minimize seed oils and prefer foods cooked in beef tallow, butter, coconut oil, or olive oil instead. This page shows estimated PUFA grams per menu item to help you make more informed choices. These are estimates — actual values vary by preparation and location. New to the topic? Start with what seed oils are and the complete list, or read the evidence on why people avoid them.
Compare other chains
Burger King · Wendy's · KFC · Krispy Kreme · Lone Star · Mexicali Fresh
See where McDonald's New Zealand lands on the full Seed Oil Index, or check which chains cook in real fats on Tallow Watch. Wondering about a specific dish instead? The Is It Seed Oil food guide answers it for 200+ everyday foods, and the distributor oils page covers what independent restaurants fry in.