I deliberately waited until after lunch to post this one, as it might just put you off your food...the above picture shows two McDonald's burgers: one bought in 1996, the other one hot off the grill when the picture was taken.
According to Karen Hanrahan who conducted this 'experiment' and blogged about it earlier this week, nothing was done to preserve the burger other than placing it in a plastic container: in other words, it preserved itself. Her verdict: McDonald's burgers are a 'chemical food' with no nutritional value that should not be sold to humans...
I'm only going on the claims of the blogger who posted this (we're an honest bunch!) and am not about to start a similar experiment of my own. But do you beileve this photo to be telling the truth? Have you perhaps tried something similar with a highly processed foodstuff? I've certainly left sweets and other chemically laden foods lying around for years with no change to their appearence, so perhaps McDonald's burgers are equally full of additives. Who knows. Either way, it's a good reminder of why it might not be a great idea to make a habit of eating the stuff...
Ugh is it the one on the left? Although I'm sure after 12 years it wouldn't be so round or brown??
I'm pretty sure it shouldn't happen, Lucy...
a few bright sparks have said 'oh, it's only preserved because anything will keep if you store it in an airtight container' but I know this not to be true, after one lump of cheese too many left in Tupperware...it most certainly does not 'keep'!
I once saw an entire unwrapped Magnum icecream that had been dropped by the road just around the corner from my house. The next day it looked exactly the same....very wrong!
According to the McDonalds website, there are no additives, fillers, or extenders in the 'beef' patty. The 'bread' on the other hand....
With that said, how does cooked beef not simply deteriorate after 12 years? I've personally never kept a hamburger lying around for 12 years, but find this very interesting/firghtening. Not sure if I'd want to commit to such a project, but keep us posted if you do!
Direct from McDonalds.com:
Patty
100% pure USDA inspected beef; no additives, no fillers, no extenders.
Bun
Enriched bleached flour (bleached wheat flour, malted barley flour, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid, reduced iron), water, high fructose corn syrup, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, yeast, contains less than 2 % of each of the following: salt, calcium sulfate, calcium carbonate, calcium silicate, wheat gluten, soy flour, baking soda, emulsifier (mono- and diglycerides, diacetyl tartaric acid esters of fatty acids, ethanol, sorbitol, polysorbate 20, potassium propionate), sodium stearoyl lactylate, dough conditioner (corn starch, ammonium chloride, ammonium sulfate, calcium peroxide, ascorbic acid, azodicarbonamide, enzymes), calcium propionate (preservative).
Ketchup
Tomato concentrate from red ripe tomatoes, distilled vinegar, high fructose corn syrup, water, salt, natural flavors (vegetable source).
Mustard
Vinegar, water, mustard seed, salt, turmeric, paprika, spice extractives.
Pickle Slices
Cucumbers, water, distilled vinegar, salt, calcium chloride, sodium benzoate or potassium sorbate (preservative), natural flavor (vegetable source), alum, polysorbate 80, turmeric.
Onions (Dehydrated)
Seasoning
Salt, pepper, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil (cottonseed and soybean).
gWallet> interesting info, thanks. I guess what this tells us is that *someone* is lying -- whether that's McDonalds or this blogger I guess we'll never know.
I have done the same experiment with a kids HAPPY MEAL but did NOT put it in a container...only the original bag with the fries and bun...the entire meal looks exactly the way it did 3 1/2 years ago when I purchased it. I have left it on an open shelf in my garage and the only thing that looks a bit tattered is the original bag and wrappers...the fries and burger and bun are pristine! Imagine that!