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McDonald's responds to popular burger myth
After a TikTok video of a grandmother revealing she had kept a McDonald's burger in her closet for 24 years and it hadn't decomposed went viral recently, the question of whether or not Macca’s burgers are capable of rotting has once again been raised – and this time the fast food chain is responding.
The company issued a statement from their US-based office with the headline: "Response to myth that McDonald’s burgers do not decompose."
"In the right environment, our burgers, like most other foods, could decompose,” the said.
"But, in order to decompose, you need certain conditions – specifically moisture. Without sufficient moisture – either in the food itself or the environment – bacteria and mould may not grow and therefore, decomposition is unlikely.
"So if food is or becomes dry enough, it is unlikely to grow mould or bacteria or decompose. Food prepared at home that is left to dehydrate could see similar results.
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"Look closely, the burgers you are seeing are likely dried out and dehydrated, and by no means 'the same as the day they were purchased.'
"The reality is that our burgers are made only with 100% USDA inspected beef. There are no preservatives or fillers in our patties and the only thing ever added is a touch of salt and pepper on the grill."
It came just days after the TikTok video of a woman unwrapping a McDonald's burger that she claimed to be 24 years old went viral.
The video, which has since been viewed almost four million times, shows user Ali Sherb’s grandmother asking: “So you want to see my hamburger?” as she holds a shoebox with the word ‘Hamburger’ written on it.
“It lives in my closet,” she says as she begins to show the contents.
First, the grandmother shows the McDonald’s bag which looks like it has seen better days.
“This is the sack that it came in and it’s advertising a NASCAR race in 1996,” she says pointing to the date on the bag.
“So this dates it to 24-years-old now,” she said.
She then pulls out a small packet of french fries which she said looks as if they’ve barely aged.
“They look like they’ve fallen under your seat maybe a month or so ago, they have never rotted or decayed,” she says, looking amused as she holds the shrivelled fries up to the camera.
Aly’s grandmother then unwraps the hamburger and opens it to show two buns and a meat patty that don’t appear to look any different to a fresh McDonald’s burger.
“The hamburger itself, the bread has never moulded, the meat has never rotted,” she says.
“It’s completely intact,” she adds as she wraps the burger up.
“So, that’s the 24-year-old hamburger. Not sure what would happen if you ate it though.”
People responded fascinated by the video but many asked what would motivate somebody to intentionally store a hamburger in their wardrobe for 24 years.
“For those of you wondering why she did this, she’s a teacher and bought it for a longitudinal science experiment,” Aly wrote.
Additional reporting by Nadine Carroll.
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