Americans don’t realize it, but seed oils have slowly decayed our health. Countless of your favorite foods contain seed oils, and you might not know it. These oils contain tons of inflammatory chemicals, preservatives, and trans fats, which can increase heart disease risk, weight gain, and weaken your immune system. Unfortunately, every major fast food chain in the US has these oils at work somewhere, but Steak ‘n Shake wants to make a difference.
Chris Ward, the chief supply chain officer for Steak ‘n Shake, said, “Our fries will now be cooked authentically, 100% beef tallow, to achieve the highest quality and best taste.” The best cooking oil alternative to seed oils is beef tallow. There’s a night and day difference between the two. Beef tallow is natural, healthy, and minimally processed. Seed oils are the complete opposite. The big reason chains in the US aren’t doing the healthy switch is availability and price. Most fast food chains are trying to cut costs as much as possible, thus making it cheaper to switch to seed oils. A gallon of tallow can cost hundreds of dollars, but canola oil, for example, can cost as low as 20 dollars. Other types of seed oils include sunflower, soybean, cottonseed, rapeseed, etc.
If you’re confused about what this stuff is. It’s just rendered beef fat. It can be used as a cooking lubricant or oil. Its history goes back thousands of years to the Bronze Age. Once hardened, it is used for skin care as well. It is in high demand and price, and is hard to find in stores compared to the vast aisles of yellow oils. It’s not a popular product in the US or as massive as seed oils. This is why RFK Jr. is trying to re-populate it, and Steak ‘n Shake is hopping on the trend.
Whilst all of this sounds like Steak ‘n Shake is doing, it is revolutionary. What they are doing isn’t new. Restaurants worldwide have been using beef tallow for years, but Steak ‘n Shake had several reasons for making the first big move in fast food. One was the flat-out popularization of beef tallow in 2024-2025 from RFK Jr and social media. Both rave about its benefits, and people are realizing the health benefits. Steak ‘n Shake saw this as an opportunity to increase customers due to its declining popularity. This is a significant change for fast food
but not a high-end sit-down restaurant.
What about the actual health differences? Countless studies have shown that seed oils and beef tallow have health benefits and potential risks. Beef tallow contains tons of saturated fat and is high in calories, but not processed. While seed oils have a more processed way of being produced, they have some antioxidants. They are both good in moderation and bad when eaten in large quantities. Americans tend to eat more than people in most countries; overeating anything can be harmful. Seed oils are healthy, but overeating them from your chicken tenders and fries can begin to develop health risks. If you care about your health but have to limit yourself from tasty junk food, don’t limit yourself. Just eat in moderation, meaning a portion of the food that won’t completely tank your diet. Health experts say this is how to enjoy your favorite foods, even if they are slathered in seed oils.
Steak ‘n Shake sees more money-making opportunities and allows customers to eat more food without feeling guilty. By using beef tallow, they sought to increase sales of their products while satisfying customers. RFK Jr. heavily influenced all of this; he might have started the seed oil-free fast food movement.
