Wendy's thinks their customers are stupid

It seems like every time I turn around, there's some food company saying something that makes me say, for lack of a more fitting phrase, "WTF?!" Wendy's is the latest to grind my gears. Lately, I've been seeing commercials like this one, which repeat a new tag line "You know when it's real."


I guess Wendy's doesn't think it's customers will know when it's bullshit. I think the ingredients lists for their products, taken from their website, speak for themselves:

Honey BBQ Boneless Wings
Boneless Wings (chicken breast, water, chicken flavor [salt, flavor, autolyzed yeast extract, maltodextrin, chicken flavor, chicken, gum arabic, sunflower oil, sugar, silicon dioxide, lactic acid, canola oil, modified corn starch, grill flavor {from canola oil}, citric acid, trisodium phosphate], modified food starch, sodium phosphates. Battered and Breaded with: wheat flour, water, modified corn starch, salt, sugar, leavening [sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium bicarbonate, monocalcium phosphate], spice, onion powder, garlic powder, dextrose, autolyzed yeast, natural and artificial flavor, extractives of paprika), Honey BBQ Sauce (honey, water, high fructose corn syrup, tomato paste, distilled white vinegar, modified corn starch, molasses, Worcestershire sauce concentrate [distilled vinegar, molasses, corn syrup, water, salt, caramel color, garlic powder, sugar, spices, tamarind, natural flavor], corn syrup, sugar, salt, natural hickory smoke flavor, sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate [preservatives], spices, mustard flour, paprika, garlic [dehydrated], onion powder, turmeric). Cooked in Soy, Corn, Cottonseed, & Hydrogenated Soy Oil. Cooked in the same oil as menu items that contain Egg, Milk, and Fish (where available). CONTAINS: WHEAT.

Spicy Chicken Go Wrap
Tortilla
Bleached Enriched Wheat Flour (wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), Water, Soybean Oil, Hydrogenated Cottonseed and/or Soybean Oil, Mono and Diglycerides, Potato Starch with Monoglycerides, Contains 2% or less of: Salt, Baking Powder (sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium bicarbonate, corn starch, monocalcium phosphate), Fumaric Acid, Sodium Bicarbonate, Dough Conditioner (wheat flour, calcium sulphate, sorbic acid, L-Cysteine hydrochloride), Sodium Propionate and Potassium Sorbate (preservatives). CONTAINS: WHEAT.

Iceberg/Romaine Lettuce Blend
Iceberg and Romaine Lettuce.

Spicy Chicken Fillet
Chicken Breast, Water, Seasoning (salt, spice, sodium phosphate [sodium tripolyphosphate, sodium polyphosphates, glassy], modified corn starch, paprika, natural flavor, extractives of paprika, extractives of turmeric). Battered and Breaded with: Wheat Flour, Water, Salt, Modified Corn Starch, Bleached Wheat Flour, Wheat Gluten, Spice, Gum Arabic, Egg White Solids, Spice Extractives, Yellow Corn Flour, Leavening (sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium bicarbonate, monocalcium phosphate), Extractives of Paprika. Cooked in Soy, Corn, Cottonseed, & Hydrogenated Soy Oil. Cooked in the same oil as menu items that contain Fish (where available). CONTAINS: EGG, WHEAT.

Ranch Sauce
Soybean Oil, Buttermilk, Water, Egg Yolk, Sour Cream (cream, modified corn starch, soy lecithin, lactic acid, water, citric acid, sodium phosphate, guar gum, artificial flavor), Distilled Vinegar, Sugar, Garlic (including dehydrated), Salt, Garlic Juice, Whey, Natural Flavors, Modified Corn Starch, Onion (dehydrated), Xanthan Gum, Spices, Potassium Sorbate and Sodium Benzoate (preservatives), Propylene Glycol Alginate, Lactic Acid, Calcium Disodium EDTA (to protect taste). CONTAINS: EGG, MILK, SOY.

Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Cultured Pasteurized Milk, Salt, Enzymes, Artificial Color, Potato Starch and Powdered Cellulose (to prevent caking), Natamycin (natural mold inhibitor). CONTAINS: MILK.

Dill Pickles (2)
Cucumbers, Water, Vinegar, Salt, Calcium Chloride, Sodium Benzoate (preservative), Alum, Natural Flavors, Polysorbate 80, Yellow 5, Blue 1.

Mayonnaise
Water, Soybean Oil, Corn Syrup, Egg Yolk, Modified Corn Starch, Distilled Vinegar, Contains less than 2% of: Salt, Spice, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Benzoate and Potassium Sorbate (preservatives), Natural Flavor, Calcium Disodium EDTA (to protect flavor), Yellow 5 and 6. CONTAINS: EGG.

Ketchup
Tomato Concentrate (made from red ripe tomatoes), Distilled Vinegar, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Corn Syrup, Salt, Spice, Onion Powder, Natural Flavoring.

Mustard
Water, Distilled Vinegar, Mustard Seed, Salt, Turmeric (color), Paprika, Spice.

Onion (2 rings)
Onions.

Tomatoes, 1 slice
Tomatoes.