Beef Tallow
This page explains what Beef Tallow is, where it shows up in restaurant food, and which ingredient reports connect to it.
- Concern
- Low / Limited Concern
- Function
- Oil
- Updated
- 2026-03-18
What this is
Beef tallow is a rendered beef fat traditionally used for cooking and deep frying. It was once common in fast-food kitchens (like old formula French fries) due to its high smoke point and rich flavor, but most chains stopped using it over health concerns. Tallow is about half saturated fat by weight. Diets high in saturated fat can raise “bad” LDL cholesterol levels and have been linked to higher heart disease risk. While beef tallow is still legal in food, experts advise using it in moderation and favoring healthier oils.
Critical Endpoints
The key endpoints experts review in safety assessments (critical endpoints). This is not a prediction of harm.
Restaurant Usage
1 linked ingredient reports
State Actions
0 current actions
No current state action is listed for this ingredient in the policy tracker.
Sources
4 visible sources