Seeing the term shake on the menu has McDonald's fans (and conspiracy theorists) asking the fast-food chain an important question: Got milk?
Why McDonald’s Won’t Call Its Shakes “Milkshakes”
McDonald’s has had its fair share of steamy controversies over the years. And very few menu items have been spared a starring role in the wildest McDonald’s rumors, from bizarre claims that its patties are made with “pink slime” and the McRib contains kangaroo meat to allegations that—wait for it— its factories contain freezers of human meat. (Deep breaths. None of those are true.) Another theory that has the internet buzzing has to do with what happened to McDonald’s milkshakes since they were first sold in 1949.
The chilled dessert drink has had its own niche of skepticism since its debut, with plenty of eagle-eyed customers noticing that the popular McDonald’s item, is missing a key word: milk. If the food giant doesn’t call them milkshakes, it must have replaced the milk and ice cream with nondairy, totally unnatural fillers … right? Wrong!
Read on to learn why McDonald’s milkshakes are called “shakes” and whether they contain real milk or are just artificially milk-y.
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What happened to McDonald’s milkshakes?
Considering how frequently this question pops up among McDonald’s consumers, it may seem as though the sweet, creamy beverage has changed drastically over the years. However, despite the wild fast-food myths, not much has actually changed with McDonald’s shakes, except how they appear on the menu.
When the first restaurant opened, the original menu featured nine items, including “milk shakes” in three flavors. But you probably wouldn’t have noticed the quiet change from “milkshake” to “shake,” since the company debuted its Triple Thick Milkshakes in 1949.
In all of McDonald’s history, there’s been only one publicized change on the shake front: a partnership with Cumberland Dairy, which started making milkshake mixes for the fast-food chain in 1971.
Whether the fast-food joint used a mix from a different dairy prior to 1971 remains a mystery. But the public announcement of the Cumberland Dairy mix likely sparked the rumor claiming the shakes contain no milk (and, some say, chicken feathers and Styrofoam instead). Once the ’90s hit, the internet did its thing, and the legend grew. People’s suspicions grew further after the release of the 2016 movie The Founder, which chronicles the fast-food restaurant’s founding and features a scene in which a standardized milkshake mix was proposed to boost sales.
However, the real reason McDonald’s doesn’t use the term milkshake for its creamy dessert drinks today is unrelated to its outsourcing of milkshake pre-mix in 1971. Let’s dive in.
Why doesn’t McDonald’s call them milkshakes?
The answer lies in state food rules and regulations.
If you were to order any flavor of McDonald’s delicious dessert drinks in the U.K., Canada or the Netherlands, you’d see that both the menu and your bill display the word milkshake. So what happened to McDonald’s milkshakes in America?
McDonald’s chooses to call the milk beverage “shakes” for the sake of simplicity. The company clarifies on its website: “Dairy regulations actually vary from state to state on what can officially be called a ‘milkshake.’ We like to keep it simple and refer to them strictly as ‘shakes.’” And the U.S. is not the only exception. McDonald’s has kept its terminology consistent across most countries, with the menu featuring shakes instead of milkshakes in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, to name a few.
State rules and regulations on milkshakes
Don’t get too hung up on the regulations that McDonald’s refers to—it simply has to do with the allowable milk fat and milk solid content in milkshakes.
Here’s what these milkshake rules and regulations look like for four different states:
- Connecticut: A milkshake has to contain between 3.25% and 6% milkfat and nonfat milk solids above 10%.
- South Dakota: A milkshake should have between 2% and 7% milkfat and at least 23% total milk solids.
- New York: There is a clear distinction between freezer-made shakes and freezer-made milkshakes, the latter of which needs between 3.25% and 6% milkfat and nonfat milk solids above 10%.
- Georgia: A milkshake can be a milkshake mix, milkshake or low-fat milkshake, depending on its milkfat and milk solid content.
From just those four states alone, it’s clear why McDonald’s shortened the drink’s name to “shakes.” It’s a whole lot easier than adapting the menu based on the state.
What’s actually in a McDonald’s shake?
The speculations around McDonald’s calling its dessert drinks “shakes” also spun into the wildest rumors regarding the milkshake’s ingredients. However, McDonald’s statement on its FAQ page sets the record straight: McDonald’s shakes do contain milk.
No matter what flavor you order, all the shakes are made using the signature reduced-fat vanilla soft serve, and the first ingredient of this McDonald’s ice cream is milk, followed by sugar, cream, corn syrup and a handful of additives. The ice cream base is mixed with flavor syrup and topped with whipped cream before being served.
So what, exactly, is a milkshake?
The right answer is: It depends. As much as we all want our favorite milkshake to be the gold standard, the truth is that there’s no one-recipe-fits-all definition of milkshake.
According to Merriam-Webster, a milkshake’s definition is “a thoroughly shaken or blended drink made of milk, a flavoring syrup and often ice cream.”
Of course, there are twists on the classic, both in America and around the world.
Massachusetts milkshakes
In Massachusetts, there might be no legal definition for this sweet treat, but socially speaking, a milkshake is just milk mixed with syrup—hold the ice cream. And what the rest of the country calls a milkshake, Bay Staters call a frappe (not to be confused with McDonald’s frappés). You see where things get confusing for a national chain.
Milkshakes around the world
Merriam-Webster’s definition pretty much captures how they’re made worldwide. While it may seem like only Americans have complex requirements for what can be considered a milkshake, most other countries haven’t settled on a definite recipe either.
Milkshakes across the world differ based on the star ingredients. Some, such as the Indian Lassi, have fruit-based variations that often come flavored with spices like cardamom and saffron, while milkshakes in Japan use similar recipes as the West but come with the most exquisite local flavors, such as matcha and red bean.
Do any other fast-food restaurants also call their milkshakes “shakes”?
At the end of the day, McDonald’s is far from the only fast-food chain taking the “milk” out of its milkshakes (in the name, that is). Mickey D’s competitor, Burger King, also serves up “shakes,” and so do Arby’s, Sonic and, naturally, Shake Shack.
If you want a milkshake with the emphasis on milk, you can find one at Chick-fil-A or Five Guys, although the ingredient list reads almost the same: a signature ice cream or mixture (made with milk), followed by whipped cream and flavoring. But as long as it tastes good and contains some milk, we aren’t complaining about what these delicious dessert drinks are called.
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Sources:
- McDonald’s: “McDonald’s History”
- Cumberland Dairy: “Our History”
- Business Insider: “Photos show what it was really like to eat at McDonald’s in the 1950s”
- McDonald’s U.K.: “Milkshakes and Cold Drinks”
- McDonald’s Netherlands: “Shakes and Iced Drinks”
- McDonald’s U.S.: “Shakes, McFlurry Desserts & Soft Serve FAQs”
- McDonald’s Australia: “Drinks”
- McDonald’s New Zealand: “Drinks”
- McDonald’s South Africa: “Desserts and Shakes”
- Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies: “Frozen Dessert Products Standards and Regulations”
- South Dakota Legislative Research Council: “Administrative Rules”
- Thomson Reuters Westlaw: “Unofficial New York Codes, Rules and Regulations: Milk Control”
- Rules and Regulations of the State of Georgia: “Milk Shake Definitions and Processing Standards”
- Merriam-Webster: “Definition of Milkshake”
