McDonald’s seems to be the villain in the never ending battle of good food versus evil food.
You may even have heard the rumor that Mcdonald’s food lasts forever.
There is so much information floating around out there about the famous golden arches, that it’s hard to know what is true and what is just hype.
One claim came to my attention today from Best of Mother Earth blog that really made question it’s scientific validity.
Let’s face it, we all know by now that McDonald’s’ food is for the most part unhealthy and should be avoided, but still they don’t deserve to be misrepresented by faulty claims or studies.
Hanrahan’s 12 Year Old Burger
Hanrahan claims that she purchased a plain hamburger from McDonald’s then 12 years ago, in 1996.
She also claims that it has been unchanged since, because of all the preservatives McDonald’s has in their products.
She claims that her burger was kept in a plastic container and the only change from 12 years ago is that now it’s beginning to crumble a little.
She also described the burger’s smell as odd.
Spurlock’s 10 Week Old Burgers
As soon as soon as I read this I thought of the documentary ” Super Size Me“.
At the end of the film Spurlock puts different food from McDonald’s in glass jars to see how they will decompose.
After 10 weeks all of the burgers were covered with mold and according to Spurlock smelled grotesque. The only food from McDonald’s that didn’t start to decompose was the French Fries.
If you haven’t seen this film, watch the video clip below.
So who’s telling the truth here?
I question the first claim a little and I wonder if the burger was allowed to dry out somehow because without any moisture fungi and bacteria would be unable to grow.
Both experiments didn’t exactly follow the scientific method, but in my opinion Morgan Spurlock seems to be the most scientific with him outlining exactly how he set the experiment up and documenting the experiment carefully through-out.
What do you think? Which experiment do you think is more factual?
Don’t need a major science experiement. (Unless my car counts as the experiement). Haven’t you ever found that dried out half of a McDonald’s Cheeseburger under your car seat and wondered just how long it had been there? They just seem to dry out, get hard, and hang around there forever.
i’d say the supersize me experiment can’t possibly show how a burger would last in real world conditions. if a great tasting mcdonnalds juicy burger, lol. is left in a glass jar, then no moisture can escape, leaving the mould to thrive. if a burger is left on a desk in a paper bag, it might be able to dry out in ideal conditions making mould growth rare. But saying all that, the 12 year old burger, does that person clean their home? or did they just leave it in an airing cupboard.
it is funny how the chips didn’t mould, but then again they are slim, and practically dry. the combination of salt and dryness would count to the fact the chips looked fresh. mmmm i think im gonna stock up on maccas french fries.
Most cooked or processed food will sit around forevah.
You can get a “gourmet burger” made well done and it too will defy aging like mickey dees.
Take a slice of bread and leave it on top of the fridge for a year. It will dry out but it will never decompose.
The actual reason for longer life expectancy is penicillin and good healthcare. As a matter of fact the life expectancy of kids in their 20′s-30′s as of writing is about 65. Ie the life expectancy is going down. This is due to bad eating and lack of exercise. This is FACT.
you must be the manager.
I think he thought that their food wouldn’t decompose, but his experiment didn’t support his hypothesis. Gives his work credibility since he published a failed experiment.
shut up. he did a great experiment i did it my self for the school science fair and i got an a+
Good points. If they really think it hasn’t changed, why don’t they eat it, then? Changes can take place which the naked eye cannot detect (however, the nose might).
And, no, I don’t eat at McDonald’s, don’t care for how the food tastes.