I've always wanted to do this, but never got around to it. Morgan Spurlock did it in Super Size Me
, but for only about a year as I recall.But Karen Hanrahan has kept a McDonald's hamburger since 1996.
Yup, she's had this burger for 12 years!
And it still looks ready to eat. That's frightening!
McDonald's (and presumably other fast food joints) use a lot of preservatives to keep their food fresh-looking (note that I say 'fresh-looking,' not 'fresh') during it's production, transportation, and storage. This keeps their food looking fresh a lot longer than is natural. (See the end of this post for the current ingredients in a McDonald's Hamburger bun.)
Trust me, if you grilled a burger and put it on a bun and put it in a container for a month, you'd have to scrape the mold off just to see it.
As Karen says, "Ladies, Gentleman, and children alike - this is a chemical food. There is absolutely no nutrition here."
Karen is a wellness consultant and uses the 12 year old burger as a prop in her talks. See all the photos and read Karen's description on her blog, "Best of Mother Earth ~ Creating Healthier Lives".
UPDATE: Regarding the hamburger wrapper in the photo that is clearly a more current wrapper with the "I'm lovin' it" slogan, Karen explains this in her post: "The paper and bag in the backround is circa 2008 - to add decor to the photo. My friend Robyn's idea."
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McDonald's Hamburger Bun ingredients (as of 2008):
Enriched flour (bleached wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), water, high fructose corn syrup, yeast, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, soybean oil, canola oil, contains 2% or less of each of the following: salt, wheat gluten, calcium sulfate, soy flour, ammonium sulfate, calcium carbonate, calcium phosphate, monocalcium phosphate, ammonium chloride, baking soda, sorbic acid, deactivated dry yeast, dough conditioners (may contain one or more the following: distilled monoglycerides, DATEM, sodium stearoyl lactylate, calcium peroxide, ascorbic acid, azodicarbonamide, mono- and diglycerides, enzymes, guar gum), calcium propionate & sodium propionate (preservatives), soy lecithin.
Note: Calcium and Sodium Propionate are 'mold inhibitors,' hence the fresh looking 12 year old bun!
McDonald's Hamburger Bun ingredients (as of 2008):
Enriched flour (bleached wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), water, high fructose corn syrup, yeast, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, soybean oil, canola oil, contains 2% or less of each of the following: salt, wheat gluten, calcium sulfate, soy flour, ammonium sulfate, calcium carbonate, calcium phosphate, monocalcium phosphate, ammonium chloride, baking soda, sorbic acid, deactivated dry yeast, dough conditioners (may contain one or more the following: distilled monoglycerides, DATEM, sodium stearoyl lactylate, calcium peroxide, ascorbic acid, azodicarbonamide, mono- and diglycerides, enzymes, guar gum), calcium propionate & sodium propionate (preservatives), soy lecithin.
Note: Calcium and Sodium Propionate are 'mold inhibitors,' hence the fresh looking 12 year old bun!
20 comments:
Sorry to be the skeptic because I'm sure there are many preservatives...but the wrapper says "I'm lovin' it"...And I believe this campaign didn't hit until 2003
True, I should have explained this, as Karen does in her article: "The paper and bag in the backround is circa 2008 - to add decor to the photo. My friend Robyn's idea."
Hi Ken,
Sure do appreciate the additional commentary on the burger picture that was the hum of the day today on the blogosphere!
I find Miss Hanrahan's comment comical. After reading her blog site, I see she has no degree in nutrition or "wellness", and she is a Shaklee salesperson.
I also read that 2 years ago she wore a size 24 jeans (that is morbidly obese) and now wears a 16 (still large). Since she says she has "13 years experience" as a "wellness consultant", I assume she was doing this in her size 24 jeans. Interesting.
I DO have a degree in Nutrition from a very good university, and seeing someone who has no degree writing about nutrition/vitamins/wellness is,to me, a fraud.
Miss Hanrahan - either get a real education or stop "wellness counselling"
Read her F&Q revised blog - the burger and bun were separated and put on a plate in her cupboard for a year.
It simply dried out. Take a "healthy" organic burger and bun - place them on a plate in the air. They will look the same
Had she put the hamburger on the bun right into the plastic container - yes - it would have gotten moldly.
Hasn't anyone heard of stale bread of beef jerky?
We know fast food isn't good for us - but the "12 year old burger" isn't the way it is because it's McDonalds....
This picture is not likely 12 years old. You can clearly see on the wrapper the McDonald's "I'm Lovin' It" campaign slogan, which was not begun until 2003.
Correct! The picture is not 12 years old, the burger is!
The "I'm lovin' it" wrapper is explained at the end of the post.
Anyone could take picture of a McDonald's burger and claim it was twelve years old!
Anyone who believes this pile of tripe would have to qualify as one of the most gullible people on the planet. I used to work at McDonalds while in high school, and trust me, after a few days, the buns grow mold. Also, on more than one occasion I had to sweep a moldy beef patty out from under something. PATHETIC.
A great blog with quality content – will be back for more.
As I read these comments I find it interesting to note those with the normal perfunctory derogation comments attack the messenger an age old tactic.
Is it important the author of any article have a plethora of artificial credentials behind or in front of their name before what they offer deemed legitimate...?
Respectfully submitted,
I might have to give this story some credence because something like this happened to me about 6 weeks ago.
My car's alternator went out while I was driving home. The towtruck came out and took the car to the repair place to be fixed the following week. It was actually about 3 weeks before I was able to pick up the car. In the back seat was a McD's quarter pounder and fries in a paper bag. This was this summer, in July.
Anyway the McDonald's sack didn't stink, the food was dessicated but not moldy or stinky. The car had been locked up tight all that time.
I was kind of shocked.
I have a McDonald's burger born on May 15, 2001, in the original wrapper. I too use it to characterize our food culture during nutrition education lectures. Even the pickles are whole and intact!
The burger just dessicated. The water leached out before bacteria had a chance to flourish. And yes, the same thing has happened to me with home-made burgers. If they are cooked and the environment they are in is low-humidity, this is what happens.
to "anne"- the most incompetent of any field, especially nutrition, are the ones who lean their "degrees" as if that somehow proves they know anything other than how to borrow money and regurgitate test questions.
Calling someone else a fraud because they didn't jump on the same hamster wheel as you ereally shows what a mindless tool you are, and an insecure one at that.
I got a burger the other day that had a moldy bun. So does that mean, they had that bun in stock for more than 12 years? Come on.....
Tried this myself. The burger lasted 22 days in a relatively humid (I live by a lake) summer environment.
Doesn't mean Mcdonalds is healthy for you though.
why would anyone jump to defend Mcdonalds. So that they don't feel so bad while they are feeding chemically altered chicken to their kids? I'm sorry but nothing on that menu is good for you or should be consumed as often as it is. You don't need a degree from som fancy school to know this!
I think that all your information is very interesting. I am actually doing a project about McDonalds and how if it affects obesity. I was wondering if you could tell me where you found the actual ingredients that are in the bun.
Anne - watch your self and your totally rude comments! I am a size 16 with a totally normal BMI. A size 16 is not "still large". It all depends upon your shape, height and percentage of body fat. I know people that weigh only 140bs but are obese. As someone with a "nutritional degree", I would expect you to understand these principles.
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