I teach a workshop titled Healthy Choices for Children. It’s a class for parents seeking solutions to how to improve the way they eat. It’s about the alternative food market, organics, and the top ten food additives to avoid and why, menu planning and more. It’s a 3 session fabulously informative interactive class.
Below is my absolutely favorite prop.
People are always astounded when I share this.
I have used this as show and tell for a very long time.
This is a hamburger from McDonalds that I purchased in 1996.
That was 12 years ago.
Note that it looks exactly like it did the very day I bought it.
The flecks on the burger are crumbs from the bun.
The burger is starting to crumble a bit.
It has the oddest smell.
The paper and bag in the backround is circa 2008 – to add decor to the photo. My friend Robyn’s idea.
This is the retro welch’s grape juice plastic container I have always kept it in. People always ask me – what did you do to preserve it ?
Nothing – it preserved itself.
Ladies, Gentleman, and children alike – this is a chemical food. There is absolutely no nutrition here.
Not one ounce of food value. Or at least value for why we are eating in the first place.
The burger on the right, off the paper is a 2008 burger. I had to buy it to get the groovy paper and bag.
The meat is a tad darker, the bun a little less golden but in 12 years it will look exactly like that too.
Do you find this horrifying?
McDonalds fills an empty space in your belly. It does nothing to nourish the cell, it is not a nutritious food.
It is not a treat.
I marvel at how McDonalds has infiltrated our entire world. A hamburger here tastes exactly the same in China or some around the world place.
It’s cloned.
Makes you wonder doesn’t it?
Do me a favor and share this.
K a r e n H a n r a h a n
Wellness Educator/Nutritional Consultant
Mentoring YOU to Health Success
708.482.0678
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1294 Comments
Holy crap! That is incredible.
Thanks for this. It may finally help me stay away from the cheese burgers.
Overnutrition is one of the main social problems in America, people are too fat. So a food that has no nutritional value would be actually a good thing.Hamburgers however do have nutritional value, but the wrong kind.
Isn’t it ?
Isn’t it ?
I agree. Although I’d call it overconsumption of the wrong kinds of foods.
I agree. Although I’d call it overconsumption of the wrong kinds of foods.
I think it’s enough to make anyone pause.
I think it’s enough to make anyone pause.
McDonald’s does nothing to fuel the cell? So their food has 0 calories? AWESOME! Imma eat til I puke then eat some more!
While that is astounding, and McDs is garbage, it’s incorrect to say it does not fuel the cell. It has calories, calories are fuel. And while I’m sure they use all kinds of practices and chemicals in their meat that are completely disgusting, they don’t clone anything… do you have any idea how much a cloned meat burger would cost? Not $1 I assure you.
I actually meant nourish the cell.
I actually meant nourish the cell.
Thank you – you are correct. I meant nourish the cell and changed it. Clone was merely an expression of turn-key operation. Cerainly not a declaration! Isn’t creative expression wonderful?
Thank you – you are correct. I meant nourish the cell and changed it. Clone was merely an expression of turn-key operation. Cerainly not a declaration! Isn’t creative expression wonderful?
OMG ~ I’m never eating McDs again!
I left a hamburger out all night and it decomposed and looked pretty bad.. worse than the one in that picture. Further, one was in my car for several days.. it completely rotted. this is a lie. you are an anti american, anti capitalist. you HAVE to lie because your message sucks.
Glad you are trying to get the word out about McDonalds excuse for food.About 15-17 years ago (The last time I ate there) I bought a shake, put it in the sun for an hour. It separated into 3 layers, and when I mixed it back up, it had the EXACT same consistency as when I bought it. I don’t if they have changed the formula since then, so it may no longer be like this.
Mccy D’s Hamburgers have no nutritional value AND they make you fat. There’s nothing good about them, unless your goal is slow, painful, and constipated suicide.
Wow. That’s quite disturbing… thank you for sharing this! I am a vegetarian, and have been for several years now, but it frightens me to think of how much junk has built up from the years I DID eat that junk. Unfortunately, it’s not easy for people to make informed decisions about what they eat (at least in North America). In Canada, they voted against a Bill which would require labeling of all genetically modified food. In fact, it wasn’t even a ‘major’ (i.e. popular) issue. In my opinion, you can’t get much more major than something we’re ingesting daily!
I have doubts of your method. I am not defending McDonald’s, but I do not like unnecessary scaring over nothing. We do not need scare tactics to tell people McD food is bad for them.Let’s go over the evidence in your experiment. First, the burger you purchased twelve years ago was put into a jelly container. I suspect the container to be airtight as jelly is susceptible to mold, bacteria, etc. Second, you mention in the article that the burger was starting to crumble. This would imply that the burger has little to no water in it. Third, I am assuming you bought your burger from a McD that met all health regulations.Your conclusion from this evidence is that McD burgers are bad because they withstand the test of time. However, I disagree with this conclusion. I would argue that the burger was preserved because it was in an airtight, waterless environment removed from mold and bacteria. If there was sufficient water in the container, mold and bacteria would most likely flourish. Now, I am not saying you are wrong that McD food is bad in regards to health. It is a fattening food whose only nutritional value is the amount of calories it contains. But I am saying your experiment does not support the conclusion that McD food is bad.Furthermore, and this is simply personal sentiments, I do not like the tone of the article that engineered foods are bad. Chemically altering foods is a two way street. There is potential to make a healthier food that has more nutritional value than it’s predecessor (see: Banana) or simply make a food that last longer but has loses that value (see: commercial Tomato).
Tell a straving child anywhere in the world that there is no nutritional value in that hamburger. Also, if you view McDonalds as a place to get a good meal, then, with all the info out there, you deserve to keep believing this. If you look at it like going out for Icecream (a treat), then I can see no harm whatsoever if its only once a month or so. The problem is, you have some people who eat this crap everyday. However, if I was starving, it would save my life by eating it, so of course it has nutritional value.
ok, the one thing that gets me is why there isn’t any mold on the bread…
The bun would have mold by now. I believe the hamburger part of the story. Let’s eat!
What the HECK!! The 1996 burger almost looks better than the 2008 one. I will never eat McDonald’s Again . thank you so much for this enlightening information. i all ways new McDonald’s was bad… but i never thought it was this bad. Again Thanks Karen!
But they are delicious!
“calories are fuel”? WaF are you thinking? You have to finish elemental school! The Calorie is an mesure of heat over matter. May be you are traying to say Carbohydrates, in this case, glycogen, the kind of Carbohydrates which functions as energy storage (the fat in your belly nad your legs).
Just to be objective:McDonald’s hamburger (from McDonald’s Canadian Website):weight: 101 grams (g)250 calories8g of fat, 12% of daily value (DV)25 milligrams (mg) of cholesterol510mg sodium, 21% DV32g carbohydrates, 11% DV2g fibre, 8% DV12g proteinvitamin A 2% DV vitamin C 4% DVcalcium 10% DV iron 20% DVSeems like a lot of energy (carbs and fat), salt, iron, and protein, and a bit of fibre.I think anything with that much fat and salt would preserve itself quite well. It is likely that if you try this with a piece of bacon or any other burger you could get similar results. But I can’t say I’ve tried. Maybe Karen Hanrahan can try this and let us (and her classes) see the difference.
I’ve read studies that have said otherwise. That Super Size me guy did the same kind of experiment with 5 different types of burgers. They all went moldy. The only thing that stayed preserved were french fries. Come on, let’s get our facts straight people. Quit misleading me.
Not sure what is misleading about a picture of a 12 year old McDonald’s Hamburger. I personally have nothing to gain from sharing.
Not sure what is misleading about a picture of a 12 year old McDonald’s Hamburger. I personally have nothing to gain from sharing.
Thanks for the label. Wow look at all that sodium! I’d prefer to advocate fresh fruits and vegetables. I think one show and tell says enough.
Thanks for the label. Wow look at all that sodium! I’d prefer to advocate fresh fruits and vegetables. I think one show and tell says enough.
So sorry I meant to say nourish vs fuel and I have edited that.
So sorry I meant to say nourish vs fuel and I have edited that.
They do taste good in a predictable kindof way!
They do taste good in a predictable kindof way!
I thought so too!! You are very welcome!
I thought so too!! You are very welcome!
No, the bun never molded. It’s 12 yrs old.
No, the bun never molded. It’s 12 yrs old.
I can’t answer that officially, I can speculate that it’s not made from very quality ingredients. It gets me too. It’s not a ” live ” food.
I can’t answer that officially, I can speculate that it’s not made from very quality ingredients. It gets me too. It’s not a ” live ” food.
Are starving children eating McDonalds? Is filler better than nothing. Perhaps. I like to teach parents that they have choices and share with them something they might not of known. Who knew a burger would look like that after 12 years!
Are starving children eating McDonalds? Is filler better than nothing. Perhaps. I like to teach parents that they have choices and share with them something they might not of known. Who knew a burger would look like that after 12 years!
Their burgers are the same right across the world and that’s one of the reasons for their ‘infiltration’ (success) in our society. Where ever and whenever you are, you know that a McDonalds is a McDonalds is a McDonalds and when i’m half way across the world and not had a a clue what i’m going to eat for weeks… THANK GOD FOR MCDONALDS!
I guess that teh burger would have been preserved thanks to whats known as hydrogenated vegetable oils (or hydrogenated fats)- still legal in many countries, but very dangerous for us to eat. They preserve foods for very long periods- there is one website I have seen with a muffin from 1986 on it, which looks exactly the same as one bought today, which disgusts me. The burger does have nutritional value, but very little- of course it nourishes the cell, but to a limited extent, and whilst also containing an incredible amount of sodium, fat and sugar.
That’s OK. I don’t claim to be a scientist. This is a simple show and tell that I use to educate parents. It’s an example that always causes pause and offers choice. The reality of it is shocking.
That’s OK. I don’t claim to be a scientist. This is a simple show and tell that I use to educate parents. It’s an example that always causes pause and offers choice. The reality of it is shocking.
If the bun is left to dry out it will basically become a crouton. I believe mold needs moisture to grow. The same goes for the meat. If it was left out to dry and is not allowed to stay moist, then it could probably keep from molding. I think the Super Size Me guy left them in a jar which may not have allowed the moisture of the burger to escape and dry out properly. The fact that something can grow mold shouldn’t make you think it is good to eat in any case. Some people’s feet can do that.
Don’t blame McDonalds, you are just buying into everything the health freaks tell you. Americans just try to blame their fatness on anything but themselves. Try exorcise. My buddy is a football player and everyday after practice he eats 4 dollar menu double cheeseburgers as well as a bunch of other “unhealthy” stuff, but he is in better shape than just about anyone I know, probably even you. I would say thats pretty compelling evidence that McDonalds does have nutritional value. Americans need to quit blaming everyone else for their fat children and blame themselves for not getting their kids off the computer and more involved.
Isn’t it disturbing? I agree we are definitely what we eat!
Isn’t it disturbing? I agree we are definitely what we eat!
Healthy Living is definitely about the triage of well being, healthy eating, supplementation and excercise. McDonald’s to me is a choice.
Healthy Living is definitely about the triage of well being, healthy eating, supplementation and excercise. McDonald’s to me is a choice.
True. They don’t list the ingredients on their labels.
True. They don’t list the ingredients on their labels.
It can be very comforting to eat something that you are familiar with – they are the classic model for that
It can be very comforting to eat something that you are familiar with – they are the classic model for that
It would if it remained moist… Once dried both the meat and the bun of any burger/bun, would last indefinately. A thin patty and a spongy bun and lots of air are all it takes for this trick. Regardless I would agree about the probable non-existence of the nutrition.
Thank you!
Thank you!
Good Choice!
Good Choice!
appreciate the agreement about the lack of nutrition
appreciate the agreement about the lack of nutrition
Mcdonalds doesn’t use any preservatives in either their meat or their hamburger buns, other than BHT in the packaging for the hamburger buns which is also used for most other dry goods.The same would have happened to any other hamburger that you put in a plastic container and let it sit since 1996.I know it’s popular and fun to accuse Mcdonalds of being the devil and making their food out of chemicals, but they print out the ingredients for their food and post it up on the wall in every restaurant. They use grade A beef and wheat flour buns.The fact of the matter is that amongst fast food restaurants, Mcdonalds offers some of the healthiest options. Their burgers are leaner than other fast food places and they offer salads, fruit, yogurt and low carb wraps, and they manage to do it all at pretty good prices.On top of that they offer jobs to hundreds of thousands of people all over the world in places where employment would not otherwise be readily available. They have excellent benefits and treat their employees well.They also have high standards for cleanliness that go beyond the requirements of local governments.Just because you’re crazy/paranoid doesn’t mean you should be trying to teach an un-researched untruth to kids.Take it from someone who has done the research.
check the amount of grease on the 1996 burger, that’s what’s probably protecting it from decomposing.
I call shenanigans. The bun of the old burger still appears to be soft and pliable. In reality McDonalds hamburger buns dry out VERY quickly (less than 24 hours). After a few days the bun will begin curling up around the edges.Anyone who has had a kid “save one for later” can tell you this.
Um, your reply did not actually address anything in the original post.How can you keep a straight face whilst saying things like “I don’t claim to be a scientist … that I use to educate parents.”? Surely you can see the flaw here. You are “educating parents” on a topic of which you have apparently no comprehension. The example causes pause because nobody present understands what is actually happening and they end up taking your word for it.
I don’t care. I love mc donalds and I will eat it foreverrrrrrrr.-DJ
I like to agree that “good food goes bad,” and for affluent parents and other people who care about nutrition, fast food is a lot of mostly empty calories without much nutritional variety and with a lot of sodium and other chemicals found in highly processed food. However, cheap fast food represents what a lot of less privileged kids have to eat. With food costs rising, trying to feed children becomes even more difficult. What would be better, 100% Mac and Cheese, which is more fat and the same zero nutrition? Because poor kids don’t get to choose between McDonald’s and organic food. They choose between McDonalds and either other junk food or going hungry.A better tack might be to try to prod fast food makers into providing other cheap and more nutritious offerings.
Nothing to gain from sharing except publicity, traffic to your website, and scaring people into using your services. IF the hamburger really is 12 years old, it’s not a “lack of nutritional value” that prevented it from decomposing; as other commenters have pointed out, it’s the fact that you let it dry out in an airtight environment. A completely preservative-free organic burger would look the same after 12 years if stored in similar conditions. This is a cheap gimmick–you’d do better to be honest and well-informed with the information you provide rather than relying on scare tactics and pseudoscience to try to “teach” your audience about health and wellness. Shame on you.
You made jerky. They have recovered meat from 1000’s of years ago.I have seen a 100+ year old orange. If I show it to you will you tell people to avoid fruit?Have you eaten at a Mc Donald’s in a different country? The food does taste different.McD’s food isn’t great for you but, it can be part of a healthy diet. Using misleading examples to prove your point will undermine all your instruction.
I find the claim that the “preserved” burger is from 1996 to be a bit suspect. Even with all the preservatives in the food (and McDonald’s food is acknowledged to be full of them), there’s still a lot of moisture. Of course, it looks like the burger was ordered with nothing on it; they usually come with onions, pickles, ketchup and mustard. So that may have something to do with it.I kind of want a cheeseburger now.
You are an idiot
Wow…just wow. I will never again eat on of those hamburgers. I wonder how long it takes my stomach to break one of those down?
Well was it a Mickey D’s burger or another burger. Burgers are bad in general but McDonalds or any other fast food chain food is the worst. See “Super Size Me”
I’m thinking you would serve you readers well by defining your meaning of ‘nutrutional value’. I’m thinking if I did open a Mcdonalds (in say Darfur) then gave free meals daily to children who ate only my hamburgers there wouldn’t be one child who died of starvation from that day on. Later on they might have high blood pressure, diabetes etc but they would recieve nutritional value from the burger.
I find McDonalds delicious thus it has value.
Here’s the thing I don’t get about health freaks. Why does chemical mean not nutritious? Why “chemical” and “cloned” are negative words? Chemistry is how everything becomes what it is, some things are natural, other are artificial, both can be bad for your health or good for your health. If something is really good, I want it cloned many times!What people should unite against is much rather animal killing and places that sell meat.That said the 12 years old hamburger amazed me. Another amazing thing is how poor it looks. Here in Europe McDonald’s is generally quite tasty and the hamburgers are filled with a salad that goes really well with the hamburger itself.
I now feel even more awful for my midnight burger run last night. Thank you for this artifact.
A bit of fact checking wouldn’t go amiss. ‘No nutrition here’ is simply not true in any sense of the word. It devalues your argument.
bread is bread & meat is meat…mcdonalds’ products are as cheaply made as possible but the buns are mostly wheat and the patties are mostly cow.as stated in the comments, you’d probably get the same results from any fully cooked bread/meat products kept in a sterile container, whatever their initial quality or source.
I think it’s actually YOU that is lying, Bill.1) I have forgotten to put dinner away and it sat out all night – bad of course – but it did NOT decompose over night. This has included hamburgers, spaghetti sauce, salad, and yes hamburgers.2) As for one in your car for several days. I would assume the 12yr old burger isn’t exposed to the many heat/cool cycles that takes place in your car. So I don’t believe you there either.What do you own stock in McDonalds?
No big mystery here, I have a cupboard full of croutons which my wife and I make from left over bread (that we bake at home – no chemicals). If you leave a piece of bread out to dry it will not go mouldy. You can then store it indefinitely in a dry place. I’m sure the same goes for a burger patty.I have to say that I like McDonalds. I wouldn’t consider it health food, but I do find it enjoyable on occasion.
There are never a shortage of food Nazis.
This is complete bollucks.
I agree that McDonalds may be relatviely speaking, bad food. I agree that children would probably be better off for not eating it, generally.But as a Wellness Educator/Nutritional Consultant , you have a duty to not make ridiculous and untrue statements such as”It does nothing to nourish the cell, it is not a nutritious food.”That just makes you sound insane and ill-educated.
And yet you make some very strong and false claims on your website and apparently with parents. Yes, McDonalds is not a healthy place to eat but this is being extremely dishonest.
As far as fast food goes, I don’t like McDonalds for their burgers so much. When I really want a burger for lunch, I’m more likely to go down to Sonic, or to Blake’s Lotaburger (a New Mexico chain). McDonalds burgers just aren’t substantial enough. However I’m happy to eat their fries and shakes.Fast food is fast food, I don’t expect it to be healthy. I’m not gaining any weight from it, but that’s because I have an extrememly fast metabolism. People need to eat smarter, not necessarily healthier (they do go hand in hand in some ways though), and balance their caloric intake against what they actually need and what their body can process at any given time.Genetically altered food doesn’t bother me in the slightest. Humans have been genetically modifying their foodsources for millennia upon millennia, so what if we go in and insert the gene we want directly instead of selectively breeding it over generations? More power to frankenfoods, imo.
I’d still eat the 12 year old burger, 30 seconds in the microwave and I’m McLovin it!
I find it disturbing that you are put in a position to influence young impressionable minds with such bunk pseudoscience.I keep a spoon in my pocket that repels dragons. I have never been eaten by a dragon therefore it works. Since I can see it works I won’t test it in any way.That was a terrible article and frankly you’re a terrible person for not bothering to learn what calorie counting tests are. Come on it’s like fifth grade science!!http://www.exo.net/~pauld/activities/food/burnapeanut.html
Have you traveled much, and tried McDonalds from different countries. They really are quite different, from the places in Germany and Austria that sell beer with their burgers to possibly the worst ones in Great Britain that seem to be tasteless.Having said that I do agree that they are not really a high quality product. I say it took me $12000 dollars and two visits to the USA to educate my children into a good tasting burger, one with real meat and quality trimmings. They won’t even look at McDonalds now.But please keep a perspective on these things, a little plastic in your diet probably won’t kill you
Hmph, so there we go; scaring people off because of a dried out burger. While I agree that the nutritional value of McD food is questionable, your methods are also questionable. Convince people with facts rather than a sensationalist image–otherwise it’s nothing more than intellectual fraud.”look an old, non-moldy burger!”"oh my gosh I’ll never eat there again!”I can’t follow this logic…Most of us need to eat more vegetables and fish, and less simple carbs, sugar, and fat. But this burger does not explain that.
Temperatures above 100 degrees F will kill mold spores. Mold also requires moisture. The process of toasting the bun removes moisture and will kill the spores. So unless you re-introduce these elements, mold may not form. Also, why is this even remotely considered surprising? There are lots of “natural” foods that last years and years. For example, honey would last forever in a container like that. Big deal, food longevity doesn’t correlate to nutrition…
A few hours… ^ ^;It’s just meat and flour…
I try to avoid their burgers. I just eat chicken nuggets there when I need something quick and easy. At least they are made with real meat (well, now they are).
Um, that’s still wrong. I agree with you that McDonald’s is crappy food, and your 1996 burger is pretty impressive, but it doesn’t do any good to make blanket statements about fast food not having any nutritional value when it does have *some*. Doing so just undermines your credibility and gives the fast food chains a perfect opportunity to discredit you by pointing out that you are exaggerating and misstating the facts. I encourage your efforts toward teaching better diet, but do stick to the facts.
I knew all this, but sometimes late at night I still crave one! LOL!
@Ben – Bread contains more than enough water for mold to grow – a hamburger has even more. An airtight container still contains air – namely the air around it when it was opened to place the hamburger inside and that air is loaded with microbes. There would be plenty of air in there for the aerobic microbes to use too (not to mention the anaerobic ones don’t need oxygen). In addition there are countless microbes on the burger itself – they are everywhere and there’s nothing you can do about it.@everyone else: nobody doubts that beef contains calories nor fat nor nutrients. The point was that McDonalds excuse for food is not a healthy nutritional alternative to the countless options available in the confused little country. I believe that Karen has a preserved hamburger, I believe that you could get a McDonalds hamburger to decompose – they are not mutually exclusive phenomenon. You can’t worry too much about strict interpretations on blogs. Just enjoy this story and move on to the next nutrient sparse morsel the internet has to offer.
I’m going to call total BS on this. The burger meat and bun themselves have plenty of moisture to start the decay process immediately after cooling down to a temperature where bacteria can begin to grow.Even if you immediately put the burger into this airtight container after buying it, there would have been enough time for rot inducing bacteria to begin procreating.Also, the condensation from the heat would have rendered your so-called airtight, moisture-proof container completely useless.Do no believe this sensationalist drivel folks, and use some common sense. If bread, which nowadays has chemicals in it too can’t survive on my kitchen counter for more than a week while remaining relatively dry, how can a burger?
This experiment reminds me of the lady on YouTube who sees a rainbow in her sprinkler and thinks it’s evidence of pollution in the water.If your audience knew nothing about the refractive properties of water, then think of the impressive “show-and-tell” potential in showing everyone rainbows in their drinking water! It must mean it’s full of oil or chemicals or something, right? Makes you wonder…That’s all you’re doing here. You’ve done nothing to show that that a hamburger’s ability to resist decay is in any way related to its nutritional content. You’ve provided no control or comparison that would allow anyone to put the data into context.This is why we are overrun with pseudo-science these days.
“Mcdonalds doesn’t use any preservatives in either their meat or their hamburger buns, other than BHT in the packaging for the hamburger buns which is also used for most other dry goods.The same would have happened to any other hamburger that you put in a plastic container and let it sit since 1996.I know it’s popular and fun to accuse Mcdonalds of being the devil and making their food out of chemicals, but they print out the ingredients for their food and post it up on the wall in every restaurant. They use grade A beef and wheat flour buns.The fact of the matter is that amongst fast food restaurants, Mcdonalds offers some of the healthiest options. Their burgers are leaner than other fast food places and they offer salads, fruit, yogurt and low carb wraps, and they manage to do it all at pretty good prices.On top of that they offer jobs to hundreds of thousands of people all over the world in places where employment would not otherwise be readily available. They have excellent benefits and treat their employees well.They also have high standards for cleanliness that go beyond the requirements of local governments.Just because you’re crazy/paranoid doesn’t mean you should be trying to teach an un-researched untruth to kids.Take it from someone who has done the research.”"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).”=================People like you make this country suck. Good job!
I love to eat healthy foods, and avoid things that are ready-made, full of HFCS, etc. However, the lack of any basic knowledge of science, both in the article and the comments, is rather disheartening. I often make smoothies from yogurt and frozen fruit and milk/soy milk. If I leave the smoothie sitting out, it will separate into layers as it melts because the liquids have different densities. I’m not saying that McD’s shakes are fantastic for you, but this would happen with any frozen drink with different ingredients. As for whether McD’s burgers are “chemicals”, everything is made up of chemicals, so that argument is pretty ridiculous. There are plenty of reasons not to eat food from McDonald’s without using scare tactics and false science. As others have pointed out, most any food kept in an airtight container with no exposure to water will keep for quite some time. Croutons and dried meats come to mind…
How was the burger stored for 12 years? Frozen?
I’m going to call total BS on this. The burger meat and bun themselves have plenty of moisture to start the decay process immediately after cooling down to a temperature where bacteria can begin to grow.Even if you immediately put the burger into this airtight container after buying it, there would have been enough time for rot inducing bacteria to begin procreating.Also, the condensation from the heat would have rendered your so-called airtight, moisture-proof container completely useless.Do no believe this sensationalist drivel folks, and use some common sense. If bread, which nowadays has chemicals in it too can’t survive on my kitchen counter for more than a week while remaining relatively dry, how can a burger?
Good response. Very well thought out. I particularly enjoyed the part where you made an ignorant comment, and then went on to not even explain why you made it. Thank you for making my afternoon.
Mmmmm. Num num.. Salt. Not freakin’ sodium, salt. It’s not called “trans fats”, it’s Crisco and Margarine. Call it another name so people don’t realize you are insane. You idiots banned Crisco.
So you proved that you can preserve food by drying it out. Yet that is not what you are pushing. If you don’t like burgers, don’t eat them, but don’t try and lie about science.
So let me get this straight: You bought a hamburger from MacDonald’s in 1996, threw it in your fridge, and for 12 years it has stayed exactly the same? Or did you just leave it on the counter? Forgive my skepticism, I bought a cheese burger from MacDonald’s about 2 weeks ago, threw it in my fridge and forgot about it. Now it has mold. Do you live in the desert or something?
I want to know how a 100% pure beef patty has ‘no nutritional value’! I also think it is amazing how well preserved this burger is. Leave a banana out for a week and it goes rotten – that really sucks!
This article tells me nothing. There isn’t a single argument in it beyond “makes you think huh”.
It’s been said here in a few ways, but I’ll try to reiterate the problem with a simple question:What does the appearance of a hamburger and bun after 12 years have to do with nutritional value?Haven’t you ever eaten dried fruit? It lasts a long time too and it’s reasonably healthy. (It does loose some nutrients in the process, and you have to be careful not to eat more of them just because they are smaller.) What about nuts? How long can they last?This is just shock value. There’s nothing wrong with shocking people into paying attention, but it must be relevant to what you are trying to show. It doesn’t demonstrate a thing about nutrition. Try coming up with a demonstration actually relevant to nutritional value. Maybe have the raw ingredients in separate containers, or something like that. Seeing 8 g of fat in a jar is somewhat disgusting, and it’s a lot of salt.I say this because the people who’s attention you get are only convinced through their ignorance of your ignorance of nutrition science. Anybody who is a critical thinker, like many commenters here, will immediately dismiss you and anything you have to say, legitimately.I’d give it an F for truthfulness and usefulness, a C for the shock value, but an A for at least having your heart in the right place and goals in the right direction. You just need to education yourself a little more about nutrition science and try again with a better demo.
holy bejesus, i just belched.
Is it terrible that I’m still going to devour a Micky D’s burger tonight?
I disagree with your rhetoric and presentation (scare-tactics), and some of your conclusions, but we all can’t forget that not all parents have time to prepare healthy meals for their children. This is the price of convenience.
so we have food that doesn’t spoil. OMG. Who cares? Plus it has a high protein content. Having two hamburgers isn’t even as bad as having a footlong ham and swiss from subway. Just because something is marketed a certain way, don’t believe it. Also, in moderation, it is a cheap way to get the proper amount of fat in a day. Even though we are so concerned with our fat asses, fat and cholesterol are essential parts of diet. Vegetables just don’t have either. Finally, what would you eat other than hamburgers? Free range chicken? Like that makes a bit of difference. RBST free milk? There’s no scientific proof that it changes anything. Everything that you eat has chemicals in it; nobody knows what they do. Why beat down on McDonalds when at least it provides a service? Beat down on the parents who feed their kids this because they spend no time cooking and then don’t force them off Hannah Montana. And, by the way, I am 6′ weighing a paltry 142 pounds (just measured) and I eat McDonalds, Taco Bell, Chinese food or pizza at least twice a week, every week. At that rate, I should be dead from my ‘lack of nutrition’ and from the chemical imbalance. Don’t believe everything you read blindly.
So what, you made jerky. That doesn’t prove anything except how to dry and preserve one’s meats.
The history of the fast food industry and maccas is described in its sad glory in a book called “Fast Food Nation” – an extremely interesting and important read. It shows how the industrialization of food has changed the American landscape.
i’m lovin’ it is an international branding campaign by McDonald’s Corporation. It was created by Heye & Partner, a longtime McDonald’s agency based in Unterhaching, Germany, near Munich, and a member of the DDB Worldwide Communications Group, Inc. It was the company’s first global advertising campaign and was launched in Munich, Germany on September 2, 2003, under the German title ich liebe es. The English part of the campaign was launched on September 29, 2003 with the music of Tom Batoy and Franco Tortora (Mona Davis Music) and vocals by Justin Timberlake, in which the slogan appears. In 2007, after a public casting call which received 15,000 submissions, McDonald’s selected 24 people to appear as part of the campaign.[4] Images of those chosen, who had submitted a story and digital photograph which “capture[d] … themes of inspiration, passion and fun,” appear on McDonald’s paper bags and cups worldwide.1996 Indeed
i’m lovin’ it is an international branding campaign by McDonald’s Corporation. It was created by Heye & Partner, a longtime McDonald’s agency based in Unterhaching, Germany, near Munich, and a member of the DDB Worldwide Communications Group, Inc. It was the company’s first global advertising campaign and was launched in Munich, Germany on September 2, 2003, under the German title ich liebe es. The English part of the campaign was launched on September 29, 2003 with the music of Tom Batoy and Franco Tortora (Mona Davis Music) and vocals by Justin Timberlake, in which the slogan appears. In 2007, after a public casting call which received 15,000 submissions, McDonald’s selected 24 people to appear as part of the campaign.[4] Images of those chosen, who had submitted a story and digital photograph which “capture[d] … themes of inspiration, passion and fun,” appear on McDonald’s paper bags and cups worldwide.1996 Indeed
You’re an idiot. Just shut up. The nutritional value for the food is clearly displayed, as required by law. It tastes good, if you don’t like it, don’t eat it. The rest of us don’t want to eat tofu and broccoli, so just shut up. Your ignorant opinion does not translate into scientific fact, which appears to be what you are trying to do, however, anyone who can READ THE NUTRITIONAL VALUES OF THE FOOD PROVIDED BY THE FDA can see that YOU ARE WRONG, and what’s more, since you know you’re wrong, you’re actually LYING.
They are right, you know?This proves nothing other than thingswill tend to stay in their original statewhen put into an airtight container.I also think that McDonald’s is rubbishnot fit for human consumption.However, using scare tactics is not”educating” anyone, be it parents orchildren. It is nothing but usingscare tactics.The use of such tactics sometimes has atendency to come back and bite one in the rear. Witness the “War on Drugs”.
Jeebus Christmas, people!Stop with the calls of shenanigans and debating the possible ways the burger was ‘preserved’! The value of this photo is that, for whatever reason, it gets you thinking about the quality of ingredients that make up McDonald’s food. Yes, a McBurger does have some nutritional value, ie: it contains edible elements that, when processed by the digestive system, are broken down into carbohydrates, fat and protein. If you were starving and ate at McDonald’s it would keep you alive. But that’s about where it ends. McDonald’s burgers & fries provide nutrition at its basest level. So I guess it comes down to personal preference. Would you rather eat food that keeps you alive, or food that keeps you alive AND makes you healthier/more resistant to illness AND supplies you with vitamins, minerals and nutrients that help your body systems function at their best?
bad newsThe 99 cent double stack wendy’s burger is pretty darn good. I don’t know what condenced broth they add to their meat (or whatever), but I learned last night they are yummy. My microwave heats them up from the fridge in 1 min even
You might want to scare parents about honey, too. It can last for much longer than 12 years, so it must be much worse than your McDonald’s hamburger.Seriously, though. Yes, McDonald’s and its ilk are garbage. But so is your pedagogical approach. You don’t use your experiment to educate, but rather to frighten. EDUCATION FAIL!
I love McDonald’s! Yum!
Thanks for reminding me about McD’s. I’m going to go out and get a double-cheese burger, no pickle, no onions; digest it, and be no more worse for the wear!
The Supersize me experiment. Only the fried survived.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=on6BSfHlK_w
Awesome. I’m hungry now, going to McDonalds later, although I’ll get the double cheeseburger with pickles and onion, as well as ketchup so it’s not so dry.I don’t know why you claim this has no nutritional value when McDonalds clearly posts the ingredients and nutrition facts on the wall of every restaurant as well as their website. I laugh at the idiot that was asking how long it would take their body to break the food down. I’ll tell you this, shorter than that tofu burger you’re chowing on.
Are you kidding? You expect people to believe this garbage? “I don’t claim to be a scientist. This is a simple show and tell that I use to educate parents”Then what is it that you think scientists do? You deserve all these replies that define how poorly you understand things.
So I got this hot dog from 2002 and it’s still pretty new looking. I’m hoping one day one of my roommates gets drunk and eats it.
Thank you EVERYONE for your comments!!To those of you pro-burger – rock on, it’s totally your choice, and for those who want to call me unscientific, a liar, un-american ( I am – thank you very much – I am from canada, the maritian antennea’s come out during a full moon – they have mcdonalds there too!!)
Thank you EVERYONE for your comments!!To those of you pro-burger – rock on, it’s totally your choice, and for those who want to call me unscientific, a liar, un-american ( I am – thank you very much – I am from canada, the maritian antennea’s come out during a full moon – they have mcdonalds there too!!)
I am highly skeptical. I know for a fact that McDonald’s hamburgers rot, having watched them decompose routinely when my old college roommate left them out on his desk. I’m inclined to believe that even a home-cooked burger and bun, kept in a similar way, would stay unchanged as well.
StumbledA burger in California is going to taste the same as one made in Europe as one made in China, for a reason. Because McDonald’s is global. In much the same way buying Pocky sticks will taste the same from Japan as they will in the United States, McDonald’s MUST taste the same if people are to eat there. Actually, you might find different foods at a McDonalds in China, but if they sell Double Cheeseburgers, they all have the same ingredients for a reason.
This burger is 12 years old and still looks the same therefore McDonald’s food has no nutritional value. Sounds good to me. Vote McCain!
I am just wondering why in the world someone would actually hold onto a hamburger for over a decade like it held some sort of sentimental value. What sort of sick person does this? Sort of creeps me out. I mean does she store dead bodies in air tight storage containers too?
Scott is correct, there is very much nutritional value. It’s just wildly unhealthy. There’s a difference.Also, if you tested it and the bun has no decay you have some absolute miracle vacuum and it’s no wonder the hamburger didn’t decay.I wouldn’t doubt that the hamburger has insane preservatives and is unhealthy, but this test is so ludicrously bullocks a 5 year old could probably call you out on it.
You’re not related to the person who did this:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_c6HsiixFS8… are you?
I would like to concur with Ben and further point out that I am enjoying a delicious slice of beef jerky right now that, if I recall correctly, was a staple food of early travelers due to its nutritiousness and long shelf life. And, before we get on to this subject – I picked it up last week in Amish country, it is made from perfectly content cows and is 100% preservative free (if you don’t count ’salt’ as a preservative… oh wait.)I, for one, do not find the “reality shocking”.
I am not sure I am buying this either. It proves nothing and thus far you have refused to back anything up.Andy
That’s what I was thinking. Is food that rapidly deteriorates innately more healthy? Although the burger’s no fruit salad, there is a bit of nutrition there.http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/fast-foods-generic/8044/2
“They have excellent benefits and treat their employees well.They also have high standards for cleanliness that go beyond the requirements of local governments.”It’s rather apparent you’ve never worked for them, which leads me to consider what your “research” has entailed? Reading the press releases on their website?The only reason they give hundreds of thousands of jobs to people around the world is because they displace the local independently-owned restaurants, farmers, and service providers (because McD’s only buys from multi-national corporate partners for supplies, mind you) and thus people become out of work and have to resort to a minimum wage job with no growth possibility, rather than working for themselves. It’s a forced opportunity.Oh, but yeah, because I dissent with you, I must also be a “crazy/paranoid” health-food-nut hippie liberal who’s anti-American and anti-business, right? Take a psychology class ya dimwit, the mind’s a much bigger place than you’ve had the chance to experience.
It’s obvious you didn’t RTFA.Here, since you’re too lazy:”The paper and bag in the background is circa 2008 – to add decor to the photo. My friend Robyn’s idea.”
It’s obvious you didn’t RTFA.Here, since you’re too lazy:”The paper and bag in the background is circa 2008 – to add decor to the photo. My friend Robyn’s idea.”
While this article is shocking and provocative the author is lacking scientific method. Anyone can take something that has preservatives in it and let it sit around for a few years and show there is no change. The military has been doing this for decades. Canning and making preserves has been around for a long time too.There is no control to this as well. What will a home made burger react under the same circumstances? What was the expected result? Is it possible putting the food in the plastic container didn’t effect the results? Will the result be different if other food items are chosen like chicken instead of beef? Would the result be different if a burger is selected from a different McDonald’s chain? Would the result be the same if a burger was selected from a competitors restaurant? Is the author showing some sort of bias? Is the author holding some sort of grudge against McDonald’s? Does the author work for a competitor of McDonald’s and this is merely an article to scare people away from eating at that fast food chain?I have seen so many similar posts all targeting McDonald’s so who isn’t to say that this is all a guerrilla marketing campaign from a rival company.
Obviously this twat has never been high at 2 in the AM where the only food establishment open around your house is a McDonald’s. I love eating half my body wait in fast food an not gaining a pound… Not saying that it’s the best for my health but aside from my monthly blowouts I try to eat as healthly as possible.
The burgers sold in China tastes differently than the ones sold in us. They have some special burgers.
Exactly. I was thinking the same thing–to say that a McDonald’s hamburger has zero nutritional value is completely wrong. The fact that the hamburger didn’t degenerate over the years has NOTHING to do with nutritional value.Does the author claim to be a nutritionist? I see she claims to be a “nutritional consultant”, which basically means a self-anointed “expert” with no real credentials.
Thank you ever so much for ALL of your commentary everyone!! Wow – who knew the level of devotion. I especially appreciate the name calling. This one in particular is especially nice. For those of you pro-burger. Enjoy! That’s what is so beautiful about choice. For those wondering if I am tactically writing guerilla text for the other brand. Is that needed in the industry? is that how business gets taken care of I sell wellness.
Thank you ever so much for ALL of your commentary everyone!! Wow – who knew the level of devotion. I especially appreciate the name calling. This one in particular is especially nice. For those of you pro-burger. Enjoy! That’s what is so beautiful about choice. For those wondering if I am tactically writing guerilla text for the other brand. Is that needed in the industry? is that how business gets taken care of I sell wellness.
Oh come on now. Anything in moderation is OK. McDonalds rules! (just not more than once a month)
This is due to seasonings added after/during cooking.The Shogun burger is a perfect example, a burger with teriyaki sauce, YUM.
How is bugger formed?How is bugger formed? How man get ful?They need to do way instain mcdoneld> who kill thier meats. becuse these meets cant frigth back?it was on the news this mroing a employ in ar who had kill her three paty . they are taking the three patys back to new york too lady to rest my pary are with the mcdoneld who lost his burger ; i am truley sorry for your honger
So who is dumber and should be laughed at more in this equation? The person who eats McDonald’s once in a while or the person who hates it but stores it for 12years [and counting] while it stinks up her very own house?But what do I know… I’m just an Olympic swimmer… multiple-Gold medal winner and the face of United States Swimming… millionaire due to my incomparable athletic abilities and fame and much requested on many popular shows, movies, and other gigs on my way to star-dom.Sincerely,Michael PhelpsMister Perfect — see how the “MP” initials are shared in both my name and in my nickname?
That is NOT what the original poster is saying and you know it! Now I believe that you thought every word of what you said was true. However, as many posters here have pointed out, many of your statements are factually incorrect. Have some guts! Issue a correction and start teaching parents the truth! A McDonald’s Burger is bad for you because it has a high fat content and few vitamins. NOT because it is “chemical food” or because it doesn’t go off if you keep it in an air-tight container.
Is assume the bun around the 1996 burger is new? Surely the bun *can’t* be that old too!
You are a jew
One of those layers is emulsified chicken fat; boiled to remove any flavour.
man, people will fight over just about anything. i’m aware that this is an argument/debate, but i like to call it a fight. anyway, i agree that macd’s ain’t too good, or too bad, too much of anything is too much for me, but seriously, please don’t “educate” this in the name of science.
Seems like there are two issues here that this article may be confusing:1) nutritional value2) preservativesI would assume the 1996 experiment speaks only to the preservative issue, and says nothing about nutrition. That is, unless there’s something inherent about low-nutritional value foods that preserves better than high nutritional value foods. Nick from Avvo
I am not as concerned with people treating themselves out to an occasional fast food indulgence as I am with the fast food or prepackaged dinner meal becoming the daily norm for kids. These types of foods are over-processed (high glycemic index) and encourage misconceptions in portion size. While I’m not sure what sort of lesson this example teaches (besides the shock value obviously intended to get parents to sit up and take notice) I don’t think that it’s health-freakishness to want to educate parents on how to teach their children about fresher taste, better nutrition and portion control. Such an effort can only help the growing issues in health care due to the rising incidents of obesity-related illnesses, such as diabetes and heart disease, in many of our cultures. These are issues that the majority of us taxpayers will eventually have to pay for, whether our own health or the health of our loved ones are affected or not, so I think we can do without the labels. I do agree that either backing up your statements with facts or limiting this column to opinion only would have lent more credence to your message. Even so, my hat’s off to you, Karen, for your valiant effort!
Get your head out of your ass. No one eats McDonald’s for nutritional value. And any burger would react similarly if put in a sealed container for 12 years.Of course there’s countless reasons why no one should eat McDicks but really this crap your posting is nothing new. Anyone seen Supersize me? Thought so.
“I sell wellness.”I don’t see how expanding people’s ignorance is a boon to their wellness. But I do see how scaring people with equivocation is detrimental to their wellness.I support the ends, but not the means.
Something tells me you guys probably work for mcdonalds. Why do you really care and bash her for pointing something as absolutely insane as a hamburger keeping its shape and colors after so many years. The other things where she “doesen’t stick to the facts” don’t matter, this is insane. Would you guys also bash on someone who would say that eating feces is bad because it has no nutritional value? of course it has a little value… but crap is crap however you try to defend it.
That makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. OverCONSUMPTION is what makes people fat. A food not having any nutritional value is still going to put on the pounds. It’s better to eat ALL foods that have nutritional value than eating a bunch of foods without nutritional value.There is no such thing as overnutrition. That doesn’t even make sense.
Please get a life and stop dissecting tiny useless things. You sound like someone that has something to defend – maybe work for mcdonalds?finding every posible stupid ilttle thing you can to discredit the person even though the message is clear – how eating fast food is death.
But Pocky made in Japan and Pocky mad in the Philippines tastes different!
This story reminded me of a book I read by Terry Pratchett called “Good Omens”. In it, one of the horsemen of the apocalypse creates a giant food network, whereby he ensures that there is zero nutritional value in his food – he loves the idea that people are “starving” whilst also getting fat. A funny read, I’d highly recommend it.
It’s a nice article, and very informative, but American, Australian, Bulgarian, and Greek (all the places I’ve tried McDonalds) burgers all taste slightly different, and vary in size
As a member of the Hippy Hall of Fame, one of the many restrictions and rules is NEVER to buy or eat a MacBurger.Having read your article, I immediately applied for and got an exemption allowing me to purchase for not eating but observing a Macburger.Thank you for this opportunity to join mainstream by buying a MacBurger
You are an idiot.
Your post isn’t even worth the time to write anything more substantial than this.You are an idiot.
Actually, they are not the same throughout the world. In Europe the meat tastes distinctly different. In Israel, it is Kosher and of an entirely different (and in my opinion, higher) quality. In India, where the Hindu population considers cows sacred, the burgers are made of mutton.
HAHA that last part really got me. id like to second this comment.
“I sell wellness.”You sell disinformation at best. It’s snake oil salespeople like you that are the bane of human progress. You want to make someone better start with yourself and quit harming the development of children with garbage like this. Caloric tests are a good start, as well as ancient preservation methods not to mention the basic scientific method itself.PS the person you replied to is a douche for using the name “cunt”. I happen to think you’re somewhat an idiot but that’s demonstrable by reading the article you submitted whereas the person who called you “cunt” is just being an ass.
No, Karen. That’s not all you’re selling. You’re selling fear and misinformation.McDonald’s burgers are not without nutrional value, nor are they made of chemicals.I would seriously look back at what you did to achieve the props for your little horse and pony show, and hopefully you feel some remorse for fabricating evidence. I don’t think any educated person believes that a hamburger can last 12 years in that condition.Looks like you put your Ronco food dehydrator to good use, or something similar.btw, http://www.reddit.com/r/WTF/comments/73ao7/this_is_a_mcdonalds_hamburger_from_1996_pics/
Wrong!Calories are a measure of energy (not heat). But in common speech to say food contains calories means it contains substances – fat, protein, carbohydrates, alcohol, or sugar alcohols (xylitol, mannitol etc.) – that the body can use to create energy.
bullshit. the bread would be moldy. and lets see the original wrapper.
Yes, if you are starving to death, even fast food is better than nothing. Assuming you want to live, that is. Are you seriously saying that eating McDonalds is a fate worse than death? I don’t believe you will find any hungry children who agree.
Fear is the emotional response to being unaware of what constitutes genetically modified food. Cloned does not mean irradiated or mutated. Eating a cloned animal is like eating an identical twin of a naturally born animal. In fact, all breeding of livestock is genetic modification, and the results of “natural” breeding can be very unsatisfactory. Most of the produce you buy has been genetically modified. Where in the wild do you ever find an apple that looks like that, where it wasn’t grown from a tree of nearly the same selected and bred stock? Corn looks very little like its original ancestor from which humans bred it, modifying its genes by selecting the best stock, mixing and choosing the genetic traits to be reproduced. If you want genetic modification that sounds really crazy, look at the way fruit growers will take a limb that produces fruit they want and actually graft it onto the root system of a different kind of tree. But we are accustomed to these foods and eat them aplenty, so it’s easy to adopt a position based on fear, and decry the newer technologies which we might not even have bothered to investigate on our own, even though they may one day help people who don’t have such generous access to food as we do.
Where is the pickle? This is clearly fake.On a more serious note. can you state the exact method for the preservation of this burger. I for one would like to replicate the experiment.Hatti
Wow, praise to Mcdonald’s. Ford can’t even a $20k car last that long, Toyota is getting close. But marvel at McDonald’s abilities and what you can get for under 2$. That is outstanding value for money. Imortality lies within Fast Food. Wannabe Alchemists out there, the search for the Philosopher stone has begun.
McDonalds doesn’t love you.
I believe that your experiment conclusions are extremely biased. First of all, bread and meat would only rot if placed in an open container, not a closed container like you did. Even mold won’t neceserally appear if the bread was put in the box right after it was prepared.If you say that this food is not nutritional, how do some people live, eating only McDonalds hamburgers? Where do they get energy?I agree that this food is not healthy, but it’s not poisoned or something like that.I also hate the fact that people claim that GM products are unhealthy. This is complete bullshit. Anyone studying biology for a short time can confirm it.
As others have stated, this article is complete rubbish. The author is clearly uneducated and highly biased. The “experiment” does not follow the scientific method at all. A 7th grader could do a better job.I especially like the part about it “not fueling cells.” It’s clear the author has no understanding of biology and metabolic processes. There are thousands of calories in a Big Mac (which is why they are so fattening), provided by carbohydrates, proteins, and sugars. Those substances get metabolized and, eventually, turned into ATP which directly “fuels” cells within your body.Go to school, learn what science is, get a biology degree. Until then, kindly shut the fuck up.
I think that Rick is part of the McDonalds group.
I put real fruit and milk in a blender and after 30 minutes it started to seperate (indoors). When i reblended it it was same consistency as before is well. SO DON’T DRINK HOMEMADE SMOOTHIES, THEY ARE BAD FOR YOU IS WELL BECAUSE THEY “seperate into different layers”.
I can blow margin noa? MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGIN. Foo?
Actually, what you’re saying here is completely wrong. I’m not gonna call you a ‘twat’ for being wrong, but I will call you out on it
. McDonalds’ food is just that: food. If it wasn’t, they wouldn’t be able to put “100% Grade ‘A’ Beef” on their burgers, or tell the public how their fries are made out of the best potatoes, etc. People have been attempting to get people to quit eating fast food for years. When I was younger, one of the ‘in’ rumors was that KFC used genetically altered chickens with no beef, and that the they couldn’t be called “Kentucky Fried Chicken” because of that; as a result they had to convert to just “KFC.” That, and what you’re saying here, is nothing more than a sensationalized conspiracy theory revolving around America’s current trend of being fat. Bottom line is that the FDA wouldn’t allow a company as big as McDonald’s to sell product that contains no edible food, only chemicals. Like some of the posts above say, there are nutritional values for a reason.As to why that hamburger lasted so long? You could’ve frozen it from 1996 to yesterday when you let it thaw. You could’ve bought two on the same day. It could just be that no airborne pathogens got to the burger because of where you placed it in your fridge. I’ve accidentally conducted an ‘experiment’ like this and the burger got moldy and green.You want us to believe what you’re saying? You bear the burden of proof. 
Eating Mcdonalds gave me man boobs.
Karen, I’m sorry to say, but there is no way that this is true. The only reason this happened was because of the airtight seal placed on the hamburger. If you look at this youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSHaZIOk9nYyou will see that the burgers start to go within a week at room temperature. The fries are a different story, but the hamburger itself would decompose if you kept it out long enough. Maybe not anymore because there is no moisture or anything in it anymore, its just a dried up piece of thing.
Um… thats pretty gross. Somehow I doubt you did this to show people 20 years in the future what a burger looks like. You’re nasty.
All this article is is selective interpretation. One could make the arguement that a Big Extra is a balanced meal. You got your VeG ( lettuce and tomatoes [yes they use real lettuce and tomatoes], Meat, Grain, and cheese(dairy).
Notice how she has yet to respond to this? It’s because she’s been caught in her own load of bullshit, pardon my french. This is a scare tactic, plain and simple, and while yes, mcdonalds is certainly not a good choice of food, to say it has 0 value it complete garbage. It’s food, like everything else. It’s got protein, carbs, and fat. By no means is it balanced, but please, don’t try to wave this “prop” around to prove some point (which is completely misinformed).
How long does is it between when you eat them and when you stop feeling hungry?
The blog author does not know the difference between its and it’s. Please learn simple grammar before writing.
Those pictures make me hungry for some Mickey D’s. Gonna get me a double quarter pounder with cheese after work tonight.
I think that Rick was looking in the mirror, and talking to himself when he started typing out loud.
This actually doesn’t show anything unless you can show what would happen to a “normal” burger (or a burger with some ‘nutritional value’) over a period of 12 years, and compare the ‘chemical’ burger to the ‘regular’ burger.What would you expect to happen to a piece of cooked meat and a toasted bun over twelve years?
Honey never spoils. You can leave a jar of honey out for a thousand years and it will still be the same. Does this mean honey has no nutritional value? Also, that burger still looks kind of tasty to me
Well, that reply was a bit harsh, and all-knowing! Speaking of school…you could use a few grammar lessons.
Go home hippie, so you dried a burger out. Big whoop, way to twist things in your favor Hippie.
Nothing to gain? You’re stroking your ego, spreading groundless fear, and touting a massive ‘holier-than-thou’ attitude. If I said I love fast food, you’d probably look down your nose at me and call me ignorant, just because you like to feel superior to someone else. Don’t be ridiculous.
Well, I believe it. I have a friend who did that for a science project (granted, it was only for 2 months). She found the same thing, no change in the McDonalds burger.Even the bacteria don’t want it. I think that means there’s no nutritional value whatsoever.Here’s looking forward to seeing it in another decade =)
Mmm, I’m more of a Hardee’s guy myself. I’m going to go pick up a 1/3 lb Monster that contains more calories than I do, eat the whole thing, and digest it with no ill effects because my metabolism is so fast that I can. Half of nutrition is how your body reacts to what you put into it. McDonald’s may not be the healthiest thing for you, but for someone like me who needs roughly 3000 calories a day, it’s better than freaking celery.
This isn’t surprising. But hopefully, it wake a few people up. Then again, many people will opt for convenience over quality. Do scare tactics shock anyone anymore?
Nice to see thoughtful and positive commentary. Thank you.
Nice to see thoughtful and positive commentary. Thank you.
You are acting as if, when people tell you that the information you are providing is false, that it’s all a matter of opinion. But it’s not. If you knew even a little bit about the science of nutrition you’d realize how stupid you sound. From a science teacher: you betray the public trust by claiming to ‘educate’ when in fact you have no idea what you’re talking about.
You’re grossly incorrect. For those who are concerned with MACRONUTRIENT intake, rather than MICRONUTRIENT intake, McDonalds provides a cheap, cost-effective way to ingest calorie-dense foods that have lots of protein. For people who need to gain weight, it serves its purpose well. There are vitamins and minerals contained within, albeit not nearly as much as an organic, grass-fed alternative would provide. Truthfully, you get what you pay for, especially at 99 cents.
Here is a side by side photo comparison of McD’s burger and fries with the same from a diner. Fungus does not like McD’shttp://blog.stayfreemagazine.org/2005/06/mcdonalds_exper.htmlAs for nutritional value of McD’s, if it does not rot then the enzymes are dead, and the body has to work much harder to digest the food. Essentially placing a big load on your system over time that can damage your internal organs.
mmm i could go for some mcdonalds now, you made me hungry
No ketchup? No mustard? No small bits of onion? NO PICKLE?
Somehow I suspect that you too have something to do with your country sucking.
LOL, Somehow I will just never be able to look at Mickey Dees the same way again!http://www.anonweb.eu.tc
Ha! You’re one to talk. You don’t proofread! You left the ‘P’ off the front of your name.
Holy drama, Batman.
SOYLANT BROWN IS MADE OUT OF PEOPLE!! IT’S PPPEEEOOOLLLEEE!!!!!
I HIGHLY disagree about the fact that a McDonalds burger tastes the same in China as France as America as Mexico. As I have been to all of those places and have eaten McDonalds in all of them I would have to say they all taste very different, I ecspecially noticed the difference in between Americas and Frances
I worked at McDonalds for 2 years and know that your presentation of a 1996 hamburger is impossible! Trust me, I’ve thrown many buns in my years working there because they had not been properly stored or rotated (new racks in front of older ones) and had formed mold, just like it would occur to any piece of bread you buy or bake yourself after a week or so. As for the meat, well it’s just that…meat. And meat rots and definitely would not stand the test of time as you represent.I’ll agree with you that the above selection of food does not offer good nutrition but it is not made of plastic either. As for the chemicals, I’m sorry to inform you that everything and everyone, yourself included, is made out of a combination of chemicals. Everything is based on chemistry, wether you like it or not.I would suggest that you take a different approach to encourage good nutrition.
this post is exactly why we have to shift our attention from the mcdonald’s hamburger to their double cheeseburger.
++
I guess neither is my Passover matzah. There’s an open box from 2005 in the back of my pantry and it still looks exactly the same today as it did then. The only ingredients are flour and water. Perhaps matzah has some secret chemicals in it and it’s not a “live” food either?*rolls eyes*
reddit’s having a field day with you:http://www.reddit.com/r/WTF/comments/73ao7/this_is_a_mcdonalds_hamburger_from_1996_pics/congrats! when potential clients google you, this episode of ignorance will be right there alongside your little blog. yay!
you love to see us sm:)e
My cousin had to sell his car and he found a McDonalds burger down behind the seat. He said it must have been there for around 9 months in the heat of California. The burger was intact and looked like new.
nope. didnt make me wonder. cuz i dont eat the shit nor do i care.
This reminds me of A teacher I had in grade school did a very similar example. The purpose was not nutritional: they wanted to illustrate the best means of keeping a burger warm after it’s heated. Thing is, they used the same burgers year after year! It looked pretty much the same as a fresh one would, but smelled horrific. Thanks!
Anyone who pays you to spew that nonsense should be kicked in the balls.
You are my hero. I’m a vegan and don’t eat this stuff anymore, but it’s still shocking.*People eat this* It’s like Soylent Green.I’m sending this link to everyone I know.
I think your experiment does say something about McDonald’s. It says to me that there are lots of preservatives (chemicals) in that burger and bun. I buy all natural organic bread. if I leave it too long, it gets moldy, even in the fridge. That’s what nutritious whole food does.
this is actually in reference to the postings that continued after this one. a milkshake. ice cream and milk blended to be drank from a straw. in the sun for an hour should turn into a soupy milky substance. perhaps any fruit or chocolate would separate, but if you stir it back together it should still be a soupy milky substance with some fruit or maybe chocolate floating around. smoothies, which depending on preparation, may contain ice which too will melt, but for the most part are held together with natural emulsifiers like bananas. when smoothies are sat in the sun it too should have melting properties, and too would probably separate. when mixed back together you simply are mixing the water back to the emulsifier to create a almost “watered down” smoothie. now what did the original comment emphasize? was it the separation? no, it was that when he mixed the milk shake back together “it had the EXACT same consistency” that there is the problem. that is not a milk shake. nor is that a smoothie. that is a chemical compound designed to taste like a milkshake. that is where that was going.
More to the point, you can easily look up the definition of nutrition, nutrients, etc. You’ll find that it includes carbohydrates, fats, proteins, minerals, vitamins, and water. Basically anything that is assimilated into the body. Anything else that’s used for energy is not a nutrient.Check McDonald’s website for nutrional values, you’ll find them (along with fiber, which is not a nutrient, but whatever) all listed anywhere from 9 to 22% of the recommended daily value. The daily values are based on a 2k calorie diet, pretty standard. To bring that number down, you only increase the daily %.As far as I understand, your point is that “because a 12 year old hamburger looks perfectly preserved and is not rotting, it has no nutritional value”. That part of your article, basically the whole argument you’re making against McDonald’s hamburgers is not only wrong, but just doesn’t make any sense. Try shaping your argument towards the things they’ve done to the product that are causing it not to rot and what effect those things have on your body.What you’ve presented lacks any research at all and you’re really just hurting yourself. Put in some work to find out what IS bad about their hamburgers (and probably ALL fast food burgers) and present that with your sobering evidence.It may not work as well as lying, but at least you’ll be able to feel good about yourself.
Ok, I am skeptical as to whether or not you are telling the truth about how old that burger is. I do not believe it is 12 years old. I believe you are trying to prove a point, but are using false information to do so. Until I see the burger up close and can study it myself, I’m not going to believe what some blog on the internet says.
Wait, what does triage mean? It’s defined as the prioritization of medical patients for treatment. You used the wrong word, I’m guessing. Man, you’re stupid. Nutrition IS a science. Good on you for encouraging healthy eating, but do not make stuff up, and present it as fact. You’re no better than “Dr.” Suzanne Summers. Oh, maybe the word you’re looking for is “triumvirate.”
Wow, a lot of people sure are getting defensive about their precious McBurgers. God forbid you say anything bad about fast food, lest you sound like a “hippie”. Also, the “that makes me hungry for some McDonalds” comments are so immature.
I worked in a foodservice equipment manufacturer years ago, we torture-tested the c-store hotdog cookers by cooking hundreds of hotdogs over weeks to check the quality of our product. Those hotdogs didn’t rot either. Dogs wouldn’t eat the hotdogs. They looked the same if they rolled under the table & laid there for a month. Not even bugs would bother with them. This story is completely believable. And I still eat the occasional hotdog.
triage is what they perform when you go to the emergency room! =Palthough you unwittingly made quite an interesting comment
Have you tried the Indian one? Does mutton make a good, um, muttonburger?Anything is bad for you if you get too much – try drinking 2 gallons of pure water in one sitting, you could die.Don’t eat Mc Donalds every day, but don’t be a fastfoodphobe either.
The amount of scientific ignorance demonstrated here is dumbfounding. And coming from a supposed nutritionist makes it even more depressing. Even worse, when the factual errors are pointed out, the author merely waves them off with an ‘ends justify the means’ excuse. The funny thing is, McDonalds isn’t even close to being the worst fast food restaurant.
You continue to miss the point. ANY burger would look like that after 12 years! Again, McDonalds is not a healthy eating choice, however, your example proves nothing. Go get an organic burger, put it in the same container, and write another blog post in 12 years.
Suggestion: add some “french fry” things to the group. They become petrified and retain the shape and color seemingly indefinitely.Thanks for the notice. Try not to despair at the animal ignorance exemplified by those who do not appreciate science.For those that care about life and the knowledge brought to them by all those who died bringing the concept of “planet” to us layfolk; be careful what you purchase in this day of market-driven greed.Peaceijostl
True Becky! Lots of defensive, ugly, immature commentary.
True Becky! Lots of defensive, ugly, immature commentary.
Have it your way.
Wat really blows me away is how many pedantic fools read your great article and then sit back and split hairs with other commenters. Lame.Anyway, great article, great prop, disgusting food. I mean, it tastes great, but I guess that’s all it’s designed for huh?
Wow, its awesome. And i will do you a favor: i’ll share this in my spanish blog!
I meant trio — thanks for appreciating the comment
I meant trio — thanks for appreciating the comment
Thank you for your positivity, and for sharing too.
Thank you for your positivity, and for sharing too.
Elemental school? Glycogen is not fat, it is a polysaccharide, and you body stores very little glycogen at any time.
If McDonalds is opening a new chain somewhere in the world, then there are people living there with a disposable income and it is likely an urban area. This means that they are not providing employment where there is no other option. More likely, they are just offering competition to local businesses and regional chains. Otherwise, I’m really enjoying this discussion. I generally agree that McDonalds is unhealthy, but I also agree that it is unethical for a teacher to use information that is not wholly factual. I’ve found that folks in the US who have unhealthy eating habits are suspicious of people who advocate good healthy choices precisely because they think they are quacks who use scare tactics. Acquiring real knowledge on any subject is slow, but it lasts and lends itself to real change and personal responsibility. Shocking people has an immediate effect which is probably satisfying to the teacher, but doesn’t do much in the bigger picture.
Actually the “Sodium” on the label refers to total amount of sodium in the product, not just the amount given by table salt. Table salt does contribute to most of the sodium, but there are other compounds that can contribute. Also salt is nondescript, as it can refer to any ionic compound (example: Potassium Chloride is also a salt.)We also call it “Trans fat” and not “Crisco” because Crisco contains no trans fat.
Sorry but I can not understand how anyone who likes food can even contemplate tasting these things in the first place. But okay you like it, eat it but I do hope that you have the choice not to, luckily I have and I prefer real food not plastic imitations.
I’m saddened that you are teaching people. What food is not made up of chemicals? It turns out the water I drink is (omg) H2O.McDonalds may be unhealthy and all but just making up facts, well, you suck
***************************************************************************************************************************************************************You ignorant hippie. Read comments in response to your article from people that actually know something:http://www.reddit.com/r/WTF/comments/73ao7/this_is_a_mcdonalds_hamburger_from_1996_pics/
Just because you are not a scientist, it doesn’t mean you can’t use rational thinking in order to make a point. For example, I am not a “scientist” in the sense that I do not (currently) have a degree in one of the sciences. But I can still use rational thinking to evaluate a situation and come to a reasonable conclusion.Since you are an educator, I would implore you to support you conclusions (McD food is bad for one’s health) with real evidence. I understand that it is hard to make education interesting (I once worked as a substitute teacher) and sometimes props help spice up the atmosphere. But there are other examples you can use. Pictures out of “Supersize Me” come to mine (and this would be covered under Fair Use.) Show how the amount of calories consumed per burger could be put towards a much larger, filling meal that costs less. If you need a scare tactic, show how obesity is related to heart failures, cancer, etc. I am not condemning what you do (in fact, I applaud that you have taken the initiative to educate people on what they eat) but I do not like scaring people into a lifestyle. This follows with what I said about thinking rationally. If you want a fit body, you need a sound mind.
I hate you you stupid fucking hippie bitch! Go eat an organic free-range dick.I WILL KILL ALL YOUR PETS
This is a great article! Thank you for sharing this with us and will definitely be sharing it with others.
Who the picture of the ugly woman in the banner at the top of the page?
I don’t understand what the problem is, of course the burger will look the same, That doesnt mean it doesnt have protein, and it isn’t delicious, most people (normal people), will occasionaly eat McD’s because it’s cheap and tasty, that shouldn’t be astonishing at all
Fresh bread does contain enough water to promote the growth of mold and bacteria. However, McD toasts their buns (note the pictures above.) This process would remove a fair amount of moisture. How much, I am unsure but I would imagine there would not be much on the surface. (Karen, perhaps you should cut the burger in half to see if mold grew on the innards of the burger and simply hadn’t breached the outer bits.)I also doubt the container is “loaded” with microbes. Plastic is an abhorrent environment for mold/bacteria. As for the air, a safe level of mold is 200-400 ppm for residential buildings. Since the container was within a house, it would contain a unnoticeable amount of spores.As for anything on the burger, if the building was to code, I would expect there to hardly be anything on the burger. Cooking is another form of sterilizing.Furthermore, I merely point out the flaw in the conclusion drawn because no one else had. That is the point of comments; to share your insight on the situation presented by the author.
No. Facts are wonderful. Look them up.
Bill, you care about money more than people.That’s not good…McDonald’s is not “american”…It is “capitalist”, but is that a good thing even when it kills millions of people?”your message sucks” – not even gonna say anything about that one lolYou left the hamburger “out”?Cool, she left hers in a container.So that would make you an idiot.PS: Do you really think a hamburger would be less likely to decompose or rot in a car? Wow… That’s special
There’s four items in your list.
food with nutritional value mold and decay over time. things with less nutritional value and/or are pumped with preservatives and chemicals to ward off decay simply don’t decay, or they take much longer.you can do this same experiment by taking an organic loaf of bread and putting it in the cubbord… it molds pretty quickly, within a week or so depending…however take a bleached white loaf of generic bread and it can last months. take some rye breads that are super processed and we had one ontop of the fridge for 2 years and it didn’t mold at all.i completely believe that those mcDs buns havent decayed and havent even changed shape.another good experiment… take an organic patty of beef and cook it and set it out… how long till it decays? i’ll bet you a TON faster than 12 years!Or maybe some fries… take an organic back yard potatoe, cut and fry it and leave the fries out… see how long it takes them to break down to compare to those petrified mcD fries that we all get from under the seats of our cars some times…
Not necessarily true…it is possible to “overdose” on many nutrients to toxic levels…do some research starting with “hypervitaminosis”…seeya…
You’ve obviously never had a McDonald’s Cheeseburger. I have, and let me tell you, they are full of bone and gristle, The whole taste and experience of the meat was completely different. Before you state something for everyone to read and believe, do some fact checking. But yeah, I agree with your entry.
No, it is not just meat and flour.You left some out; here’s a few:- artificial growth hormones- pesticide residues- sugar- high fructose corn syrup- sodium- partially hydrogenated soybean oilThere’s a lot more too…You can try to block all of this information out, but obesity, heart attack, stroke, atherosclerosis, cancer will still exist.
i once took a pancake from the school cafeteria, and kept it for the rest or the year. it looked EXACTLY the same as it did the day it was spawned. it did turn solid (petrified?) though.
You are incorrect, a global food company prepares their foods with similar standards, but the supply chain is never the same. I’ve eaten the double cheese burger in France, China and all over the USA… because I’m poor and like to travel. In the USA the taste is similar, but out side of our counrty. They do not have the same supply chain, and the meat is mixed with bone and gristle, or is entirely bone and gristle, in countries like China. They DO NOT have the same ingredients. I ate the cheeseburger in China 2 months ago… believe me… disgusting.
This is not a valid comparison (and the comment is completely idiotic).The hamburger didn’t decompose because it’s made with many preservatives and other chemicals.The smoothie separated because of gravity. (and did not stay preserved for 12 years)Now how do you equate these? Could you explain further?
This is astounding. Almost as astounding as the reactions it drew. Whew!
++ one of the best comments so farPeople are not telling you to never eat McDonald’s (although that would definitely be a very healthy choice). Just don’t make it a large part of your diet.
Way to pick up on one minor error and invalidate the entire idea!Have you ever read the Bible?
++Nice comment
Just when I was losing faith in human intelligence..
That is not good at all! I wish I could say “I will never eat McDonald’s again,” but it’s just so fast and convenient. Help!
While I have known for a while that Mcd’s burgers are more processed. I can’t help but think this observation you have made is useless information. More to the point I would not have a problem calling you the ignorant one.In the last 12 years Fast food companies have been forced to change the contents of their food, add more “real” food and less chemicals and preservatives. If you are claiming a burger from today is exactly the same as it was 12 years ago, then I call you a ignorant fool.This observation you have made holds very little merit to anyone who has more then a 80IQ. If you had purchased a burger every 6 months and stored it in the same containers. After the same time span they all looked the same I would be concerned. The fact you have a control and one variable doesn’t prove squat!I would suggest that you take that 2008 burger you purchase and start storing it in a similar matter, wait 10 years and produce the results.Twelve years ago, fast food places where forced by the government to trash food that sits longer then 20 minutes. So back then they could pump preservatives into the food to make it last all day. Why do you think every single fast food place around the world today don’t keep any food out to “quick” sell? They ALL make them when ordered, even during lunch time they have hardly any burgers pre-made.The fact people like fresh cooked food means the companies don’t have to worry about preservatives, why would they put the added cost into the burger if it doesn’t need to sit anywhere for any length of time.Remember twelve years ago, they would hire people to cook the food in the morning and have less staff though the day. Now they are fully staffed all day, because they need to do.Don’t blind yourself with ignorance from standards twelve years ago. Saying that ancient burger is made with the same ingredients and compounds as today it out right ignorance.
Where on the list are the artificial growth hormones and pesticide residue?… I couldn’t find them, but I do see the enriched bleached flour, salt, high fructose corn syrup, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, and all the preservatives.Do some more research before you settle with lies and have to live (or die from) with obesity, high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, cancer, etc.
Did you spray the bun with lysol? I fully understand that McDonalds is terrible for you, but it is downright impossible for non of that food to have molded. Is that part hidden in the picture?
“Humans have been genetically modifying their foodsources for millennia upon millennia”wow… should i even comment on that? nah… not worth it
does your bread have a huge amount of chemical preservatives, salt, and fat?it sounds delicious
Who cares if its not good for you. At least it tastes good! If I were you id eat that 12 year old burger I bet it still tastes as good
I have pickles as old that, they look like they did when I got them, and I’d eat them today.
- GRASA BASTANTE Y QUEMADA- CARNE DE TODAS LAS MEZCLAS- VEGETALES TRANSGENICOSNO GRACIAS NO COMO BASURA
“Your ignorant opinion does not translate into scientific fact”lolirony
You are still wrong. Your entire article is presumptuous and full of factual errors. By making statements like “This is chemical food” you prove your ignorance. Dihydrogen Monoxide is a chemical. Would you have us live without it? Making such boldly wrong articles makes it hard for people like me who try to educate people about nutrition to separate fact from fiction. You, my dear, are more miss-informative than McDonald itself. Thanks for making nutrition science a joke.
It was an experiment; you are an idiot.
Hey lady, why would you even keep a burger around for 12 years ?? Also http://nutrition.mcdonalds.com/bagamcmeal/nutrition_facts.htmlSeems like it has more nutrition then a rice cake.and for the burger not to mold you would have to dry it out and make sure there is no moisture. You can do that with almost any food and it will look the same after 12 years. So you been holding on to a burger for no reason.
best comment on this page, hands down
Yes, people do eat McDonald’s for nutritional value. Have you read any of the comments on this page?Way to be negative and ignorant. I bet a lot of people like you.
“”if it does not rot then the enzymes are dead, and the body has to work much harder to digest the food. Essentially placing a big load on your system over time that can damage your internal organs”"this is the dumbest things I have read this month. Congratulations, you win. Enzymes are not living, they are a specific type of catalyst, meaning they make reactions with their specific chemical occur more easily (ex- sucralase breaking down sucrose molecules in to other sugars). They can be denatured by a change in environment (such as acids or cooking), preventing them from reacting. What happens when something rots? Mold or Bacteria are producing their own enzymes to break down the substrate. Your body produces its own enzymes to digest foods, and all the food you eat (enzyme or otherwise) goes through the process to be broken down, THERE IS NO EXTRA LOAD when the enzymes you are eating are denatured. PLEASE do not post these terrible unscientific ramblings that a high school bio student would know is wrong.
Well, if you are what you eat than I guess I’m immune to aging too! Go Mickey D’s, the fountain of youth and oh so affordable!
the problem is not sounding like a “hippie”. the problem is that these ideas are being passed off as science by a supposed expert. Yes, McDs makes fatty, vitamin poor foods. YES they are not healthy foods, and most likely unhealthy. BUT do not make this point by spreading falsehoods about nutrient values, enzymes, GMOs, and chemical synthesis.
Where is the ketchup, onion and pickle? None of them seem to appear on either burger. If you want to pick on cooked ground beef patties, go ahead, but leave our fast food burgers out of it. They can be yummy or not so yummy, but eat enough of them and you will gain weight.
Man that burger looks tasty and I feel like some mcdonald’s now.
“Try exorcise.”Good idea. Let’s bring a priest to McD and root the evil out once and for all.@Hannah: The real scare here is how somebody can call themselves a “wellness consultant” without even a hint of medical background. It’s painful to see that random commenters from the Net correcting you on basic nutritional facts and biology. Next time, before trying to “educate” someone, go read a book yourself!
what of it?
And that’s an insult because….? Here’s one for you buddy, you’re a genius! Yes I’m being sarcastic.
I’m not sure what you meant by this comment, but I’m assuming it was offensive. For many people, comments like that perpetuate stereotypes and hatred and in this world, I think we could use a lot less of both.
Let’s also not forget about all the sugar and salt, which of course lead to heart disease, obesity and diabetes. Which are three of the leading causes of death in first world countries.
Ongelooflijk! Ik wist al wel dat de Mac slecht voor je is, maar dit is wel heel erg. Gelukkig eet ik die chemische prut nooit, maar heel sporadisch eet ik een Kipburger van Mac. Is dit even slecht als de hamburger? Nu maar hopen dat de Mac-verslaafden hier iets van opsteken en voortaan gewoon 2 ons groente en 2 keer fruit gaan eten!
you’re really a fuckin’sick bastard tokeep a burger that long.i don’t have the good words for u but one question are you married i hope not for the other..Jesus sick person that you are
No nutritional value but tastes great
This is a lie. I used to work at McDonalds in 1996, and we did not toast the buns. The buns were not toasted until the made-to-order push in 1999. Before that there weren’t even bun toasters in the restaurant, save the specialized one for the Big Macs.So, either you toasted your own bun in 1996, or you’re lying. Or this burger is only 9 years old, and you still have a valid point. Or you made the whole thing up.
Just a quick note; McDonald’s doesn’t taste the same all over the world. Other countries have different laws and standarts when it comes to preservatives and raw materials. You couldn’t legally sell a standart American hamburger just anywhere across the globe. I live in Europe and though McDonald’s is not actually nutritious, it’s not the worst type of fastfood out there. I was in England once and the McDonald’s restaurants there made me sick. When I was in America I could hardly stand the sight of it. I could both smell and see that the quality of the food is 10 times worse than at home (not that the quality is at all excellent here – it is after all fastfood).It’s not nutritious, healthy food no matter where in the world you are, but the amount of preservatives, fat and so on varies. Plus in some countries they have to put all the information about the ingredients out where people can see it, which of course makes people think about what they eat. I still prefer to bake my own bread and generally cook my own food – and if I feel like eating a burger once in a while, I’ll cook it myself as well. It tastes better and I know what’s in it.
impressive show-and-tell, terrible propaganda. Very sensationalist.
so how does it make you fat, if there is no nutrition in it, idiot
hey lady, you sound funny
I’m agree with previous author. They all are different. And actually, the quality of McDonalds burgers in USA is extremely poor, they are simply tastless.I’ve tried McDonalds burgers in India, China, Russia, USA and want to say that China ones are the best.
That’s rank!!! It defies belief that it’s not gone mouldy. Forward on. Arrived via reddit. Thanks.
Did you keep it in the fridge or just in the container in the pantry? I’d like to try this and see what results I get.
Unfortunately, you’re using some fairly duplicitous logic here. You infer your methods are not scientific, because you’re not a scientist. OK. But then you go on to say that the same flawed methodology is being used to “educate” parents. How do you explain the cognitive dissonance here? You’re basically perpetuating something that is false, or inferring it, i.e., that because the Hamburger is so pumped of harmful chemicals, that it would not decompose.However, drying out meat in an airtight, waterless environment, is similar to them methods used to make something like beef jerky. I think McDonald’s has little to no nutritional value, but your experiment also has little to no educational value.If you want to educate parents, use facts, not your own uninformed conjecture. It only serves to harm and discredit your valid concerns.
I think that you are paranoid.
This post is absolutely nonsense. Even if the meat didn’t rot, the buns would have. It may be unhealthy, but this is going too far.
I have felt sick so many times from eating MacDonalds burgers, cant see why they are forever fresh!
We are what we eat – Plastic clones, fake, and all look and taste the same. That’s why food like this is so very popular.
Thanks for this! I will share this on my posts and with my kids.
Anyone who flings around the word “exact” in as carefree a way as you and the guy you’re quoting doesn’t deserve to command any more attention than an idiot ranting on a street corner about the end of the world.
I agree with you. That makes NO sense. Overnutrition– that’s why I eat 3-4 square meals a day (I’m talking whole grains, no preservatives, no or less pesticides, mostly locally grown) and I only weigh 111 lbs? And no, I’m not undernourished. I am the “perfect” weight for my height.
Let’s see, a hamburger that remains remarkably intact after 12 years, and somehow that’s bad? If the author knew anything about oxidation and free radicals, she would know that preservatives that get such a bad rap are actually some of the most potent antioxidants in the world.
OMG %(
sorry but this is bollax. I worked at the golden arches for 2 years and found lots of rotton burgers, there’s NO WAY this is as old as your saying (they rot like anything else after a few days). They may not be a salad, but they are still mighty tastely and not THAT bad! Pa pa pa par paaaaah…..ps. Burgers sold in china are dog meat, no?
i dont think thats so astounding as it seems on first look.the burger has no cucumber, no sauce, no onion. its seemingly complete dry, no water too. and where the hell can you buy a burger with nothing more than a bun and meat?when i grill a piece of meat (and kill all bacteria while doing it) and do the same to a piece of bread and let it dry as it is laying around i dont believe it will degenerate. there is no need of chemicals to do that.i dont say mcdonalds food is healthy, no, its not. its basically a lot of calories without much more.that doesnt mean you will die if you eat one from time to time.
Because that’s just what the majority of Americans need… to gain weight! Oh thank you McDonalds for saving us.
I skipped most of the comments. I find that when in a hurry I will purchase these nasty things for my kids once they have devoured all that I have brought, they turn into little beasts. Gone are my “nice” kids replaced with hyper kids and then the giant fall. No, no soda or ff, I feel guilty enough with the burger itself. Something else to ponder…. the McNugget… mostly a corn product.
very very well said. My thoughts exactly. The burger still looks the same because of preservatives, not because it’s cloned or chemically made. It has preservatives because the burgers are shipped all over the world, which is why they taste the same everywhere… that’s the whole point of a franchise and a signature product. The fact that it lasted 12 years speaks to the science behind the preservatives, not the fact that the burger lacks in nutrition.I am not advocating kids go eat McDonald’s, but as the poster mentioned, focus on the chemicals added to make the burger hold up in color and shape and the introduction of foreign chemicals to your body. Make a stated argument based on facts, not assumptions.I did get a kick out of this post though, 12 year burger. Neat.Feta
I suggest you look up the definition of nutrition. Hint: carbohydrates, protein and fat are all nutrients.
Thanks for saying what I was thinking in much more detail than I managed to do in my comment. Also, quite honestly, I was much too gentle in how I expressed my thoughts — people like “Mother Earth” (grandiose much?) who take such a cavalier approach to the facts (misstating some, ignoring others, making up still others, and failing to be aware of yet others, all in service of a pre-ordained conclusion) actually hurt the cause of improving nutrition (and diet generally) a lot more than they help.
You are still incorrect. McDonalds most certainly nourishes the cell. I’m not sure why, even after being corrected several times by more informed readers, you are unable to simply admit you are wrong and restate your case. This really detracts from the overall impact of what you are trying to accomplish. In fact, it makes the whole thing sort of a throw away, not gonna bookmark it or tell anyone I know about it affair, since it’s clearly either disingenuous or misinformed.
You’re very welcome.
You’re very welcome.
Astounding is a perfect word to explain it – thanks for the comment Pat
Astounding is a perfect word to explain it – thanks for the comment Pat
Please do !!
Please do !!
I swore off McD ever since I saw the movie “Supersize Me”. Disgusting.
“I’m lovin’ it” slogan debuted in 2003. The wrapper under the hamburger has this slogan. Maybe it’s 5 years old?
Funny. Why isn’t the bun moldy?
For all those that skipped most of the comments, all her arguments and points are obliterated by fact above.You can safely ignore any points the author tries to make in this article and likely her other articles.
Don’t worry jard… this isn’t about science or facts, which are clearly discarded here, this is about evil companies and evil things and about making people feel good about doing something pointless.Those of us with useful minds and an unbiased look at facts can safely disregard all this and let the other folks cling onto their happy, ignorant, self-righteous ideas.
AWESOME! So if I eat McDonald’s hamburgers my aging will stop and I’ll be preserved in my current state of good health and beauty? I’m hittin’ the drive through – NOW BABY! NOW!
It is amazing, but I don’t see the problem with that burger. There’s preservatives in it, that’s why it kept for so long.The author said: “…this is a chemical food. There is absolutely no nutrition here.”That’s incorrect. Fiber in the bun, protein in the meat, etc etc.Some questions for the author:- Have you analyzed the burger to see what is causing it to last so long?- Whatever you found, is it actually harmful?- Have you found & tested other food to compare?Until you answer these questions, your everlasting burger is just a curiosity, and actually makes me hungry for McD’s.(And mark’s comment above too: No pickles, sauce, it’s been kept dry, etc.)Honey doesn’t go bad. Does that means you shouldn’t eat it…?
What really bothers me about this whole discussion is that Ms. Hanrahan cautiously selects which comments deserve her response, ignoring valid and well-constructed arguments (like that guy Ben’s, and some subsequent comments about the burger’s storage method contributing to it’s preservation) when they go against her point. C’mon, Karen, those issues deserve to be adressed! Completely ignore such comments, but immediately leting out a “Yeah, isn’t it horrible? A 12-year-old burger!! Oh my god!!” to anyone who agrees with your post, is an an offense to your readers’ intelligence. And, as someone pointed out too, sounds (reads?) pretty arrogant.That’s the main problem with some activists, whatever the cause may be. They get so obssessed about villanizing the “enemy” at all costs that, sometimes, they fail to realize that this kind of behavior may push away a lot of good, inteligent people who coul’ve been worthy additions to their pleads (man, that sentence is long). This article is a good example. A lot of the commenters AGREED that fast food isn’t good for your health. But all this drama about the Neverending Burger, and the oh-so-horrible-horrible chemicals within it, plus the complete disregard for some polite, constructive criticism…and the effort goes down the drain.
I am an artist and former chef working in Savannah, GA. I have had my own similar McCheeseburger project going, except not as long and mine involves rhinestones, lace and beads. When I go to the local farmers market with them, folks can’t believe that I keep them stored at room temp (In an organic granola bar box). Please stop by and check them out. Rubistudios.com
Why on earth did you buy a hamburger and not eat it, then decide to keep it in a Welch’s grape jelly sandwich container?
well much as i agree that McDs is total crap, isnt the reason for its longevity purely down to the amount of salt in all their food ? Not the fact that there is nothing nutritious in there at all. There is certainly some protein and fat, which mould and bacteria would happily grow on if there were less salt. I agree with what you are saying in principle, McDs is complete shite, but the reasons you are giving are inaccurate and misleading, not to mention clearly coming from an agenda driven perspective.
i love mcdonalds
Unfortunately, the burger can’t be 12 years old. The packaging has the slogan “I’m lovin it” which, according to wikipedia, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_McDonald%27s_TV_campaigns_and_slogans) didn’t start until 2003. Debates about the quality of McDonalds food aside, this burger obviously isn’t 12 years old.
This is the most biast $h1t I’ve run into for quite a while… the burger was completely dry and it was concealed into a jelly box, jelly acts as a mold that restricts H2O, mold, bacteria and anything else can get in. The second delema I have with this study is her quote “I do not claim to be a scientist” DONE!If you are not authorized to post information like this up then why do it? The world has plenty of other things to worry about… this petty scare tactic should not be one of them.
I second this. If you leave a piece of bread out it will become stale. If you wipe a piece of bread on the floor (or window screen) and add a little water, it will cultivate mold. I’m no scientist but I learned that in 7th grade.
“I marvel at how McDonalds has infiltrated our entire world.”Infiltrated? McDonalds isnt some top-secret spy; people buy stuff from there because they want to, because they have the freedom to choose. If you don’t want to eat at McDonalds, then don’t. It’s that simple.
Hi Rubi – I am intriqued with what you are up to. Thank your nice email too.
Hi Rubi – I am intriqued with what you are up to. Thank your nice email too.
I don’t believe you. I think it’s a fake, unless you can produce a receipt from 1996.
yo yo Karen! how did you store da burger!!! i gotz 2 KNOWWW
This is lies. The slogan “I’m loving it” isn’t that old. So… why wrap it in a new wrapper? I believe thats circa 2003 at the earliest.
There is no way that thing is that old. No mold on the bun? I call BS. Not to mention that you have 0 proof that there is no nutritional value to said burger. It may not meet the specifications of your “educated” opinion but, unless you have a chemical breakdown of this burger, I suggest you stop talking. I’d love to see what the McD’s legal department has to say as well.
But they love my money more than you love me
I can testify to the fact that McDonalds apple pies simply turn completely solid and are otherwise equally well self-preserved.
I would definitely agree that there isn’t anything healthy about McDonalds, but I think it’s pretty obvious this burger was frozen. The amazing part is that she’s been able to freeze it for so long. Now if you want a disgusting shelf life go looking at a twinkie, it’s years and needs no refrigeration.
How strange! I live in Perth, Western Australia, and a friend of mine recently told me about colleague who has an eleven year old McDonalds cheeseburger which she used to use as a prop in health presentations in the late 1990s. Snap! Hers is similarly perfectly preserved, though apparently the cheese has glued the bun to the meat.
Please RTFA before posting. Thanks.
It’s called being biologically active. Which many refer to as “live” enzymes. Heat and other things can kill “live” enzymes which means they are rendered biologically inactive.You can be pedantic, but the fact remains, without biologically active enzymes you are much closer to eating cardboard than real food.Can you tell me the nutritional value of cardboard? It’s all about what your body can use most efficiently to fuel itself. McD’s is not good fuel.
True story. Taking bigger, better cows, and breeding them together makes bigger, better calves. Been doing this for a looooooooooooooooooooooooooooong time, we have been choosing which animals to breed for their desirable traits for millenia upon millenia. Those desirable traits, or any traits for that matter, are a result of many things, mainly genetics. Genetically modifying livestock through selective breedin
I don’t find this horrifying…honey is an all natural food and it’s fine even after a couple of thousand years. One thing does not necessarily mean the other.Monday I had a good day at the casino and treated myself to a rib eye steak aged 15 days. It was mighty tasty.
“There is no nutrition here”.Well, no, you are wrong. Anything with calories has nutrition – that’s what nutrition *is*.Granted, a Maccy’s hamburger doesn’t contain any *healthy* nutrition, but are you sure you are the right person to be lecturing kids about diet choices when you don’t even seem to understand what food actually is and does?
How in a million years can you say that McDonald’s is not American? It proves that when the right product is introduced to the system, by anyone (in this case two brothers), the system will regulate it’s life. People like McDonald’s, and continue to eat it despite the efforts of the anti-capitalist left of this society. You claim it kills people yet for some reason people keep buying and it went from one single store to serving 40+ billion people a day. That is capitalism my friend. It’s actually the epitome of capitalism yet there will always be those who would rather sit at home and watch a hamburger grow mold than actually try at life. The result is a loud minority trying to make things worse for the majority. When they are ignored all they do is try to yell louder and louder.Also I would also like to point out that while people are arguing the overall impact and clarity of this article, it requires a blind leap of faith to assume that the obviously agenda driven author has indeed kept a hamburger for 12 years. She just happened to know 12 years ago that’d she be able to post an article on her precious blog if she only saved the burger. I find this highly suspect and would much rather see constructive uses of our time like actual legitimate research or you know getting one of those things called jobs. Screaming at the wind is hardly helpful to society.
I thought the article was super. You either agree or you don’t, but it does cause one to think… And I agree.The food we eat fuels us – and yes we can get by on quick pre-made meals. but doesn’t your body deserve more?!
This article made me dumber. It’s like watching a developmentally disabled teenager try to explain where babies come from. No, Karen, not the butt.
The burger may have limited nutritional value, but your “article” has even less educational or scientific value. Take one of those disgusting veggie burgers, store it the same way, and see if you get similar results. You probably will, so you can take your original dried-out burger and stick it up your smug, self-rightous arse.
This is the longest blog about NOTHING ever… i loved the “kill your pets Hippy Bitch” part. and btw, those new chicken sandwiches are bomb! Love em in laymans terms!”I like gold, I like showers, i dont see a problem with puttin them together, I’d love a golden shower”- Boondocks lol funny chit
Geesh lady it’s always about you huh? Don’t you just love it when you are trying to have a some-what intelligent conversation with someone and they have to constantly butt in to tell a personal story totally not related to the topic? Oh and for the extreme egocentric people they always have to add how much money they have, how terrific their life is, or HOW MUCH THEY WEIGH!!!!
Correct me if i’m wrong. Mcdonald policy is to throw away food that has been done but not sold after 3 hours. At least they won’t sell u a 12 years old burger. And they hired professionals to evaluate their food. I know it’s bad to consume them everyday but once awhile is definitely ok for everyone.
Who cares it tastes good(not as good as BK Whopper) as long as children get a balanced diet and this as a occasional treat then I don’t see what all the fuss is about, There is such a thing as saying NO to children, Thats the problem today more kids are treated like adults and are given to much choice nowadays, When I was young you eat what was put down infront of you and if you didn’t you went to bed hungry.
I am not pro-hamburger. I have not eaten at Mcdonalds for over six years. So please don’t swing this as me being against your cause. I agree this type of food should not be eaten, but I believe you’re ruining your credibility by making some of the broad, and almost ignorant statements in your article and in your comment replies. First I noticed how you pointed out that the bun ‘mysteriously’ never rotted. The truth here is that the bun has just dried out, and bread that is dry rarely grows any mold, as those who like caeser salad will find out when their bag of croutons lasts years. Bread that is dry will often turn to dust before any mold touches it, since mold needs moisture; and also, I have a friend who used to work at Mcdonalds, and he confirmed that the buns, when not dried out, do mold. Next, the reason why the hamburger itself has unsuccessfully rotted is because it’s loaded with preservatives, not because it’s cloned meat, or has no nutritional value, and also, it likely dried out. I believe you stored it in an open area, because it is known that if you store the hamburger in a closed container, not allowing the moisture to escape, it will eventually rot, but due to the heavy preservatives in it, it will take a very long time to do so. (The french fries on the other hand, will last forever, so possibly this would have been a better example for your experiment?) On another note, the high sodium content would have contributed to it’s lifespan. And unfortunately Mcdonalds, as poor as the food is, does have nutritional value, so your broad extreme one sided statement is false. You should instead be going after the preservatives used, and the high fat and carb content of their food, and how this can, with moderate to heavy consumption, be detrimental to your health.In conclusion, the biggest reason why the hamburger didn’t rot is because you basically allowed it to dry out, a process that would make many natural, preservative free foods last for a long time, or even forever–such as bread and many vegetables and fruits–and the high sodium content, and preservatives, only aided this greatly. You should have used the french fries, because those are a better example, because they won’t even rot in a good mold forming environment. Finally, stating that Mcdonalds had no nutritional value is false; you should emphasize the poor nutritional value instead of jumping to such a broad extreme.I am sorry if I seemed rude. I just think you need to think a little more on how you’ll take on this issue, so you don’t come off as amateurish, and ultimately not thinking things through. I am all for your cause, and only wish you to better convey this to others. Strangely, most of the commentators above criticizing you don’t seem very pro-McDonalds either, they’re just pointing out where you didn’t think things through, and the loss of credibility you take with your generalizing statements. Thanks you for reading.
(Also, cloned meat is post 1998.)
does it taste the same as one from 2008?
McD’s is filthier than FilthyRichmond.com
Oooh, I’m so proud of my burger I keep stored in my air tight container which I parade around to everyone. “Uh oh, not again, is she dragging that burger out again. Geez!”
Well this is all that will be left when the nuclear holocaust comes.One thing though. McDonalds burgers don’t taste the same everywhere. I had one in London, amsterdam and cape town and they all tasted different. Factoid.
I agree, something’s fishy here. I worked at McD’s in ‘96 and we didn’t toast the hamburger buns. What gives?
yeah… i prefer burger king!
bah-dah-bah-buh-buh…..
Im in the process of suing McDonalds for making me fat
I think you are using the rather unremarkable fact the burger still looks like a burger after 12 years as a smokescreen – I eat McDonalds on occasion and am perfectly healthy… the key to good eating is balance, not creating boogeymen where they don’t exist.
incredible, more like unbelievable. I’ve seen a Mcd’s burger left out for less than a week covered in a furry mould and leaking gunk – don’t believe a word of it.
I beg to differ – it’s entirely possible.Otherwise, that “5 Hour Energy” garbage with 8000% the necessary dosage of B vitamins would be great for you, right? Yet, it’s not.Like the other guy said, do some research.
So if I eat a lot of McDonald’s hamburgers, will I live forever? Or just never decompose when I die?
I think all you guys haven’t understood the long term statement here. If you eat McDonalds food you’ll live forever! Just like the food they serve you! THAT’S the whole point of eating immortal food! Eating immortal food makes you immortal!Even if you die by accident your body will stay around forever! Can even imagine the coolness in having an eternal corpse in your living room from someone that ate every day at McDonalds! That’s why you gotta love McDonalds! ;-P
Wow, cool it everyone! I only read a few of the above posts. Leave this poor girl alone! That hamburger is so gross. Thanks for posting this! I can’t eat McDonalds hamburgers…gag. Although, I have to say, a McDonalds Hot Fudge sundae is one of my favorite things. I know it’s all chemicals but it is so good. I bet you could put one of those in a box and it wont even melt in 12 years!
Thanks Sarah and you’re welcome.
Thanks Sarah and you’re welcome.
Watch the movie, Super-Size It!
This is a little bit hard to believe. Why would you put a 2008 wrapper for decoration? Why wouldn’t you have the original wrapper or just display it by itself? That makes it harder to believe. Plus, why would the bun get MORE golden 12 years later? Looks a little fake…
SCARY stuff.
I call bogus. The moisture from this thing would have evaporated long ago and rot or mold would have definitely set into the bread at least unless you treated it somehow with some kind of antibiotic techniques. I do admit the meat may be salty enough to last that long.Also, I take offense at the way you use the words nourish and nutrition in order to scare people. A burger (even mcd’s) has plenty of nutrition, just with a very poor balance towards fat and carbs. And cells do NOT need to be “nourished” or “swaddled” or be read bedtime stories at 8m. They need to be FED, again in the right balance and the right amounts. A MCD’s burger is fine once in a while. Just use common sense and make sure you exercise and eat lots of vegetables and other healthy foods to make up the balance.
Is it just me, or does the old one actually look better?
Eeeew!
Mold will grow on a McD’s burger if kept in, uhhh.. conducive conditions. source: being a total slob
As a former employee of McDonalds i would like to say that they were the cleanest place you could possibly hope to work and they treat their employees great. However, their food is full of herpes, menstrual fluids, and deliciousness.
My question is what does a real burger look like after 12 years? and how do you store the burger do you leave it out in that container on your desk? refrigerate it? keep it in the freezer and defrost it? I think that this would make a difference. To be honest I think the old burger looks better than the new one! Also I think that most people know that McDonalds is not good for you, its just people choose to ignore these things because they are either past that point where there weight and cholesterol has reached the point of know return or for those who simply need a quick cheap meal. I personally don’t frequent the golden arches myself but I will say that I do like their fries and hot mustard sauce its amazing!!!! But its been years since I’ve eaten I like my cholesterol low and healthy myself!
well put I totally was focused on the fact that there was NO comparison!!!! I mean what does other meat products look like after 12 years. But I’m glad you brought up the salt and the reason behind why it last for so long.
Well written!
I think i´m hungry^^ i´m going to eat a hamburger
Dude, true or not true, why do you only reply to the comments that you agree with? And if this is an argument for not eating McDonalds (I suspect I’ve shat out almost all of the Maccers that I’ve eaten over the years) why not, how shall I say it, argue? Why, for example, *hasn’t* it gone off – and in ten years why haven’t you tested it to find out? Why is it bad for me that it hasn’t gone off? I’ve eaten picked onions that haven’t gone off in ten years. It’s because they’re pickled. I’m not desperately ill as a result. Utterly fair play for teaching people healthy eating, and please carry on, and kudos for keeping a dried burger over the years through all the bong induced hunger pangs, when you could have eaten it. It’s a well-deserved “woooooah” but I’m a cynic, and so are most of the young ‘uns that I know; without the science we’ll just be talking about this over our big macs next time.
Well I think that you should teach them about the OTHER choices they have to offer their children and WHY McDonald’s is not good for them. Simply showing them a dried up old burger doesn’t explain very much. I think that you should take notes from this blog and do some further research before you continue your demonstration.
Are people on the net so easily fooled ?Keep bread for a few days …. you think it will still look like that ?Come on …. basic science …. it will turn moldy. and the meat would have rot.No preservatives ? don’t gimme that bullshit.Dont just believe what u see on the net… pple.
Well, it’s easy to try it out.Just buy one and leave it in a box for a month…Better yet, make that 2 – one in an air tight container, the other out in the air.
no wonder it tastes like crap
Thank you, sir, you made me snort an unhealthy diet soda drink up my meat-eating nose.P.
Fantastic! I’m glad you mentioned that this is empty food. All too often people will eat anything and call it food. It’s not food, it merely fills your stomach. I think there is a little nutritional value, but not much. There are a lot of empty calories. Unless you count chemicals as valid calories.you’re a brave one for keeping that burger for so long.
Todd did NOT pick on one minor error to invalidate an otherwise sound position. What he did was to point out one *example* of the cavalier attitude “Mother Earth” has toward her public statements: she uses words she doesn’t understand to allege “facts” that aren’t facts at all based on an expertise which she apparently lacks. I don’t question her good intentions, but I definitely question her professionalism and her credibility and I think that’s the point that Todd was trying to make in his post. P.S. What the heck has the Bible got to do with anything? Just for context, I am a person of faith, but I’m not sure why you think it has relevance here.
This is marvelous! I’m rather intrigued by your perseverance with the preservation of this hamburger. What’s next, another 12 years?
By the way, I’m just a bit curious. Was the hamburger dried or frozen? Kept in warm area or cold? Thanks Karen!!! 
Hey, why the confusion about nutrients etc etc? i think what karen meant about certain foods like McD’s is that for the amount of calories you are going to consume, the ratio of nutrients to calories is just terrible. For example: how about eating 2000 calories worth of snickers bars…or beer. sure you’d have fun doing it! is there some protein?fat?carbs? sure, but most of the calories consumed are EMPTY calories. ultimately, its your choice how you want to use up your calories but personally, i like to eat nutrient dense WHOLE food. Something that was not concocted in a lab that makes my body’s organs work harder to break down, food that was not messed with to make it SHELF STABLE, artificially flavored etc etc. It is sad when you look at modern grocery store shelves in america, we deserve much better than this. in this modern world, we have less nutritious food than our forefathers ever had. Sure, some of these modern “foods” taste great!! that is, if your palate has become accustomed to that sort of “food”. its like when you are so used to eating fake super sugary or super salty foods, real wholesome foods just don’t cut it, and don’t taste right to you bc you’re so used to those chemicals that make fake food taste so INTENSE. That is precisely what those chemicals do….they are so extremely intense in flavor that when you have the “real thing” you may not enjoy or even like it. The very opposite can happen too. when you enjoy the flavors and tastes of REAL whole foods, the fake stuff they sell to you tastes disgusting! look out, there are rules these companies have to follow on their “food” labels. “chocolate flavor” means it was made with high fructose corn syrup, sugar, chemicals, oh yea, and MAYBE some cocoa (doubtful though). You know what they are doing?? they are THINNING OUT your food and STRETCHING the ingredients so they can save money!! its cheaper for them to make it that way! im telling you, the average crack or heroin user does not want watered down drugs filled with fillers!! why are we putting up with this?? do any of you have kids? do you want them growing up on twinkies and doritos and not realizing how truly delicious a real tomato off the vine is? has anyone ever had an apple fresh off a tree? (whole different animal than what they sell at regular stores). Hey look, the food industry is just like any other, they are here to make money, not look out for our well being. Be careful what you consume, and what you buy. I just feel sorry for all those poor factory farmed animals that are not treated like they are living beings, but like they are inanimate objects. But that is a whole other topic maybe for another blog. Peace out.
Thank you, Dave and FetaCheese. I was having issues with the “cloned” and “nutrition” statements, too.geek. (*who avoids gross food products such as those sold at Mc. D’s*)
It’s true, how can you say it’s paranoia? I’ve seen McDonald’s burgers after a few months, and besides being a bit dryer, they look the exact same.It’s disgusting that people eat that crap.
I’m all for boycotting McDonalds, but this argument is pretty bogus.”There is absolutely no nutrition here.” – Can you actually back this up? Just because the burger is “Self Preserving” doesn’t mean it has “absolutely” zero nutritional value. It may not be much, but I’d wager it has some. You should choose your arguments more wisely. Solid facts are more than enough to form a coherent argument in favour of staying away from McDonalds, you don’t have to make up this wishy-washy, un-varified junk. As a poster previously mentioned, it devalues your argument more than anything.This article has absolutely zero scientific fact backing it up. See what I did there?
by skipping all the reasonable arguments and responding only to those posts that support her statement, the author of this entry has lost all credibility. Good luck selling your services.By the way, did you order your 1996 burger with nothing on it or did you scrape off the mayo, special sauce, mustard, and ketchup?
That reminds me of a job I had in the dot-com boom – we kept a twinkie on top of the security camera for years! Aside from some dust, it was exactly the same. Creepy!
This above story is not true. A McDonalds hamburger in my fridge started to disintegrate after 2 weeks when I tried this experiment. I am not arguing that there is little to no nutrition in McDonalds food, which there isn’t, but this is a falsification of the facts.
I completely agree – I think it’s the salt and the trans fats which are supposed to be shelf stable for YEARS. I may be off but I thought in Spurlock’s movie (Supersize Me) he did that experiment and after a few months the hamburger bread did mold (the fries stayed intact). Either way, it’s good to remember that a human body can actually eliminate crap. Yes, it will take longer and put a load on your liver and kidneys, but don’t scare people into thinking it will kill you. It’s definitely a terribly unhealthy choice, and might actually kill your arteries if you eat it everyday, but if you crave it, indulge once every 2 months, you’ll be just fine.
Karen is just a liar
karen lies to get traffic to her pathetic site so she can hire her fatass to her next victimslamedont link to this page , she lies
Also because Crisco is a brand name, and probably not the one used in many cases.”shortening” is the correct term. Though Crisco also makes vegetable oil and probably some other things.
Hi Karen,When you say McDonald’s tastes exactly the same anywhere in the world, you are explaining why it is so successful worldwide. Sometimes you find yourself in a strange place. You must eat something quickly and the restaurants you see don’t look really “reliable” (in terms of hygiene). Then you see a McDonald’s. That’s your lifeboat. You know you will have a warm sandwich prepared less than 10 minutes ago, with an internationally recognized hygiene standard. Believe me, in Latin America countries you can often find yourself in a situation where you would pray to find a good old McDonald’s sing on the corner.It may help to explain its success, doesn’t mean the food is healthy.RegardsAlex
Holy crap that’s…Don’t know, I’m speechless!
pause, yes, give up? absolutely not. (I agree w the agenda driven guy) We don’t eat the crap because we think its good for us, and if anyone does, they’re an idiot.. (kinda like puttin 210 degree coffee between your legs, thats just not smart folks!) we do it because it’s easier than preparing something more nutritious. Anyone that would read any article and give up anything that they enjoy, is an idiot, (unless they’re obese, but in that case, this article isn’t gonna be the thing that makes them give up the things that got them up there in the first place) The purpose of this article, shock and awe, is obvious and that’s a great tactic to get your personal view out there, but should be followed up w some hard simple facts about nutrition that most ppl just really don’t know!!
I don’t see why people are so *aggressively* missing the point being made, that a now 12-year-old hamburger isn’t showing any appreciable signs of decomposition. “Oh, she said ‘chemical food,’ and technically water is a chemical! Ha! What do you think of *that,* health nut?” You’re one of those oh-so-clever guys who mau-maus “organic food” by saying, “Why, what *other* kind of food is there? Ha ha ha, I’m so witty I kill myself!” Yes, yes, you sure are. May I interest you in a hamburger?
This entire post is about as stereotypical parroting that has plagued the activist left for years. There’s nothing new or creative about the accusations being made here, and in fact the arguments make you seem quite ignorant to any questioning minds who don’t already agree with you. There is shock value in the burger image, but you’re hurting the healthy-eating movement more than helping. McDonalds has nutritional value, although a bad one. McDonalds provides a product that millions of americans, the majority of them working poor, enjoy on a daily basis. Instead of flat out denying that it has any worth or value, you should consider focusing on how you could offer what McDonalds offers: quick, cheap food at convenient locations, without slowly poisoning people. If you’re trying to be a cheerleader for people who already agree with you, then bravo; if you’re trying to win hearts and convert minds, you may consider a different approach.
Who is to say that a homemade bun and a home cooked patty would look any different after 12 years?
I’ll give you $5 if you eat it.
I’m glad I stopped eating McDonalds about 15 years ago
last year i did an experiment on witch food decomposed the fastest thus using less preservatives and after looking at your 12yr old burger mine had not alot but it still had mold after i even put it in a ziploc plastic container can you please explain this to me
First off, good for you. Second, thanks for the reminder of how bad the food is. Third, I don’t think there is anything unamerican about this post. When did the golden arches make me an American? For real.Sometimes people have to say bad things to make their bad habits seem better.
When I was first introduced to MacDonny’s as a young child, my mother referred to it as junk food, and that it should be treated as such. ‘Junk’ as most of us know, is another word for garbage or refuse. Whats interesting to me, is how so called intellectuals or educators still waste so much time debating the obvious. I’m glad to hear your teaching about nutrition using stale burgers. Talk about cooking an issue until it is well-done.
If the body can create energy, then every physics book in the world must be wrong. Perhaps you mean the body can utilize the energy stored in the fat, protein, etc.
Option A”You’re an idiot that saves burgers for 12 years (if so your sick!)OPtion B: You’re a moran that tries to foul us with a burger bought in 2008 and you tell us nonsence. !!!!
hamburgers and french fries are never the healthiest choice – be it home made or the mcdonald’s variety.however both have nutrients and fill your hunger.furthermore, mcdonald’s food is just plain delicious.all things in moderation.
Ok, that is interesting. But, I have to wonder. What did you expect? I have never said to myself, “Gee, I need something healthy to eat. Let’s go to McDonald’s” No, I go there sometimes because it’s easy and the food tastes great. I don’t recall on of their ads ever saying something like,”we’re the healthy choice!” No, it’s fast food and anyone who doesn’t get that is an idiot. It’s not supposed to be healthy, it’s only purpose is to taste good when you eat it. If you want something healthy make it yourself but stop looking at fast food to take care of you and stop making them ruin their food by making it healthier. I don’t want them to keep changing their food because a few morons are complaining about their health. Fast food places are supposed to offer you something to eat, fast. That’s it. Healthy has nothing to do with it. Now if they promised healthy food and lied about it that would be a story. But, they never claimed that.
who fucking cares
Food that doesn’t decompose doesn’t necessarily translate into food with no nutritional value. Biltong (a uber South African version of what americans refer to as “beef jerky”) can be kept in cool-dry storage for months, yet retain the salt, protein and fat.Whether or not you find The Eternal Cheeseburger to be “horrifying” or not, the fact remains that the bun contains wheat, the patty contains beef, both are digested upon entry, and the indigestible preservatives will mostly be flushed out of the system eventually.The same, coincidentally, for just about any other food on any other shelf anyway. Being alarmist about it doesn’t change anything.
this is a f*kkin lie, no food will stay like this for 12 year its physically impossible. if it is 12 years old you either put some extremely agressive chemicals in it (definitely stuff that can kill you or make you very sick, so no mc donalds didnt put it in there) or you kept it in a vacuum, but even then it will probably be digested.. anyways I dont buy this for one sec.. you, dear ma’am are a big fat liar. anyways I dont see the point in it, so what if a burger would stay like this for a few years? No nutrition? wanna bet?
“Chemical food” and “absolutely no nutrition”? Are you trying to sound stupid and ignorant? This little demo proves nothing about McDonalds but a lot about you.What a fraud.
I call BS. Sure, there might be a lot of added preservatives, but keeping the meat from rotting outside a freezer for 12 years is a pure lie. And what about the bread, no molds…?”I marvel at how McDonalds has infiltrated our entire world. A hamburger here tastes exactly the same in China or some around the world place. It’s cloned.Makes you wonder doesn’t it?”No it doesn’t. And what do you mean with ‘it’s cloned’? Sounds like more healthy-wellness-vegan-nutrition nonsense to me.
What you wrote makes less sense than a statement you critisised. Calories are exactly a measure of “fuelness” if i may use such neologisms. Calories are measure of energy, which food provides, no matter if its carbs, fats or proteins. (it is just a case of tradition that we rather use calories as a unit to express energetic value of food whereas juls (J) as a measure of energy in physics- they are in SI system) And glycogen is only a storage of energy in muscles, which is used by the body in the first place (rather short time storage), after using it up, body starts taking enrgy from a long term storage, which is fat. Fat in your belly is FAT (lipids), not glycogen. It gets to the crebs cycle in a state of acetyl coenzyme A as far as I remember. Carbohydrates as main, long term energy storage are present in plants, therefore cereals vegetables and fruits.
Funny.. the “bleached white loaf of generic bread” I bought from Target went moldy on my counter in about 5 days, possibly less. Of course moist bread kept in a dark cupboard is going to mold.. that’s just the kind of environment mold likes. Take a piece of any kind of bread, processed or organic, and leave it open to the air on your counter and what do you get? Dried bread that would now be suitable for turning into breadcrumbs.
Whatever these naysayers are whining about, I agree with your *point* 100%. Your scientific method is a bit off, but I completely agree with your scare tactics to show children nutrition, which is key and vital in the American diet- people need to be SHOCKED to start paying attention. I have a friend who ate a 2 year old Twinkie on a dare. There was no discernible difference, taste, or otherwise- between the aged one and one bought that very morning. This is the ‘food’ we’ve been tricked into eating- it is horrific, and a travesty. Again, forget what everyone’s whining about, you’re doing good.
You’re responding to a troll. Teenage boys with nothing better to do haunt teh intarwebz, posting insightful commnts such as “you are a jew” and “lulz 0mg saddam obama is teh commi3!!!11 lulz!!!11″. Get used to it.
Okay. While there might be some logical errors in Karen’s comments, do we all need to freak out over the small stuff? Look at the bigger picture.I know one comment was made amount “Super Size Me”. If any of you haven’t seen it, I implore you to do so. That is only one example of Mc Donald’s food being a poor choice. In fact, I’m a big fan of ‘Super Size Me’, because it actually provides argument for Mc Donald’s food. One guy practically lives off the stuff, and he is perfectly healthy. Go see that, come back and argue the same then.I personally don’t care for Mc Donalds. Especially after the research I’ve done. I’d rather everyone argue valid points rather than belittle every small grammatical error or argument.As for nutritional value, its true that given any piece of food theres going to be some form of nutrition that your body can utilize. However, there is a huge difference in what your body can utilize more efficiently. What will keep you healthier longer. Of course, our bodies can adapt, others can’t. Although nutrition is a science, we don’t know everything yet. Hell, I can’t recall how many times doctors/nutritionists keep saying eggs are bad or good for us. All you can do in the end is choose what is good for you and your diet. Diet – the foods eaten, as by a particular person or group. Not to particularly lose weight, as we normally associate the word.
i do not think that the comment needed to be explained…it was clear that the comment…isnt it? …was clearly made by an idiot ..therefore following readers come to a simple conclusion that u must of missed..or maybe u jes like to clutter the internet with more stupid comments…including this one…all of these blog things are pitiful u guys should all go do something else
What exactly motivated you to decide on a 12 year experiment? PS – Did you ever fear that your children (and/or bears) would find a hidden snack?
the food looks like the cafeteria food we eat
i wonder wat they did sow the meet and bread wont get wrotten
the food looks hella nasti becouse it is roten!!! by jose cobian & roger
omg. tat must b the most disgusting burger in the world
this is extremely nasty!!!!!!
The FOOD LOOKED REALLY GREASY BUT SOMETHING WE LIKED WERE THE PEACHES!!!!=]
You must have seen Fast Food Nation – this reminds me of some of the info in that movie – wow! Thanks for this – we need this information. I stay away from junk food – but now I’ll get even farther away!! Cheers! Bonnie
this is so nasty!!!!
ever so true – i thought that too
I thought the old one looked much more appealling
Most commonly asked question. I kept the burger on a plate in my cuboard, then it went into the sandwich box as shared on my blog, and then into a drawer.
You go Suzanne, my kindof girl!!
Thank you Sommer!
I would not have ever predicted the devotion to the burger, thanks for the agreement and shared point of view
what a crock. oh no its not super healthy, STAY AWAY!!! any of ya’ll want a hamburger?
McD’s says it’s 100% beef.. sure ok?? but WHERE DOES THE MEAT COME FROM, like where was it grown, where was it slaughtered at, what kind and what part of cow did come from, did anyone from the USDA inspect the beef BEFORE, DURING and AFTER it was ground to hamburger?? too many question not enough answers!!lETO
Although I agree that McDonald’s food is probably the worst thing you can put into your body, I find this terribly hard to believe. I worked there as a kid, and when the food was no longer servable (ie. past it’s storage time, closing time) we would throw it into a bin for composting at a later time. By the end of the night the food was pretty rancid. By the next day, you could clearly see molding and the start of the decay process. This may be because there were a lot more bacteria in the bin than any other place, but the food would eventually break down (in a matter of days). This lady saying that this is a burger bought 12 years ago is highly suspect, and in my opinion ridiculous. The point to her story is to not get people to eat McDonald’s food, I agree with that, just don’t make stuff up to get your point across.
Go back to the feature picture. Read the wrapper. The “I’m Loving It” campaign did not start until September 29, 2003. Hmmmmm? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_McDonald%27s_TV_campaigns_and_slogans
Delicious is subjective.Nutritious is optional.Billions and billions served can’t be wrong.You don’t like it – don’t eat it.
what a crock. oh no its not super healthy, STAY AWAY!!! any of ya’ll want a hamburger?
Watch this….proof this article is bogushttp://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=j-ljW5YEdao&feature=related
Well I would like to inject my own 12year old thought on the 1996 hamburger that has not changed.I first would like to comment on everything that I have taken in on this entire rant.From racism to starving childrenI would just like to point out the Jewish community would probably have nothing to do with this, since McDonalds is American.Who needs canned food if the shelf life is so good, save on recycling?Starving children probably are not worrying about a stupid burger, I imagine they would want one no matter what year it came from.”Bible” now that is heavy, won’t even go there.And the people that are health nuts, you are probably ramming your fist in your throat to remain thin, all the veggies and fruits I can eat. But if your parents are fat like mine you are also going to end up being fat no matter what you eat. Believe me I have tried!So that is what I have chose to speak about, how much can be wasted on a topic so stupid about warning parents about what they should feed their childre.When right now they are driving themselves and their children home after a long day at work and the day care; stop by Rotten Ronnie’s and order a children’s meal and a #5 Super sized with a coke and make their way onto the street………WHAM nailed by a drunk driver or held a gun point by some drug addict looking for a 1996 burger to inject into their system……..That is food for thought.
I’m happy that I’m a vegan
With all the emphasis on nutrition and so on nowadays, are you certain that the modern burgers use the same ingredients as he scary scary zombie burger?
fact is, most foods if kept in a cool dry place will preserve well. take a fresh piece of cooked chicken and dry it….and put it in tupperware..and it will look like a piece of chicken for 12 years. mcdonalds food is a choice….and like bubble gum, oreo cookies, doritos and millions of other foods, not something one should consume every day. but damn….a big mac tastes great every once in a while.
Perhaps the limited nutrition in the burger is offset by all the crap in it. While it is true you won’t die of starvation if you eat it, you’ll die of something else. In those countries where starvation isn’t a problem and we have disposable income, healthier choices SHOULD be made, since you aren’t forced to eat this as some starving children in Darfur would be; they of course wouldn’t be forced, but you get my point. McDonalds is bad for you, that is a fact. Moderation is key though, just don’t eat this crap every day and eat healthy the rest of the time and you’ll probably be ok. Whether or not this article is fallacious is a moot point because McDonalds IS bad for you. This person just has an agenda (and in no shape or form does it state there is no agenda, so that is also a moot point.)
All I know, is I would not put this in my body versus a home cooked one, that is also cheap and tasty!
Would you recommend that everyone avoid honey, too? Because it preserves itself, it is “chemical, not real food, no food value”? Because honey survives, totally unchanged, for even longer. Thousands of years! It’s still edible, and it looks exactly the same…just like a McDonald’s burger.I agree that one of those foods is good and one is bad, but “it stays the same” is not a valid reason for either one.
Hi! i’ve just read your note and i like it.In fact, the way the food rottens may vary, it depends on the environment and in the humidty inside the food… but i agree that it’s really odd that a hamburger that is 12 yrs. looks like the one on your pic.I remember when someone told me that McDonny makes the hams somewhere in the world and then it distributes around the world… even to think that i’ll have a meal that is at least 1 week old it’sdisgusting and unhealty for sure! McDonny needs a lot of logistic and planning to make the same thing to all their restaurants.Even worse… McDonald’s promise is to say 100% Beef… i’m not a PhD Mathematics but… they can’t say it’s 100% Beef if they put chemicals, preservatives, or something… not by just saying that the Beef they get is from genetically altered animals (For ANY reason… you are eatting that stuff in your 100% Beef ham) so, is this healty? i’m not an nutritional expert but i can say… NO, it isn’t.I’m a computer specialist, so, i’m always eatting fast food, i feel it’s a big problem, since that companies never thinks to the real needs of their customers… they just want to earn money, even if they poison us in the roadway… no matter, we are just a lot of statistics for them!It’s odd to think that a meal can preserves that way, it’s even odder to think that a stuff like that are good for any life-form… and even odder is to attack someone who tells us something that everyone MUST already know, the fastfood enterprises uses strange things as meals, they don’t care if that stuff is good for you… they care that you are satisfied and comeback later to buy other meal… that’s it! Wake up! for them, we are just statistics!!If you don’t care Mother Earth, i’ll put a small reference on my website to this article, and i’ll translate it to spanish.See ya!
This propaganda is a wasyed attempt. You only have a current McDonalds burger to compare it too. What happens to a burger bought from a butcher, cooked and kept for 12 years? Guess I’ll have to wait 12 more years haha. What a waste.
so did you eat it afterwards?
cool, but they taste so nice so what does it matter.
I’m sorry, i just don’t believe this one. it smells like a massive hoax. mcdonalds uses grade a beef, theres no reason to use anything like a preservative, its FAST FOOD!! you know how fast mcdonalds runs through its supplies? there is no need for preservation, its cooked and gone in no time at all. preservatives would be throwing money down the drain and even a greedy corporation isn’t stupid enough to do that. and what kind of moron leaves a burger in a plastic box for years anyways.
Do you know how good a hamburger like this tastes? Doesn’t matter how it will look in 10+ years, it has a nice taste, that’s all that matters. If we wanted food value we would eat things like lettuce …
Frankly, I am not sure I buy the photos either. In the end, if an informed once-over of the McDonald’s Nutritional Information sheet and a basic understanding of diet and health issues should be enough to scare most people. Unfortunately, most people either don’t understand the value of nutrition and/or are addicted. A scary picture might turn a few of them, but not many. Heart disease and difficulty breathing might do it though…maybe. Maybe not.
Of course it is easy to fake this…But I still believe. Mc’D is quite chemical yeah :S
To me this only proves that obviously there’s quite a bit of chemicals in McDonalds burgers. However, I find nothing that supports the idea that it could not be nutritious food at the same time. Could you explain how you can draw this conclusion?
Some major flaws in your argument. a) Not keeping the original wrapper and then have a photo on a modern wrapper means most will instantly dismiss this as rubbish. b) McDonald’s burgers have changed significantly since 1996. You have conveniently forgotten that until Burger King did their “contains 100% beef” campaign, McDonald’s did not. So the condition of a 1996 burger does not reflect the condition of a modern day McDonald’s burger as they’re not the same. c) Saying a McDonalds burger has no nutritional value is pure fantasy. When you got the wrapper for your 2008 buger you should have noticed the nutrion information leaflets or checked online. A quick check tells me that a McDonalds hamburger has 250 calories, 14 grams of protein, 30 grams of carbs, 8 grams of fat, 3 grams of fibre and 1.2 grams of salt. By your reckoning these values should all be 0. Had you had a sensible argument about what sorts of preservatives McDonald’s use to stop their food going off and what effect they can have on us then maybe you wouldn’t have so many negative posts.
I call bullshit.
I worked for mcD’s for 7 years, and whilst i was there thousands of buns were thrown away because them grew mold so quickly. I’m not defending the company as they screwed me around no end, but i find it hard to believe that the bun could be 12 years old. Have you ever acutally looked at what goes into the burger? because it seems to me that you are pushing the whole “fast food is bad for you” purely because your a Nutritional Consultant. If you actually looked at what the burger is made of i think you’d very quickly shut up. No Mc’ds isn’t a bowl of bloody salad, but it’s not as bad as narrow minded people like you keep trying to tell the rest of the world it is.
It may be preserved from the amount of salt in it but that does not mean it has no nutritional value when fresh. Pioneer men ate dried beef jerky when fresh meat was scarce. Salt is a natural preservative. Red meat is packed with necessary B vitamins. Just look at the increase in the number cases of multiple sclerosis with people decreasing the amount of red meat they eat. No one is going to eat a 12 year old hamburger for the nutritive value.
“Het is bijzonder hoe onze planeet is ontstaan, en hoe er zich leven kon ontwikkelen. Zonder die kleine onzuiverheden in het begin, vlak na de oerknal, waren er nooit sterren ontstaan. Zonder de sterren waren er nooit grote atomen ontstaan waarmee iets gebouwd kon worden. Dan waren er nooit meteorieten en planeten gekomen. Als er in het brok aarde geen radioactief verval was geweest en als er geen bombardement had plaatsgevonden van meteorieten op de aarde, dan was de temperatuur nooit zo gestegen dat onze planeet vloeibaar werd en dat alle zware elementen naar de kern waren gezakt. Dan was er geen beschermend magnetisch veld ontstaan. Zonder geleidelijke afkoeling was er geen korst ontstaan waardoor gassen konden ontsnappen.Er was geen atmosfeer geweest met koolzuurgas die de warmte vasthield. En met zoveel waterdamp dat het miljoenen jaren regende. Dan waren er nooit oceanen gevormd waarin zich leven kon gaan ontwikkelen. En in dat geval was er ook geen zuurstof geweest. En als het leven zich niet had ontwikkeld, was er niet alleen geen zuurstof geweest, maar ook geen ozonlaag. En had het leven nooit het land op kunnen kruipen. De dinosauriërs waren weggebleven en ze waren dus ook niet uitgestorven. Dan waren er geen zoogdieren geweest, dan waren wij er niet geweest en had ik dit nooit opgeschreven.Het hangt af van de wijze waarop je naar de dingen kijkt. Je kunt je verbazen over die kleine onzuiverheden die de ontwikkeling van het heelal zo stuurden dat uiteindelijk de mens ontstond. Je kunt ook zeggen dat het allemaal gewoon toeval was. Maar als het slechts toeval was, dan toch wel een fantastisch toeval.”
Hey.. how can I know it’s not fake? Do you have the receipt??
imagine that, mcdonalds is bad for you…
You know, Honey (natural, not the one you buy in the market, i mean the hard one) doesn’t go bad and it has high nutritious value, why?BTW, i’m not defending Mc Donald’s in any way…
Go eat your fucking sprouts.
“Wellness Educator”?You write like a 4th grader. What education have you had? Your sentence structure is awful, your grammar poor. Your claims are less than believable; while it may not be optimum, there is definite nutrition in McDonald’s food, as proved by the USDA. Exactly what do you mean by “cloned”? That statement gives the false impression that McDonald’s uses meat that comes from cloned cows, which is untrue.Your “experiment” is pure junk science. People of course would do themselves a favor and keep fast food to a minimum, and make better choices.Your silly scare tactics presented in such a juvenile way only hurts your cause.
O.K. So each to his/her own. We all have a free choice. eat um or leave um!!
i will def. think twice about what goes into my body…i am trying to eat healthier, also drink alot more water as i love my pepsi, can def. eat better than this
I think you need to do this exact test with a non-McDonald’s Hamburger. I haven’t fully bought into the whole “organic, vitamin, mineral don’t poison your body with that stuff” theory. Staying healthy has just as much to do with diet as with nutrition. It’s the sedentary American lifestyle that’s killing us. Human’s survive on Calories. I believe the perfect diet is a good diet is a balance of protein and carbohydrates along with certain amount of vitamins, minerals and fiber. Have you heard about the diet of Michael Phelps? 12,000 calories a day! And it’s NOT health food by any means. This is a perfect example of how the human body using food simply as fuel. Yes it needs vitamins/minerals etc. But caloric intake and a healthy amount of exercise is most important to staying healthy.
Dear Karen, I think you are on to something Big(Mac)here. Scientists have been trying for years to discover how the Egyptians embalmed Pharoahs to preserve them for eternity. Is it possible the Egyptians had the first Whopper? For some reason though, the Pharoahs didn’t live very long.
I can’t believe that some will buy into this crap. There isn’t a shred of proof anywhere that this is even real. If i was going to make an argument like this i would make my case idiotproof, but thre isn’t a single photo of that hamburger in the middle of it’s aging process.
I pretty much stopped eating at ” Mctomaines” “BurgerDeath” “Blendys” “Blight Castle” ect years ago, except for the occasional visit when I was very hungry and they were convenient. Not really due to nutritional standards, but because it seems you eat, but are hungry again very quickly. Besides, most “greasy spoon” restaurants are less expensive andfar better tasting, and the food stays with you longer. Most fast food is “slider” food, it slides right in, and slides right out.
Does anyone ever call you KOOK? Just wondering.
Dear Karen,What about the bread?…it’s not rotten either…is the bread also from 1996?…or it was just put there for the picture, as well as the paper?.Did you kept it (the burger) in your freezer or outside the fridge?…that’s very important.Greetings,D.
How about you just shut up and let us eat what we want to eat. It’s great that you want to be healthy but personally I find fast food delicious, and hey ya wanna know how not to get fat from eating it? Walk.
Do you put it in the fridge, or just stored it at room temparature? Just showed my 13 year old daughter and hubby, my daughter is fascinated by the lack of mold and other signs of decay. She wants to start her own. She hates McD’s and has been trying for a year to get her friends to stop eating there. She wants to know hoe to go about it.
Now eat that Stale burger and listen to latin music…. (The burger will turn your stomach though)http://www.BachataRadio.com
The slogan “i’m lovin’ it” was definitely NOT used in 1996. It was not used until around 2003.Check your facts before posting nonsense.
i belive it …there was a sonic oinion rig in the back of my truck & it looked pretty tasty for 2-3 years!
i have eaten food that looks the same after 2000 years,its called corn! that evil food of satan!(sorry if that was stated before, nine long pages of comments was a little much for me!)that being said, i feel like im eating the same burger everytime i go to Mceasytohate… its like theres a star trek replicator in back and it just keeps popping out the same burger! augh!
That person was replying to another person who said they weren’t going to eat McDonald’s again because their smoothie separated and when they mixed together again it had the same consistency. She was implying that only McDonald’s shakes do that and that automatically makes McDonald’s shakes worse than other shakes, which is completely asinine.
I find this very hard to believe. I think she went out and got 2 burgers at 2 different MC’D. Then made this up storie to fell important. Even food in a fridg spoils and gets fuzzy. The buns may look the same but bread goes bad as well, so I see this as a person who just want some attention, who knows maybe she works at some of resturant and is saying crap about MC’D so no one will there and MC’D will close. Who knows she maybe even work for them at one point in her life and then she got the boot. MC’D as been around for along time,so all this CRAP she is saying I don’t believe it and will continue EATING at MC’D. Why are you singling out MC’D. WHY?? You have a case of the ASS towards MC’D. What about KFC,Burger King,Long John Silver,Chic-fil-a,Pizza Hut,Hardee’s,and other type of reaturants. See what their food does. So this why I think it is all Crap and she has a boner to pick with MC’D. I don’t care what anyone thinks,everyone has had their saying and now I’m having my saying.
I have worked for the outstanding Golden Arches for over 20 years. I assure you that we use 100% USDA grade “A” beef. We flash freeze our meat to ensure that all of the juices are kept inside until it is cooked. This article is ridiculous and only targets McDonald’s because it is a worldwide known icon. Do this test with staples bought in your local grocery store & you will DEFINATELY find that MANY foods do not perish. This article is false & unbelievable. Karen, lock yourself in your “green” home, eat your tofu and organic crap & leave the great 55 year old business to doing what they do best. They provide a great service to millions of people everyday and every single one of those individuals have a CHOICE in what they eat. If you don’t like it, then move to a farm, grow your own food, process your meals yourself and live in your screwed up, sheltered world. Peace, love & happiness you kook!
…prove it.
Do you really think that is really a 12-year-old burger? It coincidently had the 2008 wrapper under it for “decor.” It may have been a picture of a 1-week-old burger instead. Who knows?
This person is a load of crap. I’ve had many a burger forgotten in the fridge and the bun molds the meat yes I said meat shrinks and smells really bad.
You, and FetaCheese below you are the first commenters to state the obvious.Yes, it is probably chemical preservatives, rather than it’s lacking in nutritional value. However, this observation of a 12 year old hamburger, if true, cannot be dismissed so easily. Ms. Hanrahan has indeed injected her predisposition into this article, but if she is not lying about this hamburger, we not only need to know how this could be, but why. I, personally, avoid Mickey D’s. It’s not a philosophical thing, I just find that I feel sickened by the time I’m halfway through the meal.There’s a reason, and I don’t claim to know what it is, that McD’s hamburgers make me wanna puke. Obviously, this is anecdotal evidence, based on personal experience. But, I know what I know. These foods are full of chemicals that you would not feed to your children, if you knew about them. Again, anecdotal, based on personal experience.Ex; Have you ever seen a McDonald’s employee, on lunch break, eating McDonald’s? I haven’t.
If that burger really is 12 years old, and preserved in a sealed container, it is no different than beef jerky. Burger King is the worst.
There’s only one problem to this supposed real burger, McDonalds didn’t use the the “I’m lovin’ it” advertising slogan till 2003, which would make it a bit impossible to be a burger from 1996. But let’s not let the actual truth get in the way of your 15 minutes.
I am so glad I have become a TRUE vegan ! And to believe I used to poison my body weekly as a kid with this junk. It’s horrifying at what the industry is doing(marketing) today, and helping to give us a boost with our S.A.D diet ! How pathetic that many fall for it, knowingly, and worse yet, willingly ! As I used to too!
this is true. in my school 3 yrs ago we did a experiment for health class on mcdonalds french fries, and do our whole classes disgust the fries preserved themselves for the whole year, i’m not saying that the 12 yrs is cmpletely true but its true of how many perservatives are in the food.
lol exactly mcds doesnt do anything but make u fat and lazy. its a heart attack on a bun. i hope u enjoy ur mcds.
I think you are full of it. I am a McDonalds Employee, and was back in 1996 as well. The meat is as much the same as it was 12 years ago. Completely spoilable! There is NO possible way it would have stayed with the buns for twelve years in a rubbermad container. Try being more realistic with your lies!! YOU ARE A PHONY!!
LIES, THERE IS NO WAY THE BODY DOEN’T GET SOMETHING FOR IT –PEOPLE ARE OVERWEIGHT FROM FOOD LIKE THIS-TWO-I TASTED FOOD FROM MCDONALDS OVERSEAS AND IT TASTE IS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT-THE MEAT COMES FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE–IF PEOPLE BELIEVE THIS YOUR NUTS
I agree. We can buy meals at the grocery store with more calories/fat than the McDonald’s hamburger. If you look at the paper under the burger, the nutrional information is printed on there. You can find the information at McDonalds.com also. Just because they are “McDonald’s” and the giant in the fast food industry, they are always the one being “picked” on about nutrition. You are correct in this article is looking for the “Shock” value, not to inform you about nutrition. Do you homework and make healthy choices. This is one company that has tried to inform the public of their choices, it is not their fault if you make the unhealthy ones. Again, you can make even more unhealthy choices at the grocery store, but no one is beating up on them.
Also I know a person who lost 30 pounds eating only McDonald’s just to prove the guy was full of B.S. (which coincidentally is natural) and to get slimmer for his wedding day. Want to know how he was able to accomplish this? He exercised daily, he didn’t just eat the burgers and fries (they offer salads (with NATURAL Newman’s OWN DRESSING, apple wedges with low fat caramel dipping sauce , low carb wraps, a fruit and walnut salad, and bottled water there too. They also have a grilled chicken sandwich for days you just have to fries so the day isn’t a total wash, low fat chocolate and white milk and in one location he frequented they had soups like broccoli cheddar ) McDonald’s isn’t necessarily bad for you, its unhealthy eating habits that make you fat. If you eat every item on the menu (as the guy did in super size me did) of course you aren’t going to be healthy. That proves nothing. Its exercise, portion control, and healthy eating choices that make you fit, REGARDLESS OF WHAT YOU EAT. Also I’m not going to point all the flaws with your little old hamburger theory because I think everyone else summed it up nicely.
Thats so nasty and of course right before i read this i was at mcdonalds! thats so disgusting
that is so disgusting!! i haven’t eaten mc.Donald’s since i was like 5. (about 10 years ago). I truly believe it. Thanks for doing this. hopefully those people who eat this “food” will stop!
Yep, I agree. The mold sets in quite quickly. Ever watched the experiment that was part of Morgan Spurlock’s “SuperSize Me”? Those burgers were moldy in 2 weeks, and fully rotted at 10 weeks. See yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSHaZIOk9nYListen, we all know that a McDonald’s burger is probably not the healthiest food item to eat. The problem with many extremists / crusaders is that instead of relying on the facts, they clearly try and manipulate or exaggerate things that aren’t true. Is this really a burger from 1996? I might believe it if it had been vaccuum-packed, frozen and thawed just before the picture. But again, that would be a distortiono f facts. Karen is implying that the burger in the picture has been sitting out in the open for 12 years.I have no reason to believe anything further posted by this user.
Very interesting! Anyone who has doubts should watch ‘Supersize Me’.
Super genius, the comment you replied to was directed at the other great mind above who decided that because a shake separated it was automatically horrible for you. The shake is probably awful for you, but the comment you attacked made a valid point….all mixtures will separated if their components have different densities. Thank you come again.
If this artical has any value, Why have a lot of School District Nutritionalists santioned these in the Cafetaria??
ahhh who cares? theres way more important things to worry about than McDonalds hamburgers,
I Just Ate A McDonalds Cheeseburger The Other Day And Guess What It Was Banging Come On Now How Do We Know When She Bout That Burger If It Was Still In 1996 Wraping Then Ok But She Put The 2008 Behind It For Effect Yeah Ok And Im Brad Pitt You Bought Them Both At The Same Time They Just Look Different Deal With It
Are you all so ignorant to fall for this woman’s b.s.? If you believe this, then send me all your money or you will die tomorrow!!! Where’s the proof the burger is 12 years old??? In a world of gimmicks, why are so many fools still believing anything some one can construe to make a few bucks?
I don’t really see a problem. As long as you don’t eat one of these everyday, you won’t have a huge imbalance of bad chemicals. Do you have any idea of how long beef jerky can last? And that stuff is “natural” with only a few ingredients in it.I think your a bit paranoid. We all have to die someday, why waste more money for organic foods when you can simply regulate your diet?
I simply don’t believe this. I agree that our society would be much better off with healthier choices, but I don’t believe that this burger is 12 years old. Even if the salt content were to preserve it for quite sometime (and they are FULL of salt) the burger would shrink and harden as it dehydrated. I feel that this woman has an agenda other than just nutrition education for our young people, and that her task would be more efficient if she spoke only the facts, without her opinionated embellishments.
If you ever have an unwanted guest at your house, you know what to feed them!
McTubby up there doesn’t look like a “granola cruncher”.
Your clain that Mcdonald’s food is unhealthy is totally wrong. If you think Mcdonald’s food is unhealthy you must not purchase any food from your local grocery store. You are trying to imply that there are preservatives or chemicals in the food but if you really knew anything about the raw products that go into a McDonald’s hamburger you would see that your assumptions are wrong. Nothing but 100% pure beef in the burgers and the bun is no different than one that you would bake if you had the desire to do so. As far as your statement that McDonalds sells cloned burgers, what is relly being done is people are preparing food following strict procedures and guidlines. When a car company makes their cars are they cloning them or are they simply doing their job and making a product for a consumer. If you are not a fan of McDonald’s that’s fine but don’ttry to turn other people off because of your biased feeling or opinions.
“absolutely no nutrition”oh come on. A Twinkie has SOME tiny bit of nutrition. A bag of potato chips. To the degree water and sugar is necessary to your diet, a can of soda does too.This hamburger and its bun has some amount of protein. That is nutrition. Both or either/or has some amount of other vitamins and minerals, even if in tiny amounts. This is something of a gimmick. The no nutrition part is simply false. The food is unhealthy enough to be able to avoid making things up.
I bake bread on a regular basis, and have for over 20 years and can tell you that is NOT a 12 year old bun. Regardless of any chemicals put in breads they mold, even if you keep them the fridge. As for the burger, I doubt it’s age as well… McDonalds is not a way of life, it’s just fast food.
nice slap a piece of cheese on there and throw it in the microwave for a minute yummy
Well, I think she must store it in a freezer or something because of that morgan spurlock movie – 30 days. Where he ate nothing but mcdonalds for 30 days. They did a similar experiment in which the only mcdonalds food that did NOT mold or eventually rot was the fries. Each burger (and i cant remember if they had a plain hamburger atm) rotted, and they had, i believe, 5 other sandwiches, which even if they had no hamburger, why wouldn’t the hamburger rot if all of the others did. So no, I think there was some other type of preservation used on this burger, probably un-intentional, but never-the-less something.
I dont believe this for a second, I use to work there and I know what a Mcdonalds burger looks like after 24 hours and that is not it, besides the bun hasnt even grown mold, this is bullshit
OMG COOL IMMA EAT A HAMBURGER.
If you have kids who eat in the car after a fast food drive thru trip – give it a couple months, then clean out from under your seats. Amazing how well a burger and fry retain their color and shape – under a car seat, must retain even better locked in a rubbermaid container. I believe!!
The old one looks tastier then the fresh one.
I don’t understand why the bun does not have mold on it. I can see that they probably add preservatives to the meat, but does McDonalds have a special bun factory too?
it looks like the one I’m eating right now, can I have yours when I finish mine? And where is the ketchup, mustard and little bitty onions? Did you clean it, or did you order a plain burger? Do you think the ONIONS are real? I’m going to get me another one……..we’re eating PEOPLE!!!
Where did you see this burger? laying out in the open air..I beleive that she said she had it stored( freezer) perhaps. But I would have to agree with you that scietifically it is inpossible. Maybe not the meat, but the bun itself would have molded and shriveled up to nothing. UNLESS, it was put on dry ice, or froze below sub zero temperatures. However it was done I am finding it hard to beleive that this is the same burger purchased 12 years ago, where is the proof such as the wrapper and the bag that it came in.There were several things that would have validated this claim, but to no avail none were documented.
i agree with u there unlike the burger i am sorry but bread does get fungus on it after agingno matter the storage grew up around my grandfathers farm seen alot worse ,,,yet the bun cannot be that old without fungus
I do not believe Karen wrote this blog or kept a McDonald’s Hamburger for 12 years so People could fight and act ignorant on her website. You are doing a great thing Karen, by teaching people what to eat and what not. Thanks!
im sure some of them starving kids wouldnt be concerned of the “nutritional value.” Instead of wasting time carrying this around and calling out MCd’s, how about set up a food drive in your local neighborhood?
First I’d like to say that I’m not a fan of McDonald’s, but will on a rare occasion indulge in a chicken sandwich. I’m not here to bash on the site, but i find it hard to believe that the burger is from 1996. It would lend more credence to your story if you had documented it with photos over the years, and kept its originally wrapping. Also, although the food at McDonald’s isn’t very nutritious, is is an outright lie to say that a cell can derive no nourishment from it. After all, it takes certain chemicals for your body to function. Sodium chloride and hydroxic acid may sound like harmful chemicals, but without these compounds known as common table salt and water, like could not exist.
Hmmm I get that the burger may be awful and could possibly go a few years without molding but the bread? I don’t believe that the bun wouldn’t mold.
Yes, very incredible…considering the fact that you purchased both burgers with absolutely nothing on them. Or is that your version of a controlled experiment. Most red meat, once cooked, remains unchanged for quite a long time. The exception is the meat becomes drier. Is it possible that very fact was discovered centuries ago? They smoked, cooked, salted and dried meat to make it last for a very long time. Add the ketchup, mustard, onions and pickles to your experiment (as that is the norm) and tell us the results of keeping that burger unpreserved. The buns are baked locally and, unless kept in a humidity-free environment, will mold and decay like any other bread.
I have to admit my family does visit mcdonalds from time to time. and althugh i have always enjoyed their food. i find the tast doesn’t please me as much as it did when i was young. does anyone have an idea of what may be in these burgers?
I don’t believe her. I think she has an agenda, and will do what it takes to reach her goal. I think she bought it not long ago or she stored it in a deep freeze.
I believe every word and photo about the hamburger. I did the same thingplus their french fries and after 6 years I finally tossed it; but it lookedjust the way I bought it 6 years previous. They were petrified in my estimation and certainly would not do you any good.
well, at least it looks still edible,i would rather be stranded on an islandwith burgers that still looked good after a while, than with food that looks disgusting.
I reached your site from AOL.com. The article said that you had a 12-year-old McDonald’s hamburger that hasn’t decayed. My expectation was that I’d see a burger slathered with ketchup, mayo, lettuce, tomato, cheese with the burger and bun.All I saw was the burger and the bun.I’m sorry, perhaps you don’t have bbqs in Queens, but you can dessicate (dry-out) a hamburger bun very quickly. Heck, to make fresh bread crumbs you dry-out old bread. Once it’s dried, you can stick it into a bag and the bread will look the same way until you grate it. You can similarly dry-out a burger turning it into a dried out slab of beef. Without moisture, and having been cooked to the point of being totally dried-out, there’s little left to actually decompose.You really haven’t proved anything.
if ur going to give McDonalds out to starving children for free( which several of you ppl trying to down on the author are doing) why dont you try opening something better than mcdonalds so they dont get blood pressure and diabetes. THey would still get nutritional value, even better nutritional value, and u would be doing them a much better favor than getting them either fat or dead. Thats what McDonalds should do. I would rather pay the extra three dollars for an actual burger than a one dollar stroke on a bun. Great article btw. I had my doubts bout McD and now i am reassured about them. Thanks!
Super genius, the comment you replied to was directed at the other great mind above who decided that because a shake separated it was automatically horrible for you. The shake is probably awful for you, but the comment you attacked made a valid point….all mixtures will separated if their components have different densities. Thank you come again.
No, it’s all from 1996. Not just the patty, the whole hamburger….
wtf!!!! How many fuckin times does this lady have to say that she is going to change the article where it says “not fueling cells”. U are telling her that she is uneducated and shit, but you cant even read previous posts. Stop downing everyone who trys to help you. Just because you dont give a shit about what goes into your body doesnt mean that you have a rtie to say that she should shut up. You people make me sick!
…..I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to call “Shenanigans” on this until I physically see the actual burger in question.I mean, yeah, the food at Mickey D’s is generally crap, and I stay away from pretty much all of it –with the exception of the fries– but…Karen, I honestly want to believe you, I really do, but something about this isn’t ringing true. Yes, I have to agree that the “meat” is no longer “meaty goodness” (to use a term from “Invader Zim”), but that bun is still bread. To have a bun of any kind for over twelve years and it not get moldy is…well, shenanigans.I respect you, I respect what you do, the class, the teaching and so forth, but I really would like to see some heavy scientific analysis on this sucker. I would suggest taking it to Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman, but I’m not sure what kind of “food for thought” it would be for the “Mythbusters” television show.There’s a phrase out there: “Don’t believe everything you read on the internet.” (A lot of this applies to Wikipedia as well…mostly.) And, frankly, I’m not buying it 100%. All I have for proof is your words and a bunch of pixels on a screen. I’m a major believer (hell, I believe part of my house is haunted, or has some kind of supernatural activity), but seeing this just fills me with skepticism.And questioning. What –and I know this would be extremely dangerous to do– what would happen if the ‘96 burger were eaten? Or even a part of it?
let me share my wisdom those who are indecisive on wether to eat or not to eat MCDs.i worked in MCDs before and my husband is a manager at the store and the only thing i eat from there is the icecream,bottled water,and occasionally french fries.my husband eats food i cook from home when he goes on break.if your family constantly eats at MCDS it just shows you to lazy to cook..sad.instead of spending money buying fastfood spend that same money on buying cookbooks Ha
riiiight and the trees are made of gumdrops,loolipop for flowers,let skip down da yellow brick road with willy wonka,dat happiness i would want it cloned many times too!
mcdonalds meat is 100% beef though, so how is it any different than other hamburgers…..even if it is so bad it taste so good… tell me of something healthy that taste as good and ill eat it instead
i forgot to add to my comment “something that taste as good that is just as cheap”…
Who gives a crap? Food that dries quickly will preserve well. A piece of dried fruit will look the same in twelve years, too! Nobody ever claimed McDonalds sold health food. A doubt eating a quarter pounder every once in a while will hurt anyone, get over it.
That’s not a 12 year old burger, that’s one you bought yesterday. Even if [theoretically] that burger didn’t decompose in 12 years, then the BUNS would. Also, just like that commenter James, I too have seen a one week old McDonalds hamburger and it had a furry white mold growing all over it. Look, I understand that you’re trying to make a point about Big Macs being unhealthy (I haven’t eaten a burger of any kind in over a decade, so I’m not being biased), but you really don’t need to exaggerate.
What’s your point, so they age well…eat me…
I doubt that most hamburgers from Mc Donalds or elsewhere would last 12 years without at least showing mold on the bun and shrinkage of the meat patty.It is a fraud!
I do not belie the stpore about a 12 year old hamburger, unless it was frozen..There is no way that,even a chemically laden MICKEY DEES would still be in this condition. All bread gets moldy, as well. I am very anti MC DONALDS and other fast foods, but on the other hand, I do not like un truths.
I don’t think I will be taking my children to Micky D’s anytime soon! I have always felt it was pretty disgusting, now I have proof! Thanks
What in the world does religion have to do with ANYTHING about this article? you say “she’s a Jew, I say you’re either a facist or a skinhead and I cannot imagine ANYONE at all who revels in your response! How insulting to the time & effort put into this article by the writer. Go climb back under the rock from which you emerged!
This makes me want a McDonalds burger! I dont care if it doesnt mold. They taste good! I will probably eat more now because I know it isnt going to e stale!
the McDonald’s where i work at purchases there bread from holsum bakery are you saying if i purchased bread from that same bakery it would stay good for 12 years and not mold??? I think not, you can not tell me that the sandwich container you used would keep bread from molding for 12 years. If so maybe you should go into that business instead of slandering McDonald’s
There was only one thing good that ever came out of McDonalds. In 1977, I met a brown eyed cutie and we have been married ever since. By the way, all the meat I eat in my home is either venison or buffalo. As a native American, I choose to live as my ancestors did and they did pretty good until the Eupropean came and polluted that land and our bodies with thier food. Motto of the story, go shoot a rabbit, deer, buffalo, turkey, quail, or even a beaver for that matter and eat it. It will do a body good.
I watched Super Size Me and the hamburgers on the special features menu that the man kept aged differently then this hamburger, so I will be honest I partially have my doubts, but then again he perserved them in a jar. The only thing that didn’t change in the jars that he kept was the french fries. McDonalds is very unhealthy but unfortunatley it is an American Icon that won’t go away. If you can get children to eat healthier by showing them this then by all means go for it. If you can get adults to eat healthier by showing them then keep on going. But a good thing to show would be the french fries. Because they NEVER change.
the claims that the supposedly 12 year old hamburger “preserved itself” are false, the person that calls herself mother earth has in fact lied about how old the hamburger is.
save the earth,it’s the only planet that has beer!!
Sadly, your friend makes your story a little less credible due to the fact that the paper on the old burger is that of the new era “im loving it” I’d ditch her if I were you.I love mcdonalds burgers, fries and milkshakes. I dont eat it everyday- and I definitely dont eat it anticipating a rush of vitamins and nutrients. It is a treat for me and my family- it tastes good too! 12 years- 12 minutes– its all good to me.
just to let you guys know…i’ve cooked a burger a grill that i’ve made with my own 2 hands from ground meat i bought at the grocery store and found it in my kids room 8 months later(still on the plate under their bed of all places) and it looked the same as when i cooked it…only it was rock hard (maybe a little dehydrated?)…i don’t think anyone in this country goes to McD”s thinking that they’re eating healthy by eating there…McD’s is just a filler, nothing else
THAT IS SO DISGUSTING!!! I’ve always hated McDonald’s, but this tops it off. Their chicken already tastes like fatty, greasy rubber, and i gagged the last time i had one. But this proves that you shouldn’t eat their “food”. Period. If you’re in a hurry, get something better than McDonald’s!!! (It can’t be that hard because anything and everything is better than that…)
That is really crazy. As to whether or not it is really from 1996 or not, we cannot be sure. There is no proof. BUT, I would not be at all surprised. McDonald’s burgers, in my opinion, should have a label posted on every burger that says WARNING: NOT FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION. (Or even a surgeion General’s Warning or something.) Whenever I go to Mickey-D’s I get a salad. =]
Yummers!! If you have co-workers you don’t get along with, try this for fun: Eat one Big Mac and one Large Fries. Wait 1/2 hour, then go stand next to them and let one rip!! Good Times!!
sry, i cant believe it – what about a photo of the origin bill?
i’m not a big fan of fast food, but this seems sort of fake to me.cause even there’s not anything healthy in a burger … but its simply meat and wheat. and the meat must be rotten after some weeks. but hey: good joke man. for some seconds i nearly believed your story 
I did an experiment just to prove she was wrong! i bought a McD burger and within 1 week mine was molded she is a liar and anyone who chooses to beleive her is worse then her… she is insulting everyones intelligence trying to make people believe this crap
I’m a US Navy veteran, and I was discharged in 1996! We had a saying in the Navy: “It makes a turd”, that sums up McDonald’s “food”. Great article!!
I hope McDonalds sues her, she has no proof the burger is 12 years old, and then she changes the wrapper to 2008 wrapper. If it was 12 years old where is the wrapper from back then that it came in, so much hype, typical scam. People like this spill coffee on themselves and sue.
ur very ignorant
THIS IS RIDICULAS….HAVEN’T YOU SEEN SUPERSIZE ME WITH MR. HOLGAN AND THE FAST FOOD EXPEIREMENT…IF NOT YOU CAN WATCH IT ON YOUTUBE SEARCH FAST FOOD
What in the world does religion have to do with ANYTHING about this article? you say “she’s a Jew, I say you’re either a facist or a skinhead and I cannot imagine ANYONE at all who revels in your response! How insulting to the time & effort put into this article by the writer. Go climb back under the rock from which you emerged!
Where was this BURGER stored? I would imagine a freezer?? That is incredible!! Who knows how MCDONALDS meat is really processed???
This is crazy! If McD’s hamburgers are so unhealthy, how can they be so delicious?
Crazy. We could save all kinds of different food we eat for a lot of years and come up with the same. This isn’t so incredible. Some compounds in food just happen to mesh very well together and can withstand the test of time visually. It doesn’t mean they are still edible. Consider how long candy and chocolate lasts – years and years as well. So what? This proves nothing, sorry.
you ack like you know what you are talking about but you are not telling us anything we dont know.
McDonald’s did not have, “I’m lovin’ it.” as a slogan in 1996. The slogan from 1995 – 1997 was, “Have you had your break today?” This is clear proof that this is just some ridiculous plot by some bitter women to overthrow McDonald’s because their hamburgers taste better than her’s.Though if it is true, you have to say something about this woman’s sanity for keeping a burger for 12 years.
You are so full of it. no way could you kept that around for 10 years without mold growing. if any of believe this fool you are as big of a fool as I am for wating my time reading or posting it!
I love love love McDonalds. Of course I don’t eat it for every meal because I’m not a moron but it sure does taste good. I even ate it when I was in India recently and it tasted good there too.
i like round meals, not square ones. the square one hurt my tummy and i tend to get a bit gassy after. the best after the parallel meals, but they are super hard to find here. Did you ever wonder why the sky is blue and your pee is yellow? what… just for argument sake, they switch colors? and how about women? why are they not still barefoot, pregnant and in the kitchen so us men don’t have quaff down these burgers? see just like with Eve, its there fault, GET BACK IN THE KITCHEN AND FIX ME A SANDWICH WOMANthank you for your attention
I have carried a McDonald’s burger and french fries in the trunk of my car for almost two years. I did this just to show my grandchildren that McDonald’s food is full of chemicals. I want to get some of those ’scrambeld eggs’ that are full of chemicals too.
I think a lot of the people who made comments here seem to be a bit overly skeptical… and the only reason I can assume for that is that they are defensive because they know McDonald’s is unhealthy, and they know they probably don’t really watch what goes into their body, so they would rather not be told. If you disagree that this experiment and result is possible, you’re ignorant. Why would she make something like this up, when there is a WEALTH of scientific evidence to support her statements?I think Americans as a whole DO NOT pay attention to what we put in our bodies. It is true, eating at McDonald’s will not do much, if anything, for you nutritionally.. Even though it tastes very good. Actually, I used to be addicted to food, and one of my favorite things to do was go buy about 20 dollars worth of McDonald’s and down it all. Now, however, my eating HABITS have changed. I no longer crave McD’s, and when I do eat it, all it does is absorb the acid in my stomach. Within an hour, I’m hungry as hell and feel like I’ve eaten nothing.We have trained our minds to accept this as food. Not our bodies. Every single day, we put loads of crap with no real nutritional value into ourselves. The trick is, and very few people are willing to take responsibility and do this themselves, maintaining a level of self-control. Make sure you’re getting the RIGHT nutrients instead of just empty ones, before you indulge. However, if this was how everyone lived, there wouldn’t be as much craving for the non-nutritional things, and lots of companies would lose money… so, they make it taste really good, look really good, and hope you’re not going to look past the smoke screen.Again, this is only because of PEOPLE’S choices, which they can only make for themselves. Either you will allow yourself to make unhealthy choices that will make you less healthy later, or you will make better choices, and see things a bit differently….Only sheep argue points without fact behind them…
i ate there last nite and it was so good. i had a double quarter pounder with cheese. the grease was so good. the cheese made it ultimate.
I agree that you are an idiot. If you did this to any cooked piece of hamburger meat (even organic)it would look probably look the same. Your stupid experiment has a smaple size of one which means that it is entirely meaningless.
What?! She said she was a vegetarian. So are you calling her a vegetable? How rude.
This is a fabulous post. Disturbing… But makes me SO glad that I don’t touch that nasty stuff. Plus… Call me crazy… I LERVE my health-nut food
hehe
I GOT BLUE BALLS
Screww all of you alright..you all dont think this is gross?!
oh come on, my first thought was the bread must have molded. I buy cheap-o hamburger buns and yes, they get moldy. I am not sure I am believing this. I am not pretending Mickey Ds is the greatest food ever, but let’s have some truth here.
Well, if I were a meat-eater, this would certainly put me off my feed (even though I realize it isn’t real meat…).McD hamburgers are as everlasting as Twinkies!
you are a hippie moron. keeping it in an airtight container will ensure the decomp is slow. a fully cooked patty will not change much. i worked in a fast food place where we (painfully tedious) made our own ground beef. it looked the same as mcd’s. put a carrot in your magic plastic container and see how little it changes. mother earth? please. go hug a burning tree. the body having trouble breaking this stuff down is bogus. any real doctor can confirm that. Oh wait… they’re evil, too. If hippie/organic methods were so valid, science would scream about the validity. spend equal time listening to alternative views to this hippie junk (I recommend starting with googling “Skeptoid), and wake up.
Not really. If you don’t expose food to natural decomposers – it won’t decompose. This includes: mold, bacteria and insects. It can’t be maggoty when you don’t expose it to FLIES. My kids have left part of a hamburger and it decomposed. It stunk and most definitely was shriveled up.
when i was a young guy i worked for McDonalds for about 5 years and they bought thier hamburger meat from a company that supplied to the best restaurants in the area and it is 80% lean,the buns came from a major local bakery,so this article is bogus
I would be far more impressed with and persuaded to believe the claim the woman makes if she proofread her blog to make it error free.”The flecks on the bun are crumbs from the bun.” – I think she meant burger.Secondly, “This is the retro welch’s grape juice plastic container…” It looks like it says Jelly to me.I think this shows the integrity of the box than the burger. I’ve left a burger out over night and it the morning the bun is all hard and when you pick it up your finders knock of pieces of the “golden part” leaving the white part to show, why didn’t that happen here?Suzanne
Obviously she ordered a hamburger with no cheese,onions, ketchup etc. I believe this hamburger is real because I had a roommate when I lived at he beach who ate plain McD’s hamburgers and it wasn’t uncommon to find one old in his room, it never molded just got hard. So to those people who said it would mold, probably if it had condiments, but not plain like this. Secondly, why people would waste the time sticking up for their bad eating habit is beyond me. It’s not healthy period, and there is a lot of in’s out’s and whathaveyou’s about health and nutrition, but the bottom line is healthy and natural is the best and keeping all questionable things in complete modertion. I raised both of my children to eat healthy- I let them eat the bad stuff every now and again, but usually they don’t even want it. It is everyone’s job as a parent to instill healthy eating habits in your child. There is no excuse for not doing that, and it’s never too late to start now.
I’m not believing a word from a self-described “Wellness Educator.”
Wow. Now I know why I don’t eat at fast food places. UGgggg
i lived in a fraternity housew in college.we had stuff in our fridge that was older than that burger by many years.
thank you for shring this… i am definatly not goign there anymore… i knew it was bad for my family and myself… but didn’t realize how awful!! i am soo glad i came across this!!
i’d stick that up my ass…. yum i love mcdonalds hambugers they make me fat!
Doesn’t nourish the cell? Perhaps you are not aware that the cell membrane is made up largely by lipids (e.g. cholesterol). No cell membrane, no cell. No cell, no life. Cholesterol is a necessary component of life. It’s not that a McD’s burger doesn’t nourish the cell, it’s that it’s too nourishing.
This is ridiculous…i dont believe a word of it
i have seen this before and really didn’t believe it. So, I tried it for myself and that is absolutely the truth. Can’t do McD’s anymore. I heard that it stays in your system for days. Very hard to digest and leave the system.
EXACTLY WHY I DON’T EAT FAST FOODS VERY OFTEN, ONLY IF I AM OUT OF TOWN AND I KNOW I WON’T MAKE IT HOME IN TIME TO COOK A MEAL.
Great, interesting article. Food for thought…no pun intended.
Yikes, honestly, I’ve never been a fan of Micky d’s. Something about the clown scares me. Anyways, I don’t think that should suprise me, however it did, because you kept it for 12 years. Anyways, it reminded me of a youtube video in which a buy bought several things from McDonald’s, and then compared them to food from a sit down hamburger joint’s, by seeing what happens through decomposition. All of the mcdonald’s hamburgers did decompose after a long while ( think it was because the condiments helped decompose them. However, to the horror of the Micky Dee’s freak, the fries never did decompose, even after 2 years. Try it, you’ll be suprised.
i do believe food like this is detrimental to health, but i actually did this experiment after the movie supersize me. in my 6 month test in a vacuum the bread got moldy and the acid colored the patty. nice try but at least you scared people into doing the right thing. KUDOS!!
Just came across this. Would you mind if I linked to it on my blog? Great experiment! I wonder if it works with other fast food chains.
As a former Mc.D’s manager I would just like to say that the burgers are real meat. If you were to take one of your own burgers and cook it on one of their grills, in 12 years it would probably look the same. As an everyday food source your right, Mc.D’s isn’t all that good for you but in moderation there is nothing wrong with enjoying a burger from there every now and then. If you don’t like Mc.D’s you are more than entitled to your opinions but it’s not right to try to push them onto others with a bogus “gross factor”.
i used to smoke cigarettes.. its a risk i took. without a doubt the more you smoke the more likely your are to get lung cancer. cancer : cigarette :: high blood pressure : hamburgerpersonally i thing you health nuts a lobbyist for the virgin health food sector.
O_o gross this is sick i stopped eatting fast food 3 and a half years ago…this makes me sooo happy i did, thanks karen for showin this, well i think you’re brave for keeping it so long
woooh karen for revealing crazy fast food creepers haha fast food is WHACK like CRACK
sorry but that isnt a 12 year old hamburger
I’m read further into your post that you purchased another burger recently and that is how you got the “groovy paper and bag.” However, I would suggest you take a new picture to post as the picture of your 12 year old burger. The picture you currently have has the hamburger sitting on top of a wrapper with the slogan “I’m lovin it” written across it. In 1996 when your original burger was purchased the slogan was not “I’m lovin it” it wasn’t even “We love to see you smile” yet. Just a though to bump up the credibility of your photo.
Yeah, all sounds really sensational…….until you take a look at the supposedly 12-year-old wrapper with the motto:”I’M LOVIN IT!”You must think we’re all idiots. That motto didn’t come out until 2004. If you’re gonna fake a 12-year-old burger at least do your homework. I might have believed it if the wrapper showed it’s age by the proper McD’s period logo, “it’s time for the great taste…”Sorry, but the only junk food here is the crock of $**t being fed by the poster.
Are you a Communist ?
Do you think we all just fell off a turnip truck? Even if you kept it sealed in plastic the bread would eventually deteriorate. Come on, get off your 5 minutes of fame and move on!
MMMmmmmMMMMmmmMMM those both look really good!!! Anyone know when McDonalds closes tonight??
I bet a carrot would look the same after 12 years also. Does that mean that it doesn’t have any nutritional value?
Two of the main reason shakes are the consistency they are is because of air and ice crystals. Take a container of ice cream and let it melt in the same container and the volume is reduced by a large amount, this is because air is whipped into it while it is made. Shakes are made the same way. Also, after an hour in the sun, all of the ice crystals would have melted. So, it would be IMPOSSIBLE for you to just ‘mix’ it back up and have the “exact same consistency” as when you bought it. Statements like this just go to show how people like to talk about things they don’t know about and also how they make dishonest statements to fuel the fire.
i always wondered why those buns look so perfect..especially when i buy my fish filet. knew that sh*t ain’t real! this needs to be heard,really.
think that you are missing a point, Scott. Despite it having protein, carb and fat content, what is preventing it from spoiling? It is not a perfect food by any means, but perhaps a winning product from a board of creative bioprocessors. They are really agricultural engineers. It may be that the burger is really made from cow intestines. I just don’t eat that crap.
I have to say that although I am hardly an advocate for McDonalds as a healthy place to eat, this food’s ability to persist for a decade has nothing to do with its ability to nourish a person. This is sensational, rather than meaningful. Any food item that resists hydration will last a long time as a petrified shadow of its former self, especially if kept in a dry box on a shelf somewhere. Some foods even remain edible for long periods exploiting similar propertied, dried salt fish, jerky, honey and many more. IF you want to speak of the evils of fast food, how about talking about the Calories, saturated fats or other nasty qualities. This is just drivel. I have oft found the home made grilled food item that was left on the grill and discovered long after looking as it has when I left it there. Try this, toast some white or “light” bread and put it on a shelf in your house where it is dry. It will look quite the same in a few months I imagine.Just my two cents.Steve
While I agree that McDonalds in general is not good for you. I do not believe that this burger is indeed 12 years old. I have made the mistake of forgetting a burger or two from there in my days, and they look a lot different from that one, rock hard bun and moldy from what I have seen. However, I have seen the fries hold for several months or longer, and look exactly the same, but VERY hard…I’m sorry, I just don’t think that burger is 12 years old.
Our society supports some of the worst ogranizations in Corporate America. When will we stop being sheep and stand up. I confess to eating at McDonalds in the past, but this convinced me to not eat there again. Save our local farmers, NOT corporate farms.
My first question is why would you keep a “burger” this long? LOL. Maybe you should put it on eBay LOL. Im not bashing what ya did. It should open peoples eyes. Im honestly suprised the bread didnt mold up because I cleaned out someone car and we found a week old burger and it was NAAAAAAsty LOL. But seeing that makes me glad I eat subway LOL
wow i cant believe how it looks so much alike and you are right so many of us has put that into are bodies and after seeing this picture im going to think twice the next time i want a mcdonald burger
wow, that is weird. ew
if there isnt any nutrition how is it that i can survive on nothing but two double cheese burgers a day 5 out of 7 days a week? i have a very physical job that demands a lot of energy, and McDonalds is what fuels me at work i could take a picture of the burgers i eat every day and SAY i bought it 12 years ago….”whats that?? new paper you say?? ohh… i bought the groovy paper…. because… uhh … i like to GIVE money to huge companys…?”if that really is 12 years old you must have froze it … or somethingand if not … i’d have to say you should be put in a mental hospitaldid your friends come over and say “whatcha got in the box Karen?”".. oh thats just a hamburger from a couple months ago..”"so why dont you throw it out??”"well duh!! in 2008 i’m going to bring the non-nutrition, fat making, global giant, DOWN! but first i must travel to CHINA to do a taste test” i think your plan backfired… were you trying to advertise for McD’s? because your making me want one…. you must be an ad consultant for Wendysoh … bytheway… i’ll eat that “12 year old” jerky for $500 if it kills me then we’ll all know you were right.
Hmmm… I question the authenticity of the bun. I would think, and have seen, buns from McDonalds mold well before the 12 year mark. Like around the 3 day mark. The meat, I’ve no idea. The bread, I find it highly unlikely it would have lasted this long.
all I have to say is This I ate Mcdonalds 5 days a week as my only meal. I dropped over 100 lbs and I am very healthy. Mcdonalds prides themsleves on having the highest quality of food. It comes down to this ladies and gentleman, you decide what you want toeat. You want quailty and healthy you will eat Mcdonlads. You want crap you will eat other fast food. There is a reason why Mcdonalds is National.
A few months? psht….I’ve seen one after twelve years.
Finally, a bit of simple truth.
Yes they displace local independently-owned restaurants, farmers, and service providers? Are you really trying to argue this? McDonald’s is not going to replace independently owned restaurants largely because they do not cater to the same consumers. Secondly, the minimum wage salaries provided by all fast food restaurants OFTEN is more than hostesses and bus boys get paid at their local restaurants. Same exact argument for jobs provided by local farmers, since they are not held to Federal minimum wage guidelines. As far as growth opportunity McDonald’s far out paces your poor examples.
aight, first of all, i worked at mcdondalds for a very short while, i worked the grill, the fries, the table and the counter. and stock, the burgers are real beef, they just have an exceptional ammount of salt added just as someone stated above. This is reg meat, if you took quarter meat from a quarter pounder, it would definitely not hold up this long, it would have broken down by now, but the reg meat,… u should see what it looks like before it goes on the grill, you could shoot skeet with them. nothing i’d ever want to put in my stomach, its about 5mm thick after it comes off the grill, and within 10 minutes, if no1 has bought them, they’re dry, hard, and smell funky, they still wouldn’t let us throw them away even though the timer was going off for us to throw them in the trash can and cook more, i cooked more but just threw the new on top of the old and it rejuicified the old. which that tells you a lot about mcdonalds. the meat is used over and over and over if it doesn’t get sold the first time. the chicken gets dropped on the floor right out of the freezer, and no it would be a mistake to waste all that meat b/c it fell on the floor, the grease will make it allll better. itll kill those germs.. right, but it wont kill the sand and grim taht gets on the food and then gets in the greas which is spread to the rest of the food, so ur basically eating fried dirt on ur chicken selects, southern style sammiches, and grilled chicken, and since they actually cook it on the grill believe it or not, its spreading that dirt to the burgers.. its all nasty, oh and take a box of reg meat home and try to cook it on a regular grill… aint gonna happen, u will burn it EVERY time. they have expensive ass auto closing grills for the burgers.. oh, but that is definitely not a hamburger of reg meat from 12 years ago, EVEN if it vacuum sealed the day it was made and refrigerated or frozen until now, definitely not real. it would have no color left in it, at all, it would be almost the color of concrete. but lets leave mcdonalds alone about it, the guy came up with a great idea. take over america using the nastiest, cheapest, most unhealthy foods\it can actually kill ppl in the long run, young kids, teenagers, adults, and seniors all eat mcdonald. young kids that “love” mcdonalds become obese by the time they are teenagers,(heart problems have been linked to obesity due to the stress it adds to the heart to have to push against the weight and to pump blood to all the weight), an obese teenager that already “loves” it, continue to eat it and clog their arteries even more, by the time they become adults, they’re well on their way to seeing the inside of the e.r. for many years in their greyhood
I think this is a wonderful experiment!! Some people might have a hard time accepting thae value of this truth but i understand your pont. My boyfriend ponted out the orange w/cloves that i have had for years,saying that it still looks the same therefor it must be full of chemicals too. I am sorry he missed this healthful lesson and that it goes right over some peoples heads.kudos to you:)
Cheers, Andrew! Amen.
McDonlad’s is a classy, successful franchise and no amount of hysteriais going to stop me from eating there – and enjoying it. This proves that nothing promotes enmity more than success
To everyone who claims that these facts are completely false, why not just conduct your own experiment? It’s not like this woman is trying to gain type of financial gain from this. It’s certainly not shocking news that eating at places like McDonald’s are the safest bets anyway!
I wanted to also say that you should do french fries too. I cleaned my car out about a week ago and found and MIAF (missing in action fry) it was so hard but looked almost exactly the same. The last time I was at Micky D’s was almost 2 months prior. I haven’t been back since!
Congratulations on writing an incredibly libelous blog. Instead of admitting your error which has been pointed out time and time again, you keep up your defaming blog for some need of self importance. By no means do I support McDonald’s food, but what is worse is the propensity for everyone to post what they “feel” without fact and the desire to slander in the process. I’m sure I’ll get backlash about first ammendment rights, but libel is what libel is and by putting all of this in print to the glory hound who professes to be a nutrition consultant, all you have done is show how unqualified you are not how impressive you THINK you are.
I am working on a FAQ, stay tuned – great project for your daughter – good for her!
Cheers, Andrew! Amen.
I’m pretty sure it stays that way because of all the preservatives that are in that shit, preservatives are chemicals, but I don’t think the burger isn’t giving you any nutrition at all.
I was just browsing through and came upon this on the aol main screen, and it caught my attention. i have a funny, yet disturbing, similar story. March 09′ will be 3 years that i had bought a chicken nugget from Wendy’s. It was in the shape of a heart and my boyfriend and i laughed and brought it home wrapped in a napkin for reasons that i completely forgot. Well, we have this little memory box of things that we keep throughout the years, and somehow the chicken nugget ended up in there. After 3 years of having that chicken nugget, it’s exactly the same! No mold, no terrible smell, no bugs, nothing! Granted a bit smaller but thats all, it looks like it did 3 years ago when i bought it! Talk about disgusting.
Ugh, I am truly speechless. This is just another prime example of why I have been a vegetarian for over 16 years now. When will Americans wake up and learn to treat their bodies with respect? We have one go around on this planet people; let’s make the most of it!
Thank ypu Pam!
Ms. Hanrahan, I have a question: Why are you not replying to messages like this one? Or to the beautifully reasonable and intelligent Andrew? And how after reading them do you feel morally that you may continue holding fast to your original assertion? If you were just a blogger spouting off about fast food, that would be one thing (although you should still answer reasoned arguments on your topic on your blog), but you ‘educate’ parents about nutrition?! I want an answer, and I want to hear your answers to Matt and Andrew.
Science is cool. Big fan of chemicals. Food-eh, not so much.BUT when played with in the laboratory, u get really awesome things like Craisins or Grapples, love ‘em! Also, I recommend viewing “SuperHIGH Me”, it’s much more entertaining. Bring munchies.
OMG, there are 10 PAGES of dried up burger comments??
Please change “Matt” to “Dave” – gah, FAIL.
Catherine – I am working on a FAQ.
…And yet, amongst it, so much well-reasoned, intelligent, informed, mature – and correct – commentary. Interestingly, you cannot be bothered to reply to any of that particular kind. Very sad.
I don’t know, I was helping my brother move out and I found a hamburger from McDonalds that was less than a week old in his kitchen that was molded over. The bread and everything.
Funny how someone would order a burger 12 years ago and make it a PLAIN with no toppings. For that matter, in any case of age, the bread would develope MOLD that would be obvious. Without this item being treated to prevent the mold that would make this claim false. And what proof does this person have other than a blog and photos. Is everything documented? I seriously doubt it. As the famous quote once stated said” Believe none of what you read, and only half of what you see”.
Here’s the thing, how many of us will go out and buy a plain burger just to watch it NOT rot? I’m considering it, but then I would be supporting Mc’D’s ! Aargh!
It’s not only incredible that you all believe this crap. We might believe that the meat has alot of chemicals to preserve it: but the bread would never last that long. My kindergarden teach always said don’t believe anything you hear and only 1/2 of what you see. Think smart. Even organic food has some chemicals
Andrew, coming across your comments is like arriving at a lovely, refreshing little oasis. Cheers to you.
Beautiful, my thoughts exactly.
Good points, and although I agree a “fast food” diet is not the healthiest; There is “some” nutritional value, just not the best as far as calories, fat etc..How that affects each person depends on their personal habits…ie:total diet, exercise, dna, etc…
Uh, not all skinheads are racist or fascist. I think you should wiki it. Really now, about time some of these nazi fighting kids get their due.
What in the world does religion have to do with ANYTHING about this article? you say “she’s a Jew, I say you’re either a facist or a skinhead and I cannot imagine ANYONE at all who revels in your response! How insulting to the time & effort put into this article by the writer. Go climb back under the rock from which you emerged!
When you make incorrect, baseless assertions like:”Not one ounce of food value.” and”It does nothing to nourish the cell!”you devalue the stance of qualified professionals who do actual “research” to determine the health content of food, instead of waving around a 12 year old dried out hamburger like a crazy hippie. There are many grains that can be stored for 12 years without much degradation that have much nutritional value. Bottom line: McDonalds food is not “healthy”, but it does have a limited amount of nutritional value. The conclusions you draw from waving around a dried cheese burger demonstrate your lack of critical thinking ability.
FINALLLY AN ANSWERRR!!!! WHOOOOOOOO!!!!!!
Umm…..wouldnt the bun be moldy??
Haha…I think I love Zach….look,people…if you don’t like McDonald’s…just….don’t…go…there!I thought the article was funny.Take it for what it is,k?Kisses to Zach!!!xxxxJodi
I don’t understand why McDonald’s is the target of all attacks. Where are the anti-BK/Wendy’s/Hardee’s people out there? Most fast food joints are all the same with subtle differences. Why McDonald’s is the sole target baffles me.It tastes great. We all know it is unhealthy to eat it by itself. It still processes in the stomach and life goes on. Candy bars are equally as bad if not worse. I feel like a slug after eating all fast food but it is convenient, tasty, and fairly affordable if you get it from time to time.It’s time for health fanatics (not a bad thing to be one btw) to take on the world instead of just hitting McDonald’s over and over again. We all get it!
so u are saying that all mcdonalds food is bad. and they have nothing at all good
Just to debunc this article + a video with the same stuff in it. Just watch:http://video.google.com/videosearch?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4GGLJ_enNL256NL264&q=decaying%20hamburger&um=1&sa=N&tab=wv#emb=0&q=hamburger%20decompose
Lady you have lost it! 100% beef means 100% beef! Have it analyzed. The bun is just like any bun you would buy it any store. If you have a problem with beef or store bought bread then just state that. Your claims are unfounded.
I love how you explained yourself. You know, “you’re” isn’t as difficult to spell out as it may see. I know it can be a little bit frightening.
If you dont eat there why did you buy it inthe first place? That looked good enough to eat. I dont there everyday but I do go there to eat. You cook a burger on your own and come back 40 plus yrs. and let us know what it looks like.
All red meat stays in your system for several days. In fact, the average human body is about ten meals behind in digestion. This is nothing unusual. Do some research.
Please remember to take the proper amounts of medication as prescribed by your doctor, no more.
Shut up! Are you serious? That is crazy!
Karen please respond to show your aren’t hiding behind your already discredited picture to save your probably already tarnished reputation.I have worked at a fast food restaurant before and their food starts to rot pretty quickly.It will turn hard and soon enough start to mold.Every precaution is taken to ensure the food is very fresh.We prepare the burger on the spot.The Meat(or hellfood) is cooked in a grill beforehand but is never more than 10-20 minutes old.Managers walk around and keep times on the meat to ensure this.Lets say perhaps the person who ordered the sandwich changed their minds and left after you had already made it.No biggie you put it on a heated platform in hopes the next customer orders the same and it doesn’t go to waste.Oh by the way,did I mention we have to put a time on the wrapping allowing us to know how long to keep it on the platform and when to throw it out.This time is usually 5 minutes or so.After time is up to the garbage it goes(waste of food imo but customer satisfaction is first and no one wants a 10 min old burger they want a fresh one!).Not to mention every night the crew cleans the restaurant establishment and any leftover meat is thrown away never EVER reused.Why?Because it doesn’t last long once it leaves the establishment.Hence the term Fastfood(food prepared quickly to be eaten quickly by a person who doesn’t have enough time to prepare the meal themselves).You cannot say these fastfood restaurants aren’t looking out for us at least in some sort of way.If any of the these procedures are not followed…You are fired no questions asked.Your picture is discredited by people who know their stuff(I’m just in HS)but I know that if meat is thrown away every night because it will not last,it’s becuase it rots,something your picture fails to show.I understand wanting to let people know McDonald’s isn’t entirely healthy but we already know this.There are healthy places to eat and people know this too.It all comes down to a matter of choice.God gave us the gift of choice.To be bad or good.To eat at a fastfood restaurant or a veggie one.Your motives may have been in the right place but lying to us isn’t a good thing…lying is a sin ya kno….
meh – i dont find this article says anything useful. fact: no one ever died from eating this shit in moderation anyway so if you choose to ingest it by choice, what difference does it make? it is a no brainer that you can eat something healthier…duh
No. They mold like any food. And food can’t possibly “stay in your system for days.” Some can decay slowly in your colon, but your statement is downright absurd. If food stayed in your system for days, you’d jaundice and die of toxicity or some similarly disgusting thing.
Still Doesn’t change my opinion about McDonalds foods, It’s All Crape anyway!!
Intellectual fraud is harsh lol Id say that it was persuasive. It’s enough to ge tthe average person to think, “wow! 12 years, and I’m eating this”. I agree with other posters that the article is somewhat misleading. McD’s food is not completely lacking nutritional value. I must say that reading this forum has brought plenty of laughs. Thank You Everyone
you can even overdose on water. geesh. this article is silly. fight your mickyd battle using some logic, or better yet, do what many of us do, don’t go there. don’t post patronizing junk about 12 yr old burgers.
this entire comments page is right off Jerry Springer !!! Where are all the people that have mature thoughts? come no ,Calling people names is so grade school.predijuice is from the stone age !!! Who cares what your beliefs are? who cares what color you are ?This is about a stupid McDonald Burger not a Jew or a Skinhead or a lobbiest or what ever other labels there are on this page .Personally I think this is a B.S. my self But I won’t call this person a name or make fun of her Beliefs.I hate McDonalds I prefer Zaxby’s so it don’t matterto me one way or the other but iwill say that bread aka Bun would have sweat like crazy in that plastic container and it would have molded something firece in 12 years time even if the burger didn’t change at all.
I’m from Holland and I know that the shit that mcdonalds is selling, it’s crap. If you don’t believe in the indoctrination of big company’s like mcDonalds, Coca Cola, KFC, The Pizzahut and many others, than watch the documentary of Supersize Me. Because of this docu, mcDonalds has stoppped to sell supersize meals. I’m very happy that the closest MC to my hometown is 30 km away.
A few comments:1) I actually do believe that the burger is 12 years old. But having said that, the author of this blog went out of her way to preserve it. I could do that with meat and bread bought from my own at a grocery store if I put it in a Tupperware container and froze it. Considering that my mother has a Gingerbread house she made about 10 years ago still in a preserved (albeit I assume not really edible) condition to me shows such. I’m not trying to flame, but this does show me the author of this blog went more for trying a stunt to prove a point then anything else, being able to preserve this burger isn’t unique to McDonald’s, nor is it due to any unique thing in one of their burgers. This is kind of a propaganda move IMO.2) Having said that, obviously McDonald’s food is poor quality. I will agree. But it’s not any worse then most other fast food restaurants IMO (although that’s maybe not saying much). I guess my point with this statement is yes their food is poor quality, but it’s not SO horrid that they need be villified. And again, being able to preserve something like that isn’t unique to their food. Okay, it is packaged to be preserved, but go look up Army rations for an example. When one considers that, a 12 year old hamburger packed properly to be preserved isn’t all that unique.3) To the people flaming the OP about her post, go troll somewhere else. You got your negative attention, tell me was it worth it? Again I do question the value of preserving her hamburger and don’t see that as all that shocking or great proof that McDonald’s food is worse then any other in it’s category of fast food. (Although again I don’t hold fast food in high esteem, but I don’t demonize it either). But one can partially disagree with her and be civil, and respect her opinion. And hey, easy or not to preserve the thing, I’ll give her credit for having a 12 year old hamburger, if nothing else I find the whole idea amusing. And, again although I’m not impressed with her storing it, at the same time if it does cause someone to eat at places other then fast food joints (I do feel they are fine in moderation, but FAR from everyday food, maybe once a week is “safe”), then more power to her. She might be to an extreme to a degree, but again I can respect her opinion and don’t need to resort to inane childish flames.
I saw this and just had to comment,i used to weigh 22 stone when i was 17 and had McDonalds atleast twice a day.Since giving up McDonalds and refusing to eat there i now weigh 11.5 stone and i am now 21.I am not an idiot and i am not going to say it was all down to the McDonalds diet, but im sure that this disgusting corporation had some hand in making me the whale that i was!Im sure im going to get alot of comments back saying the odd one doesnt hurt and if you have healthy lifestyle you can enjoy one now and again bla bla bla, but seriously is it worth it, you feel hungry about 30 minutes after eating that crap!.So to all the people that ‘enjoy’ McDonalds, for the love of god stop!Craig/Essay
what are intarwebz?
If you don’t like McDonald’s then DON’T EAT IT. No one but “you” is cramming it down your throat. It’s a new concept called personal responsibility.
WAY TO GO! We have to show visuals to our youth and parents too. Whatever it takes to get their attention. The world is not only in a financial crisis but a nutritional crisis as well. Our kids, our future leaders of this country must make a difference….it’s simple, we are what we eat! THANK YOU…
This is all well and good but at the end of the day it tastes nice, and so long as you dont eat it eery day there’s nothing wrong.
Good thing that American fast food never really caught on in my country, I have never eaten a hamburger in my whole life!
your a liar mcdonalds didn’t put 100% beef on their raper in 1996 and they didnt have the nutrition facts either.McDonald’s Corporation launched the official global rollout of nutrition information on its product packaging in restaurants in the 2006 Olympic Winter Games host city, Torino. The 26 restaurants in the Torino area are the first McDonald’s restaurants in the world to have the updated packaging for customers. look at the photo above you can see the nutrition facts on the wrapper shes a liar!!!!!!!! o_0
I USE MY LEFT OVER MCDS PATTIES AS A OVEN MITT. THEY WORK GREAT!!
soak it in coca-cola for 30min, throw it in the microwave for 40s high heat….even ronald won’t be able to tell how old it is. yum yum yum
shouldn’t it be up to the buyer on whether or not they want it? not some lady with an old burger just to say it doesn’t decay or whatever…i am currently 21, about 5′10″ and about 140 pounds…just about every day i get a double quarter pounder with cheese, medium fry, and a large drink…oh did i mention that i’m only 140 pounds? sure, the nutritional value might not be that great, but hey…just stay freakin’ active and you won’t end up being the “McDonald’s Role Model”. eat other food that has more nutritional value and you’ll be fine. eat the other at least more healthy stuff from there…the salad’s…parfait’s are good too…the grilled chicken sandwich(the grease is drained). where’s that stuff in her little prop box? or just to prove yourself, look on the back of the tray liners there and all the freakin’ health information is there for yourself. i worked there for 2 1/2 years. i know that stuff is true. the point i’m getting at is, at least for the lazier people reading this, do some background checking before you just listen to what someone else tells you.
Sure it’s gross, but so is beef jerky and people eat that all of the time. While I do agree that there isn’t MUCH redeeming about a McD’s burger, there is some iron and protein in it. Also a bunch of crap. But, still a few mildly redeeming qualities. This didn’t bother me. I agree with the PP that it wouldn’t be hard to preserve most foods like this, so it’s not that the hamburger is unique. Whatever… I enjoy a cheeseburger every now and then. So what!
?? Who you? Yeah, you are! I just wonder if we took one now, how long would it last? I think they may have stricter laws concerning preservatives now don’t they? Just curious. But still, I won’t eat a burger (or what ever we could call it) from there again! Wonder what nuggets would look like?
This information is interesting! I don’t eat McDonnelds so I forget how good everything taste!
i have a normal burgerthats 10 years oldit didnt come from mcdonaldsit was home cookedand it basically looks the same
Oh My God, I could eat that puppy right now….I bet it won’t make me sick, I’d love to eat it again & again….It must be good STUFF if it lasts that long without rotting, I’d like to have some McDonalds technology for my body.
I don’t see flecks on the bun, but I do see flecks on the patty.
I will never eat mcdonalds again. That is disgusting!
Gee, it’s on the net so it has to be true right? Forget that there is no proof whatsoever how old either burger is. Ignore that this information comes from some Shaklee hack pushing vitamins she’s selling. Disregard that she is presenting herself with bogus titles that have no medical, technological or educational credentials. Just swallow whatever she publishes along with her high priced pills.
The comments are more amusing than the article itself
BTW, McDonald’s does provide one value for why we are eating. Maybe the most important value: Flavour!
yeah, yummi…
People don’t eat at McDonalds because they want a good nutritious meal. They eat there because they’re on the go and just need something to eat. Granted, there are people that eat there on a semi-daily basis, but those people are in a category of their own.
How dare you insult my restaurant! I’ve sacrificed a lot, including 7 wives, so that people could enjoy a good burger! I’ve put years of research into making the prepubescent birthday party a huge success! I didn’t build it up so that people like you could tear it all down. If you don’t like my food then don’t eat there.
I don’t care what anyone else said. I liked your article, Karen. Will you marry me?
Now THAT is a scientific deduction!
if this were true, how come you havent released this before 2008? do you think parents would still take their children to ave burgers after a burger looks the same that is 3,4, 5 years old? why wait 12 years? why arent there any major news outlets picking this story up? you sound like a person who is trying to look for 15 minutes of fame…
I think McDonald’s is good, whether its healthy or not.I think I’m going to have me some McDonald’s today!!!
I completely disagree that a McDonalds burger has “absolutely no nutrition”. You’re implying that the nutritional information printed is an outright lie? That there is no protein in it? However that isn’t really the issue, the point is that aside from the meat coming from cows living in terrible mass produced conditions, the patties and buns are loaded with unhealthy preservatives that give them a much longer shelf life at the consumers expense.
This is gross. It reminds me of that end part in Supersize Me where he does that experiment with the french fries–they sit around for 4 months and never mold. This is why my son will never (with us, at least) eat at McDonalds. Eat at In ‘n’ Out!
You should find out about by-products usued in McDonalds…lips…grisaille… etc…
I’m sorry but the movie “super size me” has been taken out of context so many times it’s sad. that man survived on NOTHING but Mc.Donalds. Yeah, that will make you sick. Duh. You can do that with any type of resaraunt. Eat nothing but subway for a whole year and your gonna get sick. Come on people. Mc.Donalds isn’t the problem. We are the problem. We as a society abuse our bodies to the point of death all the time. There is nothing wrong with enjoying fast food in moderation, but when you eat it all the time as your main source of food, yeah, it’s unhealthy. And as a side note, I worked for Mc.Donalds for 2 years. Eating my lunch there every day I worked and in that 2 years I only gained 7 pounds. How? Because hamburgers are ony one of the things they serve. Mix it up a little. Try one of thier salads. AWESOME.
The MacDonald’s burger I had in the UK was definately grey….not brown as in the US.
I WOULD STARVE TO DEATH FIRST BEFORE EATING AT A MCDONALDS
Newsflash: No one thinks Mcdonalds is healthy. What point are you trying to make? It’s as annoying as those people that continuously tell you “Smoking is bad for you!” Like we’re unable to read the warnings on every box. We don’t need your little example to know how bad Mcdonalds is for you, but it’s not going to stop me from eating it either. Sure, your example is gross(if 100% true) but it doesn’t dissuade me from driving to Mcdonalds to get a burger and fries one bit. Find another hobby, and stop carrying around a 12 year old burger you freak.
I had a double cheeseburger yesterday. It was good.
why don’t you eat it now? lool
It MacDonalds you retards! Of course it’s not healthy. that’s why you’re not supposed to eat it everyday! It’s dipshits like you and Morgan Spurlock that lower the collective IQ people.
Here are some answers to the questions many people have asked: /2008/09/28/The-1996-mcdonalds-hamburger-karen-hanrahan-best-wellness-consultant.html
I want to eat that 12 year old hamburger, poop it out, mix it with mayo, slurp it up with a straw, poop it out once more, and then feed it to your children with a teaspoon.
Just because she put it in a container does not mean that it’s impervious to the elements. She used a plastic case that does not really seal anything out besides large particles such as dust, dirt, etc. The burger would still decompose in a container.
thanks for that, but you’re wrong about “It does nothing to nourish the cell, it is not a nutritious food.” comment. in fact it has the right balance of what your body needs in terms of fat, protein, and carb content. you should maybe read your biochem books again and tell people that come and see you that 2000 cal diet works but eating mc d’s can use up that 2000 quickly. it’s not entirely bad for you, it’s just high in calories. i have to check you on this because i hate when ignorant people make other people more ignorant. thanks, mike md
I’m not sure if anyone else has pointed this out yet, but the presumptions that the hamburger has no nutritional value or is composed of only chemicals (i’m assuming the use of ‘chemicals’ meant something synthetic) is absurd. The fact that the burger wasn’t consumed by mold may also be a testament to just how sterile the preparation and packaging environments were. I understand the use of hyperbole to convey a point but, again, stating that there’s no nutritional value and that the burger is only ‘chemicals’ is misleading at best and a downright lie at worst. just me $.02
The real question is the issue of trust. Granted, I’m sure very few people would go out of their way to publish something like this if it wasn’t true; however, as a skeptic, how can I verify that the one burger was actually purchased in 1996?
This is not real. It is propaganda and I’m insulted that you think I should think that it is real. If you want to get a point across you need to tell the truth. It’s kind of like drugs, there is no need to lie to scare people about drugs. The truth is scary enough. When you lie about certain side effects concerning drug usage(like marijuana will make you a killer), then people think oh well the truth about cocaine must be a fable as well. So i guess if I use cocaine I won’t become dependent, I won’t turn my life into shit, I won’t steal from or hurt my friends or family. So go on lying about the McD’s burger. Then you will never get your point across. The truth is to many burgers, sodas, ice cream and candy will make you fat. However in moderation and with exercise you can eat whatever the hell you want!!!!! We should try to eat a healthy diet that is full of nutrition. I’ll keep eating big macs, whoppers, pizza, and apples and oranges etc. etc.!!!!!
I don’t get how a bun doesn’t mold. But if this is true, it is certainly disturbing. However, as long as your not eating one everyday I don’t think it’s going to hurt you. Moderation in all things.We all know that cheeseburgers and fries are not the healthiest option and that when not made at home they are filled with preservatives and other things we can’t pronounce. So it shouldn’t be TO shocking unless anyone actually thought McDonalds was healthy.There are certainly better and healthier choices for your calorie needs, but once in awhile, if you enjoy the taste, won’t kill you.
haha..this has got to be the stupidest thing i’ve ever seen. If your going to post a photo of a burger you claim to be 12 years old, at least try to make to look more realistic with all the sauces, pickles, cheese..your burger has meat and the bun only! I used to work at maccas and know exactly how things are made. Yes its all processed food, but no shit, its take away, what do you expect! And as for the comment about no nutrition, ahh…see that 2008 wrapper you have, that tells you all the ingredients and nutrition info on there! Cheese=Diary, Meat=Protien, Bun=fibre;Carbs, etc! If you are going to fight against junk food, try to get all the facts right so at least if anyone questions you, you have covered all your bases!
Sorry, but I do not believe this. I remember going out for the weekend and forgetting a bag with a hamburger in my friends car. When we finished our backpacking camping trip 3 days later, the burger was looking much much worse than these pics. If after 3 days that burger was already in bad shape, no way her hamburger and bun are in such pristine condition after 12 years unless they are either treated to last, or IMHO it is a lie. Also, burgers do have nutritional value, maybe not as much as some other foods, but they still have nutritional value.
Thank you for starting this revolution. It really is high time that we change our food choices.
Ok…this is a bit ridiculous.First of all, anyone that makes statements in regards to the unhealthy nature of McDonald’s hamburgers? I agree. They are high in fat (as is most beef that you cook at 83/17 content!). But, the implication that it is some sort of engineered food is ridiculous.I worked as a Staff Manager for McDonald’s for a couple of years. I have personally toured the factory that makes every 1/4 lb and 1/5 lb BEEF patty for the entire midwest and eastern seaboard of the USA.The meat is REAL meat. I have seen the process on numerous occasions. I would presume that if you had saved a burger from Red Robin that was cooked throughout you would have the same result.The bun has preservatives (of course) but jesus…I would like to know where you got that one! From personal experience the buns spoil or grow mold just as quickly as a bun you would buy at your local grocery store. I have personally thrown them out from my old store if they were beyond date! I understand that mega corporations like McDonald’s set themselves up for this type of nonsense…but this is propaganda.You people can read this and believe it if you want. I have also read a lot of bullshit in regards to some “organic” foods and their questionable benefit.I choose not to eat there because I do not like the food. If I do go there? I grab something quick and light. You all should do the same. I don’t need some fucked 3 class course to strip my pockets of money. It is obvious you have an agenda and a bottom line reward from this.
HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAH!!!Genius comedy in the middle of a blog mess of crap.THANK YOU!
The food is not “shipped all over the world”. That would imply that it comes from one central source. McDonald’s uses regional distribution throughout the world. On another note…could it POSSIBLY be that the reason why they taste the same throughout the world is that they are all made from…oh I don’t know…BEEF?You want something to get mad about Mother Earth? How about the Chinese toys in every Happy Meal? How about the fact that in every square mile of Earth you will find a piece of McDonald’s litter. I suppose the corporation tosses them on the ground?
who cares. it fucking tastes good.
You’re quite welcome.
Then you’re a retarded asshat.Why did you store it in your car? You don’t have a house?You people need to relax… don’t eat at McDonald’s, you might live an extra 3 weeks.
This is why the majority of Americans are overweight.
Indeed. This is the principle behind such things as beef jerky. Refrigeration is a recent invention, and yet somehow for centuries we’ve been able to preserve food and eat it much, much later.If you want to persuade me that McD’s food is a preservative-laden nightmare, why don’t you just analyze it for content and tell me? This demonstration, while stark, is science-free.
I had a double quarter pounder earlier today and it was delicious.
oh i would kill for that burger right now!!!!!! its just like an ageing wine BEAUTIFUL!!!!!
Thanks for this article. “I’m lovin’ it”
I dare someone to eat it.
You know whats great? Even though it might not be real she has still managed to promote a mostly healthy debate on McDonald’s. The more that people realise how full of shit this stuff is the better the world we live in.I wouldn’t even give McDonald’s to my dogs…Also, http://www.meat.org/ shows how the supposed beef you eatting gets treated in its life before it gets processed and you eat it.McDonald’s is cheap because it does no buy free range properly treated animals. Do you think they could give the prices they do on proper beef? Gimme a break lol…Thats if it IS even proper beef…
this is bollocks – the ‘I’m lovin’ it’ campaign was only luanched about 4 years ago at most.Wanker
Can you say witch-hunt?What’s wrong with eating a McDonalds every couple of weeks?Play some sports and keep fit eating a decent diet most of the time and then you won’t all die instantly from eating at a fast food joint.
Well, I don’t know if what you’re saying is accurate or not-easy enough to try to replicate if anyone really wants to know.I upgraded the diet a few years back-close to vegan, 50% raw organic stuff, as well as other lifestyle changes (exercise, sufficient sleep, etc.) and was able to cut my medicines in half. I don’t complain about McD’s in particular, but about the particular foods. Sometimes I travel through Texas, and it’s pretty much a choice of the Veggie Delight from Subway or the Fruit Platter (yogurt normally is on the side-if I recall correctly) from McD’s. So, in that sense I like McD’s, since it offers something close to what I perfer to eat. My main concerns normally are about environmental impacts of meat, and in terms of preservatives it’s that it takes energy for the body to deal with them, and perhaps the energy could be used for other processes-it seems it would waste energy. I took some of your comments to be exagerations and not to be taken literally. That is, generally true, but not literal.
Good call Andrew. It is ill informed commentators like this that cause ill informed readers to beleive sensationalised crap. Get your facts straight before trying to herald ‘experiments’ as proof of anything.
Scott,It still doesn’t change the point that this burger is still alive after a decade. Its amazing.
Not everyone in new york would pay to see andrew lloyd webberMay his trousers fall down as he bows to the queen and the crownI dont know what tune the orchestra playedBut it went by me sickly sentimentalCan I have another piece of chocolate cakeTammy bakers got a lot on her plateCan I buy another cheap picasso fakeAndy warhol must be laughing in his graveThe band of the night take you to ethereal heights over dinnerAnd you wander the streets never reaching the heights that you seekAnd the sugar that dripped from the violins bow made the children go crazyPut a hole in the tooth of a hagCan I have another piece of chocolate cakeTammy baker must be losing her faith, yeahCan I buy another cheap picasso fakeAndy warhol must be laughing in his graveAnd dogs are on the road, were all tempting fateCars are shooting by with no number platesAnd here comes missis hairy legsI saw elvis presley walk out of a seven elevenAnd a woman gave birth to a baby and then bowled 257Now the excess of fat on your american bonesWill cushion the impact as you sink like a stoneCan I have another piece of chocolate cakeTammy baker, tammy bakerCan I buy another cheap picasso fakeCheap picasso, cheap picasso fakeCan I have another piece of chocolate cakeKathy straker boy could she lose some weightCan I buy another slice of real estateLiberace must be laughing in his grave
Are you fucking stupid? Of course its not good for you.. who the fuck said it is? Its a fucking fast food product, no fast food is good for you… God its people like you that ruin this country
Your article was timely, serious and should be taken seriously. The Internet is a valuable source for all matters relating to what we eat, what the manufacturers do not have to report to the FDA, & the long-term effects. If one has not seen a diabetic’s suffering, pills, doctor’s visits & hospital stays (along with numerous other diseases, including colon cancer) & insurance premiums unable to be paid, they of course will laugh. Anywhere poisoned food is shipped around the world, the people who were in excellent health change to sick & obese in short order, while paying a buck or two for “a cheap meal.” Thank you for your continued efforts. Jenni
First off i didnt say it was good for me.Second don’t worry about me eating something that has “high calories”EVERYBODY is entitled to there own opinion! Check me…LOL! Why because I like eating something that YOU have a problem?
that’s what i’m talking about!
what do kids think when you show it to them?
I agree with you about the meat Mike, but think about the bread, have you ever left a piece sitting out to long, it dries out “completely” once dry it won’t mold, it only molds when it’s moist like when it’s fresh & if left in a plastic bag
Many of the kids really “get” it, they understand that it’s not healthy, many still want to eat at McDonald’s as they are making food choices based on taste vs eating something that is good for them
Nicely stated Jenni – thank YOU!
Speaking as someone who is interested in Forteana this is a particularly fascinating example of things retaining their form,long after that form should have been subject to the ravages of nature.There are many anecdotal examples of Catholic Monks,Nuns and Priests whose bodies show very little signs of decay after death.The same phenomena has been observed in many Buddhist Cultures with Buddhist Monks also displaying few signs of decay.This is viewed by many believers as evidence of their (literal) incorruptibility,acting as proof of their of their divine nature realized in physical form on Earth. Can the lowly Macdonald’s Burger displayed here be an example of the same phenomena? If so,you should send this in to your local Church.Burning an image of Christ on the Cross on to the burger may also give it some monetary value.
No nutritional value? You must be kidding. Just because a piece of meat can survive in your freezer for 12 years and still look like meat dosen’t mean ther is no nutritional value. I hate extremists like you that don’t have a clue what they are talking about. Also the “chemicals” in McDonald’s burgers are not bad for you. The thing that is bad for you is eating four of them and then not going for a run.
This is for “wtf”…i was relying to somebody else, so before you start running out the mouth, know the whole part, not just my responses!!!!
Hey Karen,This is getting a lot of buzz!! Why didn’t I think of it first!! AnnWestergard is having all of her people go out and buy the hamburger to show to everyone!!Way to go girl!!
Dan, i agree with you!
that burger isnt 12 years old..a timelapse video was made of different products from mcdonalds and its only the fries that for some reason dont decompose, whoever made this wants some attention :/
The faster people quit caring what others do, the faster we can get on with our lives.
It is getting alot of attention for sure.
You know that you were my inspiration – you and Kay were the first to show me the healthy choices presentation. Way back when!!
I adore Ann, she’s such a hoot
Thanks for being here.
It still tastes good.
Syökää hesessä, älköö koskeko mäkkärin paskaan.
Then may be you could eat it and thus prove your point much better ? !!
Asshat is a funny word.
Shouldn’t have read this article before lunch. Haven’t been to McDonalds in months but it looks like today’s the day!
Wow, very informative
Thank you Alice.
it’s true. The burgers don’t age. It’s not this woman’s fault that McDonalds’ foods suck!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IncYIuIIAg thats a clip of me on Living the Life showing my old burgersJulia Havey, author Awaken the Diet Within and The Vice Busting Diethttp://www.JuliaHavey.com
This is such BS, that only the truly stupid would believe such nonsense. The only thing that is old is the rapper, and the dum people who make up such nonsense.Bread will not last that long. Period.Ihe only way meat will last is if you salt it, then you have jerky. JERKY, hint, hint.But what do I know I’m not a ‘Wellness Educator/Nutritional Consultant’ trying to get your money.
Who in their right mind would wish to eat anything from McDonalds? Chicken cruelty stuffed between 2 buns plus skinny tasteless fries, if I remember from 20 years ago when I last ate one of their products.
Wow. I’d love to see the pictures you’ve been taking over the past 12 years to track the burger’s progress….you DID take pictures over the past 12 years, didn’t you?No, of course you didn’t. Because this burger is not twelve years old.McDonald’s is not the best thing you can eat, I agree. Not by a long shot. I won’t even eat there more than once or twice a month. But this burger is not twelve years old. You haven’t been showing it off since 1996. You can’t even produce a single photograph of the burger with EXIF data between now and 1996. Lying doesn’t help anyone, sweetie.
I think it’s extremely suspect, considering that there’s no documentation proving this really is a 12-year-old burger. There’s not even a single photograph. I don’t care much for McD’s either, but libel is libel and this author is just begging to get sued.
Soooo awesome. I have a quarter pounder with cheese that I bought three years ago as a sermon illustration, and it is still on my shelf in my office! I also have done nothing to it, and it draws many visitors to my office to see. It does have a funny “oily” smell to it. Keep up the good work!
Why would I take a picture as a prop to my workshop when I had the real thing? The burger offered a touchable, tangible, something you could actually smell example. The burger each and every time I shared it offered a real visual.
Pseudointellectual hack. Learn to write.
Nice. So you go buy 2 hamburgers take 2 photos and troll everyone.ALL YOU ARE STUPID, THIS IS ALL A FAKE OBVIOUSLY. TROLL IS LAUGHTING AT YOU.
This is why I don’t eat at fast food restaurnats unless I’m really in a hurry, which isn’t offen I can tell you. I don’t go to macdonalds at all due to the fact that the ammount of salt, specially in the fires here in finland, it’s just stagering looking at them.
You are an idiot.
Totally Photoshopped…But on a serious note.. this is absolutely horrendous.Not your post of course, but the fact that these burgers seem to be made out of 90% cardboard and 10% unknown.
Good heavens! I have 2 burgers from the last week of May 1979 sealed up in a cardboard box I’ve never opened.From Hi-House, a little local place long gone, they were somewhat like White Castles, and on the last day of high school we went there, and I put two in a box and have never opened it since. They rattle a bit in the box, and I was planning to wait untilthey were 30yrs old to open them, but now I’m tempted to go find that box and have a look..Good thng I’m 800 miles from home, maybe I will be able to resist when I get home.
That is disgusting. I can’t believe it’s from 1996 – just goes to show…
you would think if its preserving itself like that why cant it just do the same for ppl instead of killing us slowly. I love the article make youthink doesnt it?
You know, i have hard time believing you. Not just because it’s the internet.Not just because it is a “viral thing” on the internet.But because i’ve conducted this experiment myself. And so have quite a lot of people.You know that guy from “Supersize Me”? So did he. And we all received pretty much same results, except you, for some magical reason.The hamburger will become unedible in about 4 days, where it gets to it’s first stage of decompostion, from then onward it starts to emit both mucus and moistness where-ever it is stored, except of course if it’s stored in some manner of freezer, which would make the experiment entirely moot.Not to mention, the words you use of “Chemical food” and “No nutritional value” point to baseless bullshit.
But of course, because the comments are moderated before they have been posted, critique against your opinions are likely not to be shown in the comments, ever. There are quite a few other places to discuss of this, however, and they are less biased. People have tended to agree to my opinion and the evidence i’ve shown in such places..
I worked at a McDonald’s for 4 months years ago and to look at the raw patties was just disgusting (I desperatedly needed the money!) but the bread would (very) easily go moldy if not stored properly. I wonder how yours has kept so well!
This is a very nice blog site.
I ate one of these yesterday, they are very delicious.
The first pic is from 1996? Why is it on the same paper as the pic you took in 2008?
Karen isn’t the only one with an ancient McDonald’s burger which is fully intact – http://media.www.theechotimes.com/media/storage/paper347/news/2007/10/29/BizarreNews/Burger.Approaches.Eighth.Birthday.At.Com-3093122.shtmlThat’s a local professor. In his case, it’s a cheeseburger. It has not been subjected to special storing.
Thanks for stopping by Jane!
Thank you!! A fellow salesleader emailed me yesterday and hers is 16 years old!!
All the pics are from 2008 Erica – the burger on the paper is from 1996
I have a caution to put out there for Nutrasweet. I have migraines so I can’t have any artificial sweeteners,but this is what I know about Nutrasweet. For one it can give you severe headaches. Also, a nutritionist told me that she did a thesis on Nutrasweet & this is what happened. She took a lab rat & exposed a part of it’s brain & then dropped one drop of Nutrasweet on the brain. It started to sizzle & a tumor grew right before her eyes. Ugh! Also, a Pepsi delivery guy told me to not buy diet pop that has been sitting in the sun, like outside at a gas station, because the sun causes a chemical breakdown of Nutrasweet & it becomes Formalhyde. Formalhyde is used in embalming fluid. So, unless you like to have headaches, brain tumors or start the embalming process before it’s time, I would suggest not eating or drinking anything with Nutrsasweet in it.
I do enjoy the massive amount of flaming on this discussion board.Clearly, the language you use in this article is soaked with bias. Sadly, this ruins an otherwise enjoyable post. It would be better if you has simply stated “Wow, I put this in a container for 12 years, and it looks like this now. (Picture goes here.)”You have shown that you didn’t take the time to take an objective look at your own writing and, consequently, you come across just as dim-witted as half of the flamer above.
Yeah you have a point there. Only Big Mac Buns were toasted and half the time we didn toast those. The rest of the buns were microwaved
I agree with you about the condiments not being on it ,i thought the same thing also at first and i find it hard to believe the bun has NO mold but when you talk about curing meats ect… those meats are salted and smoked as you said this patty is suppose to be fresh meat. after 12 years it should have disintigrated! i bought a sealed package of beef jerky and it was past the date on the bag and it had green mold on the meat, that is only after a month after experation date and it was still sealed so i would have to say that there is something EXTREMELY not right with that McDonalds patty..YIKES!!!
Hi Pamela – thank you for this cautionary comment. I will be doing quite a bit of writing about sweeteners in the month of October
Your subject is wrong, there is no ham here, just like no beef or no chicken in other meals.But the problem is we don;t teach cooking anymore and as they have found in China, you are rewarded for profit, not content.
Move to europe,Not Hamburger unless hamnot beef burger unless beefetchence KFC, big mac and the aberdeen angus. The last is only allowed because this burger is 100% aberdeen angus beef, no steroids, crap, fillers etc. But the Scottish accredit this
A load of absolute misleading bollocks. Go and eat some vegetables and stop your irresponsible preaching. Sorry for the rant but there’s so many people linking to this site it’s getting annoying.
This blog is by no means atypical. I’m only going to eat more McDonalds now, simply out of spite.
It looks delicious. Time to clog some arteries =D
You also forgot a few things. -tastiness -deliciousness -awesomeness
You’re so fucking full of shit your eyes are brown. Liars like you only HELP McDonald’s. Don’t you realize that people in the _real_ world have their own powers of observation? Those of us with common sense (not blind hippie ideals) can tell you’re a piece of shit activist lying to try to convince gullible people not to support a company you probably have some gay little personal grudge against. I’m on my way to McDonalds right now to buy a dozen hamburgers, no lie. I do it every time some dipshit tries to drag down their character with blatant lies. Enjoy your fucking fail, you helped support their sales. You should be dragged into the street and shot for slandering a company like that. “No nutritional value”? You stupid, stupid cunt.
You children need to grow up. This is a very informative page, particularly to parents and health-conscious people such as myself.I used to be extremely overweight… I believe it was primarily due to fast food consumption. So I’d like to take a minute, just sit right there, I’ll tell you how I became the prince of a town called Bel-Air.In West Philadelphia born and raised, on the playground is where I spent most of my days. Chillin’ out, maxin’, relaxin’ all cool and all shootin’ some B-ball outside of the school, when a couple of guys that were up to no good started making trouble in my neighborhood.I got in one little fight and my mom got scared and said “You’re moving with your auntie and uncle in Bel-Air”
Can you please change this sentence, “The flecks on the bun are crumbs from the bun.” to this: “The flecks on the burger are crumbs from the bun.” so that it will be more accurate/correct (there are flecks on the burger that I think should be clarified appropriately). Awesome post.
The internet. (internet + world wide web = interweb) It’s a term used to make fun of newbs.
I think you are tremendously kind and I’d like to keep you in my hip pocket forever — thank you. Yes, I will change that sentence
lately i have stopped eating at micky Ds and joint pain in legs and elbows has gone away .i stop after tasting clorox and smelling it in burgers ,at 3 differant stores in Va. area it’s a soy bean product .like the O-rings at the king .it goes streight threw you .i work for mc-D’s in 1968 and we hand made burgers then and it was real burger .they claim it still real WELL i’ve never seen a soy cow! maybe the one on TV promoting soy milk
It’s soy guys !it started out as 12% in mid 70’s and 1992 went to 31%. the O-rings at the king are made of somthing you don’t want to know about ! why do you think they are all the same size you think they pick threw a onion for the 1 7/8 rings we are all just ginnie pigs for big buzzzzzz
You are incredibly cute and funny yourself; thanks for correcting. I’ll direct my friends here for sure, as this is really, really gross. And totally supports my veganism.
Did you bother running any lab tests on it? I’m sure you’ll find protein, carbohydrate, fat, etc. Yes, a burger will nourish the cell. Not the best nutrition, but nutrition nevertheless. Your shock logic is flawed. Use real data.
Painting any voice of opposition to your study as McDonalds supporters or burger-lovers is fingers-in-ears “LA LA LA LA LA LA LA” level of immaturity.Luckily you’re not using this inappropriate study to cross-promote your other services… oh wait, that’s exactly what you’re doing.
Why, pray tell, are you reading this article? It appears that you most probably don’t avail yourself of intelligent writing often.
Sure makes you think. Just awful that people actually eat this crap. I never eat Mc.Donald’s. Good article.
Feel free to offer “edit” advice any time. I welcome whomever you care to send my way.
It made me think when I first heard someone else had experimented. I too thought – you’ve got to be kidding.
McDonald’s does NOT make you lazy. It attracts people that are already lazy and not too intelligent. If you don’t already know that eating this food is completely unhealthy then you deserve what you get from consuming it.
Its not just about how much longer you will live without consuming the poisons that are in many fast food chain’s offerings, but also the quality and healthfulness of your life for as long as you live. Do your homework. Many of the chemicals that are used in raising live stock and preserving food have been linkid to a wide array of health problems. This information is available in many medical and scientific journals as well as popular books that you can find at boarders. Try out “Chew on This” for starters and see where that takes you. It is full of scientifically backed information and is a bit easier to “digest” that the scientific journals. Pardon the pun.
This is crazy…..Someone tell me if this is true…I just left from this place for lunch today….I think I need to go home.Hogg International, Inc510-689-6295 (cell)http://app4.websitetonight.com/projects/2/9/9/6/299688/Home_Page.html
My boyfriend’s roomate had a burger from McDonalds sitting on his desk for 3 days, then came in one day and ate it. Apparently it didn’t bother him much… nasty.
Out of curiosity, why did you keep a hamburger for 12 years. Was your hypothesis that it would stay the same? i.e. did you keep it hoping that you could someday write this article or did you somehow just keep it around by accident? lol
I had McDonald’s in Japan…it actually tasted a little better. Less heavy. Like they used less oil or something.
See my FAQ re: your questions Kristin.
The author looks out of shape… Just saying.
shopped, SHOPPED, shop….ed!
cracks me up how many people are not worried that the meat has been around that long, but talk about the bun getting moldy. Weather or not a bun gets moldy, depends in the climate of your area. If you live in the desert, it will dry completely and be around till dooms day. If you live in a block of ice, it will look most like the iceman a zillion years later. If you live in a damp climate it would get moldy. Also one person talks about salt being the preservative. hello? of course salt is helping to keep it around. Has any one else heard that eating too much salt is not a good thing either? I think everyone needs to chill. If you want to eat McD’s every day, time will tell what will happen to your body. Then the rest of us can say we told you so.
I will say this. I have seen that hamburger over 1 year ago. It is real and it is gross. It is as hard as a rock!!! Buy one yourself and see what it looks like in 2 month, 6 months ect.. try it yourself!!!!!
Absolutely love seeing you here Tom at Best of Mother Earth – thanks for the comment and validation that the burger is real and GROSS!
I like the told you so comment – ha!!
> Holy crap! That is incredible.No, that is *inedible*!
There’s nothing holy about that crap!!!
To start with it is just meat and bun. No sauces etc. I could buy a bun and meat pattie from supermarket cook it and it would look stay the same. Its a different story when you add condiments to things. I would like to see what happens if you ate that 12 year old burger now
Every one knows that burgers from McDonalds are unhealthy, too bad they still taste pretty reasonable. And you people are right mabye later on in life i will have heart disease however alot of people in the uk have it and pharmacolagy is getting better every day who knows in 20 years there might be a cure. But someone said something about quality of life well i can tell you something. I drink quite heavily (i know its bad for me) I smoke quite alot (once again i know its bad for me) and i also eat McDonalds KFC or Burger king when i have the chance and i may die younger than i would if i didnt do all these things but then again i might get hit by a car tomorrow and die life is there to be lived and i would rather die enjoying myselfas kurt said “its better to burn out than fade away”
I like fast foods, and don’t get why some people hate ‘em so much. You should try eating at Mc Donalds or other places only once in a while, exercising regoularly and trying to eat fibers and good stuff in general. Just live a normal life without thinking that the absolute evil lies in some fast food next to your home, because it’s not so.Simone
Good, I agree with you 100% ^^Simone
Nice article, bringing a new approach to a daily thing in our lives. Congratulations. This helps many of us to think twice when hungry in big cities worldwide! I will show this to my kids.
what is newbs?
get a life
I wonder does it taste the same?
I think you’re a silly bumface.
I enjoy how people talk about the chemicals in food, when all naturally occurring food is nothing more than nature’s concoction of chemicals as well. Science does nothing more than try to imitate the same chemical makeup found in nature, adding preservatives. It contains the same nutrients as naturally occurring food.
terve. kävin tos yks päivä töissä raksaL. tipahti tiili päähän ja sekOsin. nO kiva että kiinnostaa. PERjantaina uudestaan.
not at all, i freakin love mc donalds
Yes, isn’t that incredible. I saw a dehydrated apricot the other day that was 4 years old. I couldn’t believe how much it still looked like an apricot but I am assuming there isn’t a lick of nutritive value remaining. Must be a government conspiracy. It just has to be.
would you eat it please? it will be nice. mmmmmmmmmmm.
“No growth possibility”That is a complete lie.
Great visual and I’m sure it’s effective. I agree that McDonald’s offers terrible food; ever since we quit going several years ago, if we happen to go again, we all get sick.Still, I’m not sure that the burger and bun are ENTIRELY void of nutrition, as you claim. Would love to see you show why you claim that, or give some facts, especially for those who are new to nutrition. Bravo to you for educating others!
Hey I bet I served you that burger 12 years ago lol….
In my workshop we spend quite a bit of time discussing all the problems in relationship to the American diet. The burger is a prop for discussion. Mostly about choice. It is very effective! Thanks for stopping by.
The problem with this is that you’d have to compare a 12 year old well-cooked normal burger to a Mcdonald’s burger. If one is completely degraded while the McD burger looks the same, then you have a case. But if both look well preserved, then your experiment is misleading. Sorry to be scientific, but you don’t have a control to compare it to. And none of us really knows what any other food looks like after 12 years.
That is absolutely horrifying and disgusting. I’m so glad I don’t go to McDonld’s.
WOW! I should have started eating these buggars years ago and hopefully would have preserved me in the same fashion ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !At my age I need all the preservatives I can get. HELLO MICKY DEE, here I come.
RECEIVE not recieve !
For starters, IF you bought this 1996, why didn’t you keep the paper bag n covers? This smells fishy! Paper last longer than meat anyways, and especially paper/plastic like mc Donald’s use.I don’t eat at mc Donald’s, but it’s not cool to lie. When I was younger I did eat there, and ate burgers in both London (when I lived there) and my hometown in sweden. They did NOT taste the same. I remember this so clearly cuz I was surprised, they actually tasted different! Of course it’s allot of chemicals in it, you can’t find ANY food without… (more or less, but if you grow your own veggies and have cow’s n chicken’s in ya backyard, producing your OWN meat then you are on your way to a MUCH healthier life.
Chemical food?So do you think that the hamburger does not contain meat but it is composed by inorganic compounds mimicing meat texture and smell?Do you know it’s science-fiction?Otherwise, may be you are supposing that your hamburger contains chemical preservatives. May be. But why a company should waste money and expose itself to the risk of a denunciation, only to preserve for a long time a food destined to immediate consumption like that? Furthermore, it’s not true that the hamb does not contains nutrients. It contains (just now) proteins, fat and carbohydrates. Sure, not vitamins: vitamins were burned out 12 years ago by high temperature cooking.
I live in mexico and I never bring my children never again to mc donald´s after see this article, thanks mrs Karen Hanrahan
You are making a great choice not to go
as a matter of fact; corpses hardly rot nowadays, because of all the preservatives in food. I guess some people will look as good as a McDonald’s hamburger after 12 years in a grave. Also I’m amazed by how every forum on the net, about no matter what, turns into a ignorance contest. I understand that the net is a good hangout for people without a life, but I wish they would sit out their sorry existence in silence. Maybe they need more McDonald’s, and let the problem solve itself.
Wow, what a discovery!!!
Hey, what are the odds, me too!
What a slam against Jews !!! (I’m not Jewish) I do know – however, that the jews are “god’s chosen people”. But what’s the lifespan of a hamburger got to do with anyone except Ronald McDonald??? Andy
KAREN, DARLING, FROM THE WAY YOU LOOK IN YOUR PICTURE, I THINK YOU HAVE BEEN EATING A FEW MCDONALD’S HAMBURGERS….AND FRIES AND BURGER KING, AND WHITE CASTLE, AND KFC AND ON AND ON!
I dont belive that hamburger is that old.I think that person is just dont like McDonalds .And isnt and is trying to get other people not to eat there food.I the 70s there was a rumor that they were useing fishing worms in hamburges .But worms cost more then groundbeef.And that rumor was proven wrong too.My kids ate McDonalds and other hambuger places And only maybe a few times a month too.Now there all adults and there all still healthy.So if you dont like the food then dont eat there.No one can make you eat food only you can deside
i don’t think there is any real food value in any form of McFood. I think the health food ppl are for the most part correct about this kind of food. However, it is wrong when they get it into their heads they have the right to tell me or my children not to eat it. They go completely off the rail when they attempt to criminalize low quality food. Ppl believe and act based on their own internal thoughts combined with external stimuli. If you are right, about Mcfood, let the know nothings die off of their proclivities and clean up the gene pool. Since you know that WON’T happen, you should not try to remove what could be a Friday night treat to some regular, well fed children, with parents who actually care about the WHOLE person, including their likes and dislikes. A Big Mac or five never killed anyone, nor is it likely to considering the guy whose eaten some 35,000, is not pushing up daisies, either. Sometimes MCFood is fun, and the three seconds it removed from your lifespan is price I’d willingly pay, considereing in my fam, we get really old, and have no brains by the time we die off, having drained our inheritance to our children down to nothing.
the bottom line is, if someone wants to eat that, it’s their business and no one elses.
i don’t think there is any real food value in any form of McFood. I think the health food ppl are for the most part correct about this kind of food. However, it is wrong when they get it into their heads they have the right to tell me or my children not to eat it. They go completely off the rail when they attempt to criminalize low quality food. Ppl believe and act based on their own internal thoughts combined with external stimuli. If you are right, about Mcfood, let the know nothings die off of their proclivities and clean up the gene pool. Since you know that WON’T happen, you should not try to remove what could be a Friday night treat to some regular, well fed children, with parents who actually care about the WHOLE person, including their likes and dislikes. A Big Mac or five never killed anyone, nor is it likely to considering the guy whose eaten some 35,000, is not pushing up daisies, either. Sometimes MCFood is fun, and the three seconds it removed from your lifespan is price I’d willingly pay, considereing in my fam, we get really old, and have no brains by the time we die off, having drained our inheritance to our children down to nothing.
I know! So gross! What made you keep it for 12 years? Just for the heck of it? Or to prove something?
I am not surprised. I heard that McDonalds burgers and other fast food restaurant burgers served are not 100% beef, but are made of several different kinds of meats. I wonder where the meat comes from? Best bet is to buy grass-fed beef from a trusted source then you know you’ve got the good stuff for your body!
This is stupid I can’t believe all the people that would believe this, all you did was dry everything, enough so that bacteria wouldn’t be able to decompose it.It even looks like you dried it. and I really doubt that is actually 12 years old. I’m not being ignorant or anything, but you gotta show more proof then a dried burger. If you didn’t dry the burger it would have decomposed within several weeks. McDonald’s isn’t the idea of a good meal, more of a fast cheap to go meal. If you eat McDonald’s everyday, you gotta switch your diet. Don’t expect fast food to be healthy, its made in like 5 minutes.. lol. Everybody should know that by now. The reason why people are fat and obese, is because they eat more than they can burn off, plain and simple. Get people to start pumping iron, run on a treadmill, or play some sports. If you eat McDonald’s everyday and you exercise vigorously, you’ll maintain your shape.
I have a question, if this person did indeed keep this hamburger for 12 years, (doubtful) and keep it in a sealed plastic container, why wouldn’t the same thing happen to it which happened to the hamburger in the experiment conducted by Morgan Spurlock on the extras of “Supersize Me”. This is a problem with America and indeed the world today, we are so willing to accept whatever people say as truth just because it is in a blog online and the author acts like they know what they’re talking about. Don’t get me wrong, i am not an advocate for McDonald’s, far from it in fact, but I hope that people can start to think for themselves for a change and not take EVERYTHING they read at face value.
I remember when i was in orlando at a sign convention. there was a mcdonald’s franchisee convention going on at the same time. their ceo was there, and he keeled over and died at the convention. i thought, hmmm, i wonder what he usually ate for lunch? burgers like this, probably
Oh yeah, it’s on the internet, so it MUST be true. Right. Could have bought those burgers 2 hours apart at different locales. Just becuase the buns are slightly different doesn’t convince me.
Your a dumb dumb bread, no matter where it is stored, will mold. Congrats on fooling people whom do not think for themselves.
i found a fry under my cars seat from 1991 and it looked the same as the one i dropped today. I ate them both. mmmmmm
yes, I’ll have one hamburger and ummm….. a Twinkie for dessert.
this is pure poetry! beautiful.
ok, you people are a little nuts!! The bottom line to all of this is, that there is no proof to this article!! She could have gone out and bought this burger right before she wrote this, just to bash one fast food restaurant and to cause all of you to respond to it. Also I have a very hard time believing that the bun hasn’t produced mold after 12 years. Everyone knows that fast food isn’t the most healthy food choice but I continue to see long lines at the drive-thru everyday at dinner time. So it’s their own problem if they want to eat that way. Also I hate when people do stupid experiments that do not simulate what happens to food in the human body. Our bodies are tougher than people think. They can break things down and eliminate them efficiently. Although eating a diet high in fat and cholesterol is harmful over time.
Yeah, thats kind of wierd…but they taste awesome…
This is racist. McDonalds is a necesiity to nourish many black peoples so go enjoy your pork products.
You know, to simply put a burger out there from Mcdees when there are thousands of “lousy” food places out there doesn’t prove anything. People eat what THEY LIKE not what YOU like or what you say we should like. Crap, the worlds finances are a mess, people are committing suicide all over the place and you are worried about what we eat ? LMAO, EVERYONE already knows about the McDees burgers, we go because WE LIKE THEM you idiot.
I heartily endorse this burger as the state food of Alaska.
you’re a jew
I agree. This woman is a complete moron. Who on earth would save a burger for 12 years? What’s the point? The simple fact is that McDs hamburgers actually do have nutritive value, perhaps just what her lesbian vegan overweight self doesn’t eat. She’s probably voting for Obama too. Enough said.
Who’s to say a regular burger cooked at home wouldnt look the same in 12 years? Try that before you make this to be such a big deal.
How can it NOT be exposed to natural decomposers? Minus the insects there is all kind of mold and bacteria floating around in the everyday air we breathe. It was exposed when she took it out the wrapper. Also if you are going to prove that something is so unhealthy it doesn’t decompose you are not going to take PREVENTATIVE measures. The hamburger in question would have been left in its orignal wrapper untouched for 12 years not put in a plastic lunch container and possible freeze dried. I have to agree with the other comments about the bread. That bun would have been molded weeks after it got old. There is no way it’s lasted 12 years.
Your so full of CRAP!!!! Where is the MOLD on the bread???????? Mold will grow in air tight packaging, let alone some cheap tupper ware. Yeah, Yeah, Yeah. Dont eat meat..blah, blah,blah. I hope you can afford a burger after Mc Donalds take your sorry butt to court!!!!! People like you give idiots a bad name!
It’s simply foolish and ignorant to assert a foodstuff is laden with chemicals because it hasn’t rotted in a decade. Dry, lowfat, salted, cooked meat doesn’t mold, lady. It’s one way primitive people have preserved protein sources for eons–beef jerky, pemmican, anyone? Same with the bun. If it’s allowed to dry out before the mold takes hold, it will last indefinitely (i.e. those flour and water ornaments your kids may have made for the Christmas tree.) Now as far as nutrition goes, a regular burger–no mayo, cheese, or sauce–from McDonalds IS a far better lunch for an active child or adult than mac and cheese, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, or bologna.The portion size is reasonable, too. Please don’t offer alarmist, foolish “analysis” based solely on a personal bias–it adds nothing of value to the debate.
If you knew of a starving child, American or foreign, would you deprive them of a hamburger from McDonald’s? If it’s all that you could offer. because if you did let them eat it, wouldn’t you potentially be endangering there life? Besides, have none of you ever heard of the FDA. I would assume that the FDA and McDonald’s have a relationship like all other fast food franchise. get over it. its food. McDonald’s didn’t cause the majority of American to become obese. you did.
So are all the McDonald’s bashers going to stop eating at KFC, TGI FRiday’s, the local chinese/mexican/italian restaurants also? Are you drinkers going to stop having your bar hopping cocktails or Monday night football beers? Get real! McDonald’s isnt the axis of all evil nor is it the only reason people are obese or have health problems. McDonald’s been around for over 50 years yet it’s just in the past 10 or so become a health hazard to people. People need to take responsibilty for their own eating habits and choices. Red meat is unhealthy PERIOD b/c it contains large amounts of saturated fats. A fast food hamburger is no more fattening or artery clogging than the ones you burn up on the grill in your backyard or fry up on the stove. ALL ground beef has grisle in it so that doesn’t help substantiate the claim that MCD is evil. There are all kinds of chemicals and preservatives in the hotdogs, chicken nuggets, Poptarts etc that you buy to feed and placate your children. The corn syrupy, sugary goodness in their juice boxes and breakfast cereals you give them. So like I said before let’s be real. The focus needs to be on the real issue and that’s learning portion control and choosing a better diet PERIOD. Everything you put in your mouth to consume has some risk from something so unless the entire world plans to become Organic Vegans some realism needs to be injected into this topic.
This is non-sense. It is absurd to state that there is NO(zero, zilch) food value in the McD’s hamburger. There IS food value there, however low it may be, as any dietary web site will atest to. I notice she did not offer any evidence to back up that statement. Nor did she fess up to how she preserved the burger, (it simply did not sit out on the counter for 12 years, it has to have been, shrink wrapped, frozen or something. Also, her statement that every McD’s burger purchased anywhere in the world tastes exactly the same is an out-right a lie. Anyone who has ever travled to Europe (Ireland, England, France, ect.)and eaten a burger from one of their McDonalds can tell you that they don’t taste even remotely like the burgers you get in the U.S. They are totally different in taste, and probably in content as well. McDonalds should sue. Her statements are simply not true.
I think this is total crap. I fed my kid a McDonalds burger the other day and he dropped a piece in the car. I found it like 4 days later and you could definately tell that it had fallen apart and was starting to get crusty. It blows my mind that people would really buy into this. McDoanld’s may be bad for you, but they aren’t evil scientists.
Ask Willard Scott, He was the original Ronald McDonald. YouTube search=Ronald McDonald Willard Scott. If the 12 yr old burger is not enough to scare you off that s**t forever, then seeing this will :0 !!
I’m amazed at what I see here. I don’t mean the article, but the people who have nothing better to do than sit around and blast each other online. I just came here looking for an interesting article to share with my students but I’m leaving with a lesson on how to act appropriately online. Thank you all for being the subject of my lesson.
What has kept the burger from decomposing all these years was probably a FREEZER !!! thats why there is not any mold on the bread and it still looks just like the new one !!
I haven’t eaten the crap since I saw “Super Size Me” a few years ago.You can find fries under your car seat that may be years old & look the same as the day they were bought. If you have kids you’ll know what I mean….
I wonder if it tastes better with age? like stew or chili
For more complete viewpoint, please rent the movie ‘Super Size Me’ Super Size Me is a 2004 documentary film written, produced, directed by and starring Morgan Spurlock, an American independent filmmaker. Spurlock’s film follows a 30-day time period (February 2003) during which he subsists entirely on food and items purchased exclusively from McDonald’s, and the film documents this lifestyle’s drastic effects on Spurlock’s physical and psychological well-being and explores the fast food industry’s corporate influence, including how it encourages poor nutrition for its own profit.
The industry hasn’t changed in every way since 1996. Super Size Me is a 2004 documentary film written, produced, directed by and starring Morgan Spurlock, an American independent filmmaker. Spurlock’s film follows a 30-day time period (February 2003) during which he subsists entirely on food and items purchased exclusively from McDonald’s, and the film documents this lifestyle’s drastic effects on Spurlock’s physical and psychological well-being and explores the fast food industry’s corporate influence, including how it encourages poor nutrition for its own profit.
there’s allot worse things out there that we are ingestings…who cares!!!
I’m still LOLing at that word… haha
I might buy the burger part, but how do they keep the bread from getting mold on it??? Now that they can’t stop!
Absolutely no food value? Come on are you stupid or are you thinking we are. Maybe you should use that chemically generated food and break it down to the basis of all nutrition-chemicals and really explain what you’ve got there. It does have food value. You could start first with energy( why we all eat) caloric intake. Try living without that for a sustained period of time. You probably don’t think you need amino acids either, or niacin, Iron, or Zinc.The Starches in that bun -carbohydrates I think the body has a use for those too. I’m sure you’ll find trace amounts of several vitamin complexes also. You pose as some sort of nutritionist, and make statements like “absolutely no nutritional value”, what an absolute idiot you are. Go back to school nutrition 101; even dirt from detritus,and mineral content has some nutritional value (though be it difficult to ingest, and process) it’s there. Shock statements really bring out the idiot in most of those that make them.
eewwwhttp://www…….that looks nasty.Eat at Burger King!
Wow! If anyone believes this story, they’ve got problems. There is no way that the bread would not have molded much less the meat, even if kept in a plastic container.
You won’t see a McD’s employee eating McD’s on their lunch break because McD’s has staff rooms (usually with a cable television) in the back. Of course they’re not in full uniform eating food among the customers. And yes, the majority of McDonalds employees do eat there. And those that don’t usually don’t because a)they can’t afford the expense b)they’re concerned about diet or c)they can’t stand the smell of the stuff after being surrounded by it all day.This article, while interested, proves nothing. Meat, once cooked and heavily salted dries out (think jerky). Bread, once toasted and kept dry, turns stale and doesn’t mould (think croutons). Since there were no sauces on this burger to keep it moist, the bread and meat couldn’t rot. I agree with previous posters- McD’s isn’t the most nutritious place in the world to eat, for certain. But if you have a mostly healthy diet, and get enough exercise, the occassional burger won’t kill you.
Oh jesus christ, give me a break. Yes, they arent really good for you but have you ate a McD’s burger in another country? No, you havent… otherwise you wouldnt have made the taste comment.
Have none of you seen the movie “Supersize Me?” If not go out and rent it. It a wonderful documentary on the horrors of what McDonalds food will do to you if live on it. All of you are attacking the author because you don’t want to admit she is right! No food should be so well preserved after 12 years unless it is full of PRESERVATIVES AKA chemicals that are not good for you. McDonald’s food has an addicting quality and that is why none of you want to admit this is horrible stuff to be putting it into your body. (Ever wonder why you never get full on McDonald’s and when you do why 2 hours later you want more???) Your all addicted!Make a burger at home from fresh beef and put it on a bun and try to store it in an air tight container for a few weeks. It will be rotten and smelly within a few days!Have you ever found a MCDonald’s fry under your car seat after a few months. They are rock hard and look exactly the same as the day it was bought!! Those things will outlast us in landfills! If the food isn’t full of chemicals like so many on this board say, then why is the food so well preserved??? Use your brains for once. Something isn’t right!!!
I’m having a Big Mac attack. been eating Big Macs since 70, and still slim, healthy. love em
Ummmm, yeah. So, two things:1. Why in the hell would you keep a burger for 12 years?2. McDonald’s slogan in 1996 was not “I’m lovin’ it” as the wrapper shows. That’s a fairly recent change – within the last 5 years anyway.Lies.
I am 36 years old and have been eating McDonalds as long as I can remember. They are genious’ at their marketing and distribution. There are no surprises here, people know what they are getting when they eat a MD’s hamburger. The fries are much more unhealthy than the burgers. I just got it! This is a “Don’t eat meat” campaign. Hey, I love animals,too.They’re delicious!
I’m thinking Arbys..
Why is it Ms. Hanrahan rarely responds to any of the valid, logical, thought provoking counter arguments made against the ideas presented in her blog? She only seems interested in self-satisfied banter with those who happen to agree with her. There is something truly frightening in this blog, and it’s not the purported 12-year-old burger. It’s the fact that people are turning into nothing more than sheep who can’t think for themselves. There are far too many comments here along the lines of “Wow, this is really eye opening! I’m never eating there again!” If you are making life choices based on what you’ve seen someone post on the Internet, and that person hasn’t offered one shred of logical proof that their claims are true, you are truly a foolish person. What if instead of seeing this blog, you instead saw one that featured a man in great health who claimed to eat only fast food? Would you then go out and start shoveling burgers into your mouths? I should certainly hope not! Conclusions are asserted in this blog without any supporting evidence to link them to the initial observation. Food that doesn’t decay is only possible if it’s made from synthetic chemicals? Such food would hold no nutritional value? Where is the proof that these claims are true? Indeed, we have already seen proof that Ms. Hanrahan’s claims that a McDonald’s burger holds no nutrional value are completely false. The observation itself is flawed at best, if not a complete fabrication. The fact that a McDonald’s hamburger hasn’t decayed after 12 years (if even true) is only relevant if a non-McDonald’s burger of comparable size, cooked and held in the exact way as the McDonald’s burger, reacted in a different manner. How do we know that the McDonald’s burger did not behave in the manner that any burger would when held under the same conditions? I worked at McDonald’s for eight years through high school, college, and for a while after college while I searched for a job in my field of study. I have nothing to gain by defending them now and in fact defending them is not my purpose in writing this. I believe that sensationalist garbage like this and the sheeple who believe it are far more damaging to the population than any supposed chemical burger. I can tell you that in my eight years at McDonald’s, I saw meat behave in a variety of ways under a variety of conditions. I have seen raw meat begin to spoil in a matter of hours. I have seen cooked meat that had accidentally fallen under a piece of equipment not to be found for a few days dry out and turn into a hockey puck that would seemingly last forever. I have also seen cooked meat decaying in different conditions. I purport that if Ms. Hanrahan’s burger is indeed 12 years old, then it is the result of the conditions in which it was held, and not because of some unholy chemical composition. I can also tell you that McDonald’s did not toast their buns in 1996…
nom nom nom
I FUCKIN’ LOVE MCDONALDS
“Take a psychology class ya dimwit”ooh, the man has taken a psych class! THATS why he thinks he knows everything! :O!
Dear Teacher,
The comments speak loudly don’t they? In my year or so of blogging I have never experienced anything like it. Thank you for sharing in my amazement.
VERY
I heart Mickey Deez!
Yummy!! This makes me want McDonald’s today! I don’t care if that stuff kills – I love it to bits. heh
triumvirate [try-umm-vir-rit]Noun1. a group of three people in joint control of something: the triumvirate of great orchestras which dominates classical music in Europe2. (in ancient Rome) a board of three officials jointly responsible for some task
Why would the quality of ingredients change the rate of decay? And what on earth do you mean by a “‘live’ food”? Reading through your posts you seem to think that anything that is engineered automatically makes it evil and nasty and has ‘no nutritional value’. are you really a QUALIFIED nutritionist?
Holy moley!Looks like Styrofoam has a competitor for forever in a landfill item.But… if shes right,shouldn’t WE be UNABLE to digest their burgers? Maybe she’s just trying a smear campaign. Mickey Dees could sue her royaly for this if she’s making it up.
There are many good reasons to dislike McDonalds. Deranged fictional crap like this is not one of them. Fail.
Perhaps you should take your own advice about using your brain to heart. Apparently you have selective memory. In your beloved “Supersize Me” movie, Mr. Spurlock performs the same experiment presented here and the burger rots.Something isn’t right here? You’re correct. The fact that you can be so smugly sure that your accusations are true without providing one iota of proof is very disturbing.You say people are attacking the author because they don’t want to admit she’s right. What makes her so right? The fact that you dislike McDonald’s and you want to believe her? If she is so right, why can’t she submit any counter arguments to the valid criticisms against her?You assert that McDonald’s fills their food with addictive chemicals. The only “proof” you can offer to this accusation is to claim you know how everyone who eats their food feels afterwards. I don’t know where you’re getting your data, but neither I myself nor anyone I have eaten McDonald’s with has ever had any problems becoming full, nor did we crave it again mere hours later.A list of the ingredients in McDonald’s food can be found at http://nutrition.mcdonalds.com/bagamcmeal/nutrition_ingredients.htmlNote the entry for the beef patties. “100% pure USDA inspected beef; no fillers, no extenders. Prepared with grill seasoning (salt, black pepper).”I expect you’ll probably want to discount that as a lie. After all, they’re a big evil corporation with things to hide, right? But do you realize what the legal ramifications would be if they put that on their official website and it wasn’t true? If you truly believe it’s a lie, then I would suggest you purchase a burger and have it sent to a lab for analysis. If it turns out there’s more than just meat in that patty, you could be famous for bringing down the giant and you’d be a hero to all those who share your cause! Frankly, I don’t think McDonald’s is so stupid as to put lies on their website that could be that damaging if found out. There’s nothing more in that food than what’s in the food you buy at the grocery store, unless of course you’re shopping completely organic. The food is bad for you because of high saturated fat and calorie content, not because of chemicals. If you needed Morgan Spurlock to tell you that, than there’s something not right here. Please use your brain for once.
mmm, makes me hungry
What speaks more loudly than the comments is the fact that you blatantly ignore any valid criticisms of your position and choose only to respond to those who lavish you with undue praise.I’m not talking about the commenters who have done nothing but throw immature insults at you. They certainly should be ignored. But there are countless arguments that have been made against your methods and conclusions in this experiment that are well-formed and civil. Why not spend some time refuting them if you truly believe what you have done here is right? Or are you validating those criticisms through your silence?Perhaps the reason why this is the first time in all your years of blogging that you have experienced anything like this is because this is the first time you’ve tried to pass off fantasy as fact.
Dear JTR…sweetheart, I would like to invite you to buy yourself a McDonald’s hamburger, put it on a plate in your cupboard and call me in 12 years. Then you can answer your own questions. Then you will know for yourself.
Karen,I’m glad you’ve taken the time to address a concern. But your proposal is glossing over the issue. I could try and repeat your experiment, and even if I got the same results there would still be a problem. I’ve already stated in another comment that I have personally seen a McDonald’s burger turn into a jerky-like hockey puck. So I’m not completely dismissing the possibility that you could have a 12-year-old burger. But I have also seen a McDonald’s burger rot, and Morgan Spurlock who shares your same agenda has also caused one to rot. I think this goes to show that environmental conditions are to blame for your burger’s preservation, and not unnatural chemicals.In order to give meaning to your experiment, you need a control. In this case the control would be a store bought beef patty. It would have to be made into the same size and thickness as a McDonald’s patty. It would then have to be cooked in the same manner as the McDonald’s meat and then stored in the same manner as the one you purchased. The fact that your burger is preserved would only be significant if the store bought patty behaved differently.On top of your experiment being invalid, you’ve made statements that are completely untrue and have destroyed your credibility. You claim a McDonald’s burger holds no nutritional value and would not nourish cells. While it is true the high levels of fat and cholesterol make the food a poor nutritional choice, the cell does indeed receive nourishment.You claim the meat is cloned. Cloned meat would not have been available in 1996. I’m not even sure it’s available now. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2008/01/15/DI2008011502270.htmlYou claim that McDonald’s tastes the same around the world, implying the food comes from one source. This is your most outrageous statement. How can you make this claim when it is obvious you have never eaten McDonald’s outside the country? There have been many commenters here who have been telling you just how different the food is from one country to the next. Looking into McDonald’s global operations, which can be done with a simple Internet search, shows that the food is distributed from a wide variety of sources.Karen, I’m not trying to dissuade you from encouraging people to eat better. I occasionally indulge in fast food. When I go to those restaurants and see people who obviously indulge way too much, it makes me sad to think of what they’re doing to their bodies. But trying to trick people into changing their habits by posting conclusions reached without any real supporting evidence as well as outright lies is no better than if McDonald’s were to put dangerous additives in their foods and hide the fact.
Thank you for your thoughts and opinions here.
U know, I’m going to experiment this and prove that this is wrong… I’ll go to McD and buy a burger here in my country and see if it rots! You can’t deny that mother nature will do it’s thing… decomposing every single thing that’s called “food”.
still going? lolPeople like Karen rely on a mental filter that prevents any comments not agreeing with her from even being considered for processing.It’s a hopeless task to attempt to educate those who actively resist it.
Try eating the hamburger, then shitting it out, then keeping it in a plastic container for 12 years. It’s even nastier.
To be honest, I’d rather have a burger that was time proof than something healthy.
Good Thinking!!! But i have know´d that many times ago ;D
I can believe the burger staying the same for 12 years but how does the bun stay the same without growing mold? Something sounds shady
Wow! I eat McDonalds all the time and don’t have high blood pressure or diabetes! I exercise and am in great shape! I don’t seem to have any problems at all! Good thing you fat sick dudes found someone to blame for your problems! Grow up.
I can’t believe how much you all argue and hate each other, no wonder the world’s in such a sorry state. Take a deep breath and go outside and try living!
I don’t get it. What’s the burger SUPPOSED to look like after 12 years? What should a burger I grill at home look like in 12 years?
Because of the Mad Cow scares, Japan does not allow imported beef. So anything with beef in it you eat there is going to be a little different than anything you’d eat in America. They only use Japanese beef, and they check every cow killed for mad cow disease. This was a development that came about when I was living there, and I’d assume they still have this restriction in place.
We’re documenting the “long life of a cheeseburger”, we were inspired by your post. Our test shows that mould appears after 12 days, and we think it is normal, since a grilled hamburger does not contain blood, and it contains very few water.We took as many pictures as possible to document our experiment. And, sincerely, we think your photographic evidence is without any value.
Forgot the web address:http://lalungavitadelcheeseburger.blogspot.com/
Have you seen the film “Supersize Me”?How come his burgers actually decomposed eventually after a month or so. However, the french fries were the items which seemingly lasted forever..Take a look at the special features section on the DVD.
How was the chemical patty kept in the freezer or out in the open?
i love mcdonalds hamburgers….. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
mcdonalds>loser who keeps a 12yo burger
I really appreciate how you only respond to positive comments and completely neglect any that are calling you out on your blatant farce and fabrication of your so called science experiement, and neglect to acknowledge any of the scientific debunking that’s been posted. You really are a testament of the model debater. Thank you so much.
Leave it to a female to mince words.Muscle weighs more than fat. Many people strive to put on muscle. In order to put on muscle, you must increase your caloric intake to well above maintenance level. Eating something like McDonalds while muscle building is what’s called a “dirty bulk”.Dirty bulk is a perfectly acceptable part of the process when done in moderation. Now hush, adults are talking.
What’s the link between the hamburger looking the same and it being bad to eat? Please explain that and add some transitions to the article. It’s interesting, but it’s unclear how everything is related. I can understand how food being able to preserve itself leads to it being a chemical (normal beef spoils), but how does it mean it has no nutritious value? What nutritionless chemicals are in it?By the way, a McDonald’s here doesn’t taste the same as elsewhere. Not even a McDonald’s here always tastes the same as another McDonald’s here.
Gary, the burger is a prop in a workshop I teach for parents who are seeking ways to change the way they feed their families. The 12 year old burger prompts really great discussion. My advocacy is to eat clean food, scratch cooking, eating locallly and organic. Staying away from factory farmed foods etc Bringing back the family meal and the all american picnicThe workshop is involved. Three evening sessions. Hard to really put it all into context in a blog post. The burger article was simply a show and tell.
Victor – this is a friendly place. If you can be friendly you might get a reply from me.
How is it that the bread never got any mold on it? Is Mcdonalds making this ultimate bread that never rots or molds. If so, they need to sell that recipe to some other bread companies! This article seems a little fishy to me. The hamburger is still dead cow and it still taste good. That is the value of the burger, great taste! Everything has some chemicals in it, get over it, we are all still living longer every year, and isn’t that the point of all this wellness Bull, to make you live a healthy long life. Well their are plenty of elderly people that have always had mcdonalds, and the chemicals are messing them up. This health Bull is so badly over rated these days! Eat a burger people! It wont kill you any sooner. One last point is open your eyes and look around you, look at all those people that are 60 or over and think to yourself, where are all the old people with the six pack abs, and fit. Then realize that all those fitness people died before the age of 65 because of the stress they continually put on their hearts, and veins. I don’t care what people say to me, I just look around and realize a lot of old people out their have never worked out in their life or lifted one weight.
how did you keep a burger or the bread from molding for 12 years? did you cryovac it? do you know what that means, because spell check doesn’t? don’t give me that preservative bullshit. i hate you and i hope your mother dies. have you ever masturbated while choking yourself? i bet you have, you piece of hippie tofu shit! you know that people care. i do care. that is why i am a people. fuck you. do you have any friends? i do………ronald mcdonald is pissed. he’s my bestest friend in the god damn world. i hope you have herpes. i love you.
Wow. If you were to give me that burger I probably would’ve eaten it as it looks almost exactly like one from today.
It might be that there is a whole lot of anti-preservatives, and of course an extreme amount of trans fat in them, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it is “not nutritious”. It’s just not healthy for you if you make it your fifth food group.In short, I don’t see how being able to preserve for a long time leads to the conclusion of low nutritious values. Not that I particularly like McDonalds though.
but dude when its 1 in the morning and you’re so stoned that your eyes feel like they’re bleeding those things taste sooo good!
Poopyheads
My daughter had to grow mold on bread for school. Amazingly, only one child was able to get results. Her mom made bread from scratch. My daughter’s bread was over a year old when we finally threw it away. We rarely buy store bread any more. Food is supposed to decompose. If it doesn’t we stay clear of it.
interesting but.. if i was really hungry, id probably eat both burgers on the spot. no questions asked.
you shouldn’t be ‘educating parents’ when you clearly have no idea about food, especially McDonalds burgers it seems… the fact that you have kept a dried out burger for 12 years proves nothing if you THINK about it. ‘the reality of it is shocking’ … er no actually, it’s done exactly what you would expect a dried out piece of meat and bread would have done, regardless of how much artificial crap is in it. therefore, who cares?
yeah pause at how ridiculous this is
Fake.
proof? i dont think its from 96, prove me wrong asshats
We feel that way too Tammy.
I used to work at macdonalds when I was younger and the ’scrambled eggs’ you refer to are real eggs scrambled…. I have seen it with my own eyes!I agree this experiment has no scientific fact, where is the control subject? I can not eat much processed foods, I have an intolerance and sure there are things i must avoid on the macdonalds menu but the majority doesn’t make me sick.To back up your argument I urge you to get these tested and inform people what chemicals are present if in fact you do find more than what is in ordinary food.Sure its fast food and its not great for you but its not choc full of additives and preservatives it contains too many carbohydrates and proteins than a normal meal both of which are energy and un used energy turns into fat.You can accuss McD’s foods for being full of artifical additives but without proof it can not be supported. I urge people not to just take your word for it as it is not scientific fact.Oh and also has anyone ever dropped there own home made french fry under a car seat and seen that that displays the same charateristics as a mcd’s french fry???This is the case in Aus but may not be true in the US
Hahahahahaha thats just rediculous! Yes McD’s is not so healthy and yes eating it excessivly would probably over a long period of time make you fat but eating an occassional mcds isnt gonna kill you!!And why in the hell would someone keep a burger and a bun for 12 years??? and that bun should defo moulded by now even if its kept in a plastic box!!Me thinks that not all is as it seems with this article.
I don’t get it. Nuts, honey, those dried fruit snacks things, dried bread, spices… there’s lots of things don’t spoil.
“This is a chemical food”"Not one ounce of food value”"does nothing to nourish the cell”Your claims are unjustified and terribly misinformed. McDonalds may not be the most well balanced source of food, but it most certainly does nourish you.
Actually, interweb is just what they say in England. faggot.
What would be the reason why McDonalds would have to inject a massive dose of preservatives into their hamburgers and buns? To keep the left overs and later sell them after 12 years? I highly doubt that. I’ll buy the argument that hamburgers are unhealthy if eaten daily because of it’s cholesterol and fats content. But to say that it has embalming chemicals to make it last for 12 years is just plain bull.There’s no sense for hamburger chains in preserving their burgers to last for a month or so. Because if they were caught by the sanitary inspectors selling 1 week old burgers, they’ll be out of business.
As a McEmployee, I’d like to say that our buns DO go moldly, there’s proof. If we do bun pull incorrectly than we have to throw out ALOT of moldy buns. You have to also remember that McDonalds has changed alot since 1996. And those specs may be bread crumbs, but we also shake a salt and pepper mixture onto the patty. I’m not trying to say you are wrong, i just don’t think it would look like that. the patty would be much lighter, and the bun would have eaten itself by than. back to nutrition, if you read the nutrition outline on the back of all tray-liners, a hamburger is MUCH better for you than a cheese burger, because in essence the worst thing for you at mc donalds is the CHEESE. The processed disgusting cheese. So if you were to purchase a happy meal, i would suggest getting the four nuggest, with apples instead of fries, and take the breading off of the nuggest. it’s the only way to make a kids meal truly nutritional. the chicken is real, its white meat. its the breading that isn’t good for you.oh, and something to keep in mind haha. The new ANGUS burgers. we need to use the greasy fat stuff thats at the bottom of all the trays from the burgers, and pour it on top of the angus burgers so they don’t loose they’re ‘yummy’-ness. ALSO, I do occasionally eat mcdonalds, and it’s not completely terrible. there’s some good things. Of course I wish they’d offer whole wheat buns and wraps
but I’m a normal weight and i’ve worked there for 9 months now. hope that opened some eyes and more thoughts.
I don’t care what anyone says, but can I have that burger if you are done with it. I’m sure it still taste as good as the new burgerRemember….I got the Fries that will cross your eyes, I got the shakes that will make you quake, I got the burgers…………………………………………………………………………..I just got burgers…
Paranoid no im not that is just totally disgusting! I’ve satrted hte same experiment just a little while ago and am researchig and found this article. Wow that blows me away. Thats just disgusting! Seriously!
I enjoyed this post. It’s amazing to think what kind of preservatives were used in that hamburger for it to look the same way it did 12 years ago. Really neat picture and something to think about.
Thank you for your positive comment and sharing that my post gave you some fuel for thought.
I regularly eat beef jerky, which is preserved.I wonder if it, “fills an empty space in your belly. It does nothing to nourish the cell, it is not a nutritious food.”
Hey are you gunna like eat that burger? cuz i’m hungry.
This made me lol a little.
I would like to know who would have ever thought to save a McDonalds Hamburger and Bun for 12 years? Was there anything scientific about thie experiment? Did you keep it in a climate controlled room or a shelf in your garage? Refrigerator? Don’t you want to admit how many times you wanted to throw that dried up burger out when you cleaned where ever you had it? I think everyone knows you don’t eat fast food every day and personally I never cared for McDonalds that much any way but I know they have McDonalds in some hospitals around here. Isn’t it Micky Dees that has the Veggie burger now. If their hamburgers are so loaded with preservatives, why do they even bother to freeze them. One fall I was getting my sons lunch box out for school and found a twinkie that was in there all summer. It looked as good as the day I put in in his luch pail in May but no one ate it and i tossed it in the trash. I just think that hanging onto a hamburger for 12 years is weird. Sorry.
wowowowowowowowowowowwwwwwwwwwwwww OMGGGGGGGG
all jews to the ovens
haha, fatty.
no it’s not you idiot, it’s called the Internet here too. Noone calls it the interweb in England.
Who is an idiot and why?? I am unsure are you talking about the lady who saved a burger for 12-years or to all the millions who there.>>DAILY!!
The i’m loving it slogan seen in the pictures was first incorporated into the McDonalds brand in 2003 (look here: http://www.tvacres.com/adslogans_m.htm).Meaning this of course is a fake because the author claims that it is from 1996. I don’t get the point of this- except it wastes peoples time.
I like how nobody decided to comment on this entry… I agree.
It is George Bushs fault that McDonalds sells nutritionless 12 year old Jewish hamburgers. Obama has promised to exterminate MickeyD and put an end to this right wing farce! NO MORE STALE JEWISH BURGERS!!!!
I wonder if dried corn grains would look the same after 12 years?
Well, that explains why McDonald’s gives me the shits everytime.
Did you do any research on this? A quick search would have shown you all the nutrients in a McDonald’s burger. Here a hint: it’s made of beef, so obviously it contains nutrients.
I am going to go get some mcdonalds right now as this post made me very hungry, fuck the rest of you.
I don’t understand…Morgan Spurlock’s clip regarding the “staying power” of hamburgers and fries from McDonald’s shows severe decomposition of a burger within 2 weeks.So what’s up with this particular burger? Less preservatives these days? You should nab a new burger and see how it fares.
Americans, fattest people in the world™
Well, if you are not a scientist why do you pretend making experiments ? I am sorry but I am terribly shocked by how wrong are your conclusions. Make me a favor, start again the same experiment, write down everything you did (like removing the mustard and the cucumber, where you exactly stores the hamburger during the first month, if it was separated or if it was still piled up, etc…), do exactly the same with an organic hamburger (same size, same weight, same conditions) and come back to us with your results. Then we can start discussing. But stop using missleading arguments to prove a point which could be easily demonstrated by real facts (composition of the food per instance).
God I need a big sloppy blow job43/M/outside ur window
First off all you right wingers spouting hate sound just like the far left. I can’t stand junk food like MCDONALDS and I’m no vegan and am voting for McCain cause obama sucks but that has nothing to do with this article. This lady is 100% correct, the crap that goes into fast food has very little to NO value for your bodies and she makes her point very well. No need to bash her, for all you know she could be a right wing mother looking out for the welfare of her children. TO THE AUTHOR OF THIS ARTICLE, Thanks. I used to eat fast food and gained weight because of it, your article helps me reinforce why I’ll never go back, thank you and please feel free to email me any other stories as I would love to hear from you. Shively
Shively, you are welcome here at Best of Mother Earth anytime!
Yez, we du, itz ze interweb in menny playzez.
why does the hamburger not have any sauce or garnish (pickles, onion specks)???
Gross, gross, gross – I mean, I figured their food was bad, but this is unbelievable.
Beautifully stated Jeff.
you said that it is the same hre as it is in in china…that is why it has infiltrated out lives as you put it. it is a part of “home” wherever we go, good for you or bad for you it is inevitably a part of our lives.—comfort food—i truly liked your experiment.
thank you dennis … i agree that it is part of home, comforting, starbucks has become that too!!
I’m still laughing too! Pretty funny!
Nothing but attention that is. I’m all for trying to keep people away from this garbage, but let’s do it with some integrity please.
corn has the same amount of nutritional value as mcdonalds and will last years as well, should i not eat corn either? By the by do you know how many small land mammals and other animals are killed every time carrots are harvested. Now that’s some food for thought
Dry bread, dry burger. I’m sure that if the sandwhich had condiments and pickles and onions, this woulda set up for the spread of bacteria that woulda rotted the burger and bun. Test it. Buy a burger from McDonalds with the condiments and put one of the fridge and leave one on the counter. Both will be slimy and gross in a few weeks.
Thought I was the only one to make that observation. Well stated.
appreciate the comment joe
I think I’m hungry now, hum, maybe a McDonalds #8, Angus Swiss and Mushroom Burger and their great fries. Yummy…
Hmmmm……If you believe this there’s a bridge in Sydney I would like to sell you.
“Seem” isn’t difficult to spell, either!
Many people that view your website seem to need some education of some sort. I like your article. Thanks for the info.
fuck you jew
I think that this is a cool post. I have to wonder about the motive in preserving the burger in the first place, but it definitely makes me not want McDonalds. For all of those out there who are fighting this post, did you really not know that McDonalds is not good for you? I figure if I am going to eat something that bad for me, I want to make my own burger from quality meat on the grill with cheddar cheese and bacon…mmm…I do love McDonalds fries though, but I only have them once a year or so because they are awful for you. Thank you for the great post!
the really appalling thing is that people need a class to learn that food like this is bad.
I’m not sure what this test proves. It appears the burger didn’t rot, mold, or putrify, and by implication that means it’s not real, or wholesome, food. I don’t think all that’s a given, though, it could just mean that it was well cooked and had little moisture content. Anyway, the message, that McDonald’s food is void of nutrition, could be debated on other levels, but isn’t at all proven with this experiment. My opinion is that the burger has protein, but that you need to eat a lot of other things to have balanced nutrition. Get a dollar salad with the dollar burger, how’s that?
Those are 2 hamburgers bought in the same week…
understatement of the century Kelsey, thanks for being here and enjoying my information
MJ,some folks don’t realize that kool-aid isn’t part of the food guide pyramid – it’s OK, I don’t judge, I just let them know that water alone is probably a healthier choice
implication correct, and that’s all my prop is about – to make one wonder
Thanks Kate!!
how do you suppose it tastes?
mmmmmmmm im eating some mcdonalds right now, and ill go ahead and take a $hit in your garden so you can enjoy the taste of a McTurd in your salad…
Total Carbohydrates 32g 11% Dietary Fiber 2gProtein 13gVitaminsVitamin A 0% Vitamin C 1%Calcium 13% Iron 10%Thiamin 20% Riboflavin 4%Niacin 23% Pantothenic Acid 6%Vitamin B6 5% Vitamin B1 20%Folic Acid 6% Potassium 6%Phosphorus 11% Magnesium 6%Zinc 14% Copper 6% (As posted on http://www.peertrainer.com/DFcaloriecounterB.aspx?id=6170 which was the first site I found.)Now, this is with the traditional toppings that they give you on the burger. And I’m not saying that the burger itself is really the best food for healthy living. However, to simply state that because the burger preserved itself that it is a ” chemical food.” and that “There is absolutely no nutrition here.” Is an outrageous lie.The carbs are good for energy if you are running low, and it’s a relatively decent source of protein, something absolutely needed for living. Now, it’s not a good food due to the high level of fat and cholesterol, granted. Also, preservation by looks is not a good judge for anything really. Have you tasted the burger to see if it’s actually still edible? I think you should. If it’s not edible, well, not really much of a loss there.Honey is still edible after thousands of years. Twinkies have been documented of over 50 years. These are still edible, at least. You haven’t even tasted your burger, I’d bet. So just because it doesn’t support bacterial or fungal growth in an airtight container, doesn’t suggest anything. The bread would have been moldy if given the proper conditions to support life. This, I have personally seen when I left a hamburger on my porch for a few days on accident. It did not happen to preserve itself, by the way.So, I suppose I should that you for helping to point out the ignorance of yourself and those who just blindly accept what you have told them. Next time you want to bash hamburgers, just point out that they have lots of fat and cholesterol and will kill you.I’m not a McDonald’s fan, I’m a fan of non-biased, scientific arguments. And…I’m also a fan of eating what you like, even if it will kill you, because you are going to die eventually. That being said, McDonald’s still tastes terrible.
How about you not criticize people’s lifestyle choices and actually have an argument ready to support your views? That would be too difficult, eh?
best write about Mickey Dees…..Mc Donalds sucks……….Ide use a better food for eating any day even Taco Bell is better….as a <a href="kauai”>http://www.kauaimassages.com”>kauai massage therapist using all natural beef is recommended highly
Ladies, Gentleman, and children alike – this is a chemical food. There is absolutely no nutrition here.Not one ounce of food value. Or at least value for why we are eating in the first place.That’s where you lose me on credibility. What is a “chemical food”? Preservatives? Well, human beings have been finding ways to preserve foods to offset starvation since we started storing food. The use of the word “chemical” as some sort of bad word tends to fail the sniff test as well. Chemical doesn’t mean bad. An all natural Orange right off the tree has chemicals in it, provided by nature.”Not one ounce of food value”. This is patently false, and you clearly know it, as it’s followed by the wink of (well not what we want…). It’s clearly designed as an emotional argument, rather than a rational one. It’s always easier to convince adults (let alone children) of your views with appeals to emotionalism rather than actual facts.You claim it does “nothing to nourish the cell”…can I see your evidence please? And a 12 year old hamburger isn’t evidence. I’d love to see specific evidence that your claim that it does nothing to nourish the cell is true.I won’t hold my breath there.Ultimately, you seem to be trying to make a decent point; this is far from an ideal food choice. There are plenty of facts you can use to bolster that argument, you don’t have to lie and swindle in some sort of ‘ends justifies the means’ mentality.And frankly lying (or a kinder phrasing might be ‘overzealous misstatement’) to push your points undermines any credibility you have. If I were a parent taking your course, once I caught the false statements in THIS argument I’d certainly question the veracity of any information you’d present as well as your expertise. I think it ultimately does far more harm than good, and it’s utterly unnecessary. You can make your points using actual science and you’d also be able to back up your claims.
Amazing…People are addicted to junk food because they don’t want to be an Outsider. It’s not about the flavor, it’s about peer pressure.
That is really gross that that hamburger kept this long. On the other hand, a McDonalds burger in China does not taste the same as in the States. In China McDonalds is a luxury resurant, not at all what we think of Mickey D’s being. Only in the states can they get away with selling this as food.
I am 17 in 2 weeks and i think that your comment was also rather stereotypical. I dont its fair to assume that the person was a tennage guy jus cos he wrote jew in an offensive manner. even if it is vry likely.appreciate the article btw.
shush his point was just.
Funny….we did this type of experiment in high school and our burger grew mould after six days. Explain that would you…
All very good points here!
i dont care how old it is. i want it, and i want it now. just kidding. thats gross. i might buy a new one. mmm burger.
MMMMM!! I love me a vintage Hamburger. Like a fine wine they just get better with age.
You sir, are an idiot. I bet if you ate it, it would be the nastiest thing you’ve ever had. That hamburger is made out of the same beef that you get at wal-mart. It has about 120 calories. That’s how many calories that’s in 3/4 of a cup of Captain Crunch.You based your claim purely on the fact that the hamburger LOOKS edible. I’m not trying to say that McDonald’s is healthy. I’m trying to say that there is nothing wrong with it, eating a popsicle will do more harm to you.
You sir, are an idiot. I bet if you ate it, it would be the nastiest thing you’ve ever had. That hamburger is made out of the same beef that you get at wal-mart. It has about 120 calories. That’s how many calories that’s in 3/4 of a cup of Captain Crunch.You based your claim purely on the fact that the hamburger LOOKS edible. I’m not trying to say that McDonald’s is healthy. I’m trying to say that there is nothing wrong with it, eating a popsicle will do more harm to you.
I’ve seen these mold, too, but I’ve also cleaned out under my kid’s car seats and found half-eaten burgers (and buns) that look exactly like they did when they were dropped. They were dried out (think toast) but otherwise looked the same. These had cheese and katsup on them too! I do think it has a lot to do with the salt content.
While I do not think that a McDonald’s burger is a nutritious meal, I doubt their burgers degrade differently from one prepared in a similar manner using fresh, organic beef. The burger patty is likely just too greasy to promote healthy microbial populations for complete degredation. The author should use a control burger without preservatives if she wants to empirically demonstrate that McDonald’s patties are not real food.
Why does everyone think it is the responsibility for food places to provide healthy food for people? Everyone has the capability of learning what is healthy, and what is not so healthy food. Every now and then some jackass will get on their soapbox and “call down the thunder” on McDonalds or something to point out that *OMG* fast food is not the healthiest food on earth! To make matters worse, it is always McDonalds. Quit hating. If somebody likes to eat McDonalds, let them. Unless you can prove that McDonald’s food is UNSAFE, not preservable, not unhealthy, not fattening, but DANGEROUS TO EAT, then lay off. Teach your children what is heatlthy. Teach them what to eat in moderation.Do not call down McDonalds for having fun, fast food. NOBODY thinks anything McDonalds serves is HEALTHY, not even their damn salads! If your stupid child begs for a Happy Meal, it is only your problem. Tell the child when they can get McDonalds and when they can’t. BE A BETTER PARENT.If you eat McDonalds food many days a week, and do not counter it with heathier food, NO NOT BE CONFUSED AS TO WHAT HAPPENS. Do not expect the rest of the world to make all decisions for you! Grow up and take responsibility for your actions. Be excellent to eachother,BAT
Alexandria, I completely agree with you and just have one thought to add.Karen, I don’t understand what you mean when you say that a McDonald’s hamburger is “a chemical food.” All foods are made up of chemicals. Whether you are eating a hamburger, steak, or a salad you are consuming chemicals.I have learned a lot about the chemical make-up of food through a book by Gwen Shamblin entitled “The Weigh Down Diet”:”All foods are composed of just water, proteins, carbohydrates, fats, and trace amounts of vitamins and minerals. Proteins, carbohydrates, and fats are made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Proteins add nitrogen to their chemical structures. For the most part, all the food groups contain the six basic nutrients. For example, when you eat a piece of bread, you think you are eating just a carbohydrate. No, it is largely a carbohydrate, but it also contains proteins, fats, water, vitamins, and minerals.What about meat? It is proteins, fat, and a trace of carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and water. What about milk? Well, it is proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals, and water, too.What about chocolate, cookies, cake, or candy? They, too are fats, proteins, carbohydrates, a trace of vitamins, minerals, and water.All foods have varying combinations of these six units: carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, vitamins, minerals and water.We propose to you that we are not what we eat, but that health is adversely affected when we deny the body the kinds and amounts of food it wants. The human body, over time, wants a variety of foods.”One last point I want to leave you with is a Bible verse that speaks on this very issue that Shamblin used in her book:”Colossians 2:16 and 20-23:’Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink… Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence [overeating].”
Actually, twinkies go bad after 32 days. 50 years is an *out right lie.*
Wow, some of the responses here are so insulting and ridiculous I am surprised that the ability to comment hasn’t been turned off yet. The point this woman is trying to make is that McDonald’s food is mass produced and filled with stuff to preserve it so that it can be shipped to any of their franchises and still taste the same. While it’s an amazingly successful business model, the quality of food overall has degraded. Fresh, raw foods are no longer regular staples of our diets, and it’s due to the cheap, fast foods like McDonalds. Packaged, processed foods are the norm.So rather than shooting the messenger, how about you either decide to continue putting crap like that in your body, or decide to try eating something a little better for your body. This article only gives you some information to either educate yourself further or blow off.
The Twinkie I have was purchased in 1996
Cw, I post the insulting and positively ridiculous comments because they continue, in my opinion to speak for themselves! Thanks for advocating not to shoot the messenger!
Honestly why does anyone care what anyone else is eating? To be honest everyone knows mcdonalds is full of crap QUALIFIED SCIENTISTS HAVE ALREADY TESTED IT!!!! So just let people eat it were all gonna die anyway so lets go happy and anyways bet the chemicals in it are pretty colours
you clearly love being dramatic and trying to demonstrate a preconceived point. but 1. of course this food has nourishment. 2. many foods and organic materials can last long if it’s germ free. look at mummies as an extreme example. there are better foods and there are worse foods. but let’s be honest about what we say.
Hey there, I just wanted to share that I haven’t eaten ANY McD’s since this was posted. I have you to thank for that, and I’m most glad. Thanks
LOVE that you told me this! You are very welcome.
How is this incredible? was it even necessary to write this? Mcdonald’s serves billions of people, what you think it’s quality food? a grade 8 science student would know that the nutritional value of mcdonald’s is very poor, this article is pathetic.
This is bullshit.
Of course from one who claims to be a nutritionist and trusted consultant, the obtuse narrow minded “facts” are sad to see. There is all kinds of nutrient value in McDonalds as well as other fast food places. Packed full of protiens, fats, sodium, sugar, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals etc.The problem is individual laziness and over consumtion. Instead of living off of fast food, some of the cattle we call neighbors need to ingest a vegetable or two. Your burger is neat to see but I have vegetables that are over 12 years old and still look the same. Is it because the veggies are not nutritious? I think not. You can mummify anything under the right conditions.
This is such a lie!!! No chemicals are added to their beef!!!
I didn’t need to look at a burger that is 12 years old to swear off McDonald’s forever. I just had to look at one I just bought. They look disgusting from the moment they are sold.
The story with twinkies is that if you leave them in the wrapper the cream filling slowly turns to alcohol. After 50 years you have a nice, alcohol-containing twinkie that still tastes alright. All of this is if you leave it in the airtight wrapper it comes in.
I’m confused by your last paragraph. Who died? What do you mean by “concept of ‘planet’”? As far as I know, the term planet originates with the ancient Greeks. It means “wanderer” because the planets seemed to buck the example of the sun, moon, and stars which they thought orbited earth. Nobody died to discover any of the planets, nor did they die to establish a “concept of planet”.Your use of the term “layfolk” suggests that these people who died were clergy or experts of some sort.
At first when i clicked the link to get to this page i thought it was going to be about a lawsuit, about something someone found in there burger. i looked at the burger with out reading anything and was searching for a screw or a finger. I thought to myself theirs nothing wrong with it. But then i read that it was 12 years old. this makes me think twice about stopping at any fast food place for lunch.
What a stupid article, can’t believe it make it to Stumble.
funny that. i bet if i preserved some healthy wholegrain bread and a carrot in an airtight container in the dark and/or in the freezer, it would look the same 15 years later…regardless of preservatives. Besides, mcdonalds buns are baked fresh in a bakery, therefore no preservatives are needed.Also, im sure a carrot in Australia would taste exactly the same as the same species of carrot grown in America.doesn’t make it cloned.Your argument is one sided and very narrow minded. Sure its not the best food to lead a healthy life, however…..I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THE SECOND HAMBURGER YOU BOUGHT SO YOU COULD KEEP ITS WRAPPER.
Your name is Rick… sorry but this person Pwns you… just because of your name
Your name is Rick… sorry but this person Pwns you… just because of your name
“I post the insulting and positively ridiculous comments because they continue, in my opinion to speak for themselves! Thanks for advocating not to shoot the messenger!” What speaks even louder is the fact that numerous people have debunked your article using LOGIC and FACTS, yet you ignore them and lump them into the same group as those who are only hurling childish insults. Your article does nothing but jump to an unproven conclusion and in some places makes claims that are completely untrue. The “same all over the world” comment is the biggest laugh. It’s been proven false by numerous people who have actually experienced McDonald’s food outside of the US, and shows that you simply make things up as you go along to fit your biased opinion. I don’t know how you can possibly think it’s okay to do that. The messenger certainly should be “shot” when said messenger is delivering messages filled with false information. It is completely unacceptable for someone who is in the business of educating others to operate the way you do. You are very lucky that you have not yet been sued for libel.
I have to say that I’ve had McD’s in both the USA and S.Korea and the hamburgers do not taste the same…neither do the side items.
I GUESS….But it’s more than 25 days that they look the same, which was my point. http://www.usatoday.com/news/offbeat/2004-08-13-twinkie_x.htm30-year-old Twinkie that I heard about on NPR.
I have a question…what’s wrong with using byproducts? Unless it’s against your religion to eat (Which at this point, I’m sure you know if these foods follow your beliefs) When you don’t use the byproducts, you waste edible meat, needing to kill more animals and raise more animals to support the habits of the consumers. If I were killed to be eaten I’d want them to use every part of me, not just cut out a chunk here and there. It’d make the body as useful as possible, maximizing output and reducing waste.
Someone saying just because is not proof.You simply accepting it without evidence or back up is pure idiocy.
I guess he was friendly?
She said she did nothing to preserve it.It’s not impossible for it to be preserved for 12 years. It’s just that the author of this article has not suggested anyways to verify. Or….even if it was preserved in itself, how that proves that McD’s burgers of today are bad for you.It’s just that she doesn’t provide a good argument to why they are bad…just that they stay in the same basic shape.
I gotta say….since you can eat a burger and keep going for a while, it must do something for your cells….even if it’s slowly killing you in the cardiovascular system.It still keeps you alive for longer than starvation.
It is defending crap, but it’s defending crap because the argument doesn’t support the claims.It’s like…we don’t send a murder to jail saying they did something that they didn’t, our system is based on honesty, and we must stick to that value above all else. Even when others lie, we must make our efforts to repudiate their false claims. And only allow for arguments supporting the facts.
Nothing is useless in the pursuit of truth!Besides, this article doesn’t say fast food is death by facts. She could have probably done so, but she didn’t, so it is up to us, the readers, to point out the flaws so she can learn from her mistakes and fix them to make a more valid and thought provokiing argument.
Nothing is useless in the pursuit of truth!Besides, this article doesn’t say fast food is death by facts. She could have probably done so, but she didn’t, so it is up to us, the readers, to point out the flaws so she can learn from her mistakes and fix them to make a more valid and thought provoking argument.
I gotta say….the whole idea of an alcoholic twinkie is quite appealing.
How come you have nothing to say to anyone who admonished your claims?Looking through your replies, you seem to only care about those who blindly believe you.Thank you for supporting and contributing to the ignorance of America.
/salute
I was dining on one of Europa’s fine McDonald’s establishments when I noticed that my Happy Meal tasted exactly the same as on Earth (cardboard and all). Then I took a dip in one of the fabulous mercury oceans and realized I should have waited 30 minutes after eating to swim. My leg cramps were out of this world… literally.
I CAN HAZ CHEEZBURGER?
I think what she means by “this is a chemical food” is that its loaded down with manufactured preservatives. If Karen made a regular old hamburger at home with some ground meat from the butcher and some regular old buns from the grocery store and put it in that container for a week (much less a few years), it would decay… like most organic things. Few “raw” foods (like honey) have such an extraordinary shelf life.
Are you going to eat that? If not can you pass it over here.
McDonald’s is very unhealthy. I am not a fan at all, so this site has only turned me even more away from eating their food.
And delicious.
you know, i have actually had mcdonald’s in china. tasted way better than its US counterpart despite it being composed of (as far as i know) all the same things.i have hated mcdonald’s burgers for years – full of sodium and fat, kind of a “fake” tasting meat and manufactured flavor in a bottle.now in china, what was essentially the same actually tasted fresh prepared. meat tasted juicier and fresher, buns were toasted, every vegetable tasted comparatively fresh, even if it was probably prepacked in a bag. overall, less greasy.now on the modern mcdonald’s sandwich. i have eaten at least once this year and it has lost its immense sodium and bottled flavor taste. it is also less juicy.since the film supersize me! and modern health crazes, i’m pretty sure mcdonald’s has toned down on its craptasticality (real term, maybe?). most likely, it is more real meat than the fake fillers and artificial flavor. the taste is also noticeably different in the mcnuggets which are supposedly 100% white meat now.in any case, mcdonald’s is still a disaster to your health. i severely doubt that a burger would preserve itself that well over a few weeks much less over 12 years. i won’t doubt your authenticity, though – texas is humid. without deliberately creating ideal conditions, i could probably not recreate your results. surely, the modified quality of the meat does give it added preservability. nevertheless, i can’t see a burger surviving in the average fridge if you just left it there untouched.so i think most likely, at least with the burger, the results are skewed. and i know for sure that years ago, the patties contained more juice and grease which should have probably gone bad in itself.p.s. though i dispute some of your results, mcdonald’s is a fairly vile place to eat (unless, surprisingly, you’re in china). and more surprising, the fake taste of filler and some meat in the old days tastes better than the current burgers. same with the old filler, meat glue, white meat and dark meat nuggets.
i live in latvia and i believe mcdonalds dont taste the same here… atleast people who have lived in usa told me they taste better there, myself i lived in uk for a year and they do not taste the same as in latvia
jaja me encanta! si como hamburguesas fijo me conservo en perfecto estado xD!
“Colossians 2:16 and 20-23:’Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink… Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence [overeating].”So next time walk past a guy on a cross put your knife and fork down!!
I KNOW McDonald’s is bad for your health, I really don’t care. I eat there maybe once a month. I usually eat a premium chicken sandwich… which are delicious, in fact. If anyone is telling me I will perish from one value meal a month, they can shove it. I am happy with the way I am living, and my habits are my own cross to bear. Frankly I dislike people who attempt to push their opinion on other people. It’s comparable to religious folk who knock on peoples door handing out fliers. The information is out there, I am fully capable of using google.
You had doubts???Simply watch “super size me”, it will clear up any doubts you had.
Hey KAREN – why aren’t you replying to those of us who are proving your stupid article wrong? Does that mean it IS a lie?Also, who knows if anyone has said it yet, but uhh, I’ve seen this, with different descriptions, three other times on the internet. This is the first one that said the wrapper was new, which is ridiculous, by the way. Probably because of all of the comments on the other ones saying that the slogan wasn’t even created until 2003. Anyway, we ALL KNOW that McD’s is disgusting, and bad for you. However this article is ALL LIES.
im dangerous
you are a filthy jew
“Grisaille” is a painting technique used abundantly in the Renaissance period.”Gristle” is the cartilage and tissue found in meat, especially when meat hasn’t been tenderized.Now, I know what “grisaille” is, because in my painting class we did a four week grisaille painting using twinkies and ding dongs. Neither of them ever went bad and all of them were taken out of their wrappers.Just sayin.
So you’re looking for something wholesome? Veggies…meat…maybe a nice soup? What about Campbell’s soup? Campbell’s chunky soups have about 80% of your daily recommended allowance of sodium in each can. Okay okay, maybe something that you think will be less salty? Rice crispies. Plain tasting air, is really all they are. Nope. A normal bowl of cereal BEFORE MILK IS ADDED has about 40% of your daily recommended allowance of sodium. Almost half of your allowance before brunch.Whether it’s McDonalds, Campbell’s, or even the fun organic brands, there are ALWAYS mystery ingredients. Just read the labels. If the restaurant won’t show you the health info, it’s because there is nothing healthy about it. Normal restaurants will show you whatever you want to see.
Congratulations at proving that dried out food (such as bread crumbs and beef jerky) will last for a very long time without decomposing. What sort of organic healthy food do you suggest we eat instead? If you took some of that organic bread and dried it out in the same way, would it decompose any more? How about organic meat, or organic vegetables? If you dry them out completely how will they look like in 12 years? Perchance they will look something like the very organic and natural food found in archaeological excavations? It really bugs me when people tout that chemical food is bad for you, and all natural is somehow really good. There are plenty of flowers and mushrooms and fruits out there that will kill you outright if you eat them – and they are all natural. I stay far away from McDonalds for health reasons, but arguments like this makes me weep. You make the world a stupider place by stooping to this level of inane arguments.
Dude. The same thing will work with a lot of other foods…
Hamburger: 100% Beef Patty, Regular Bun, Ketchup, Mustard, Pickle Slices, Onions100% Beef Patty: 100% pure USDA inspected beef; no fillers, no extenders. Prepared with grill seasoning (salt, black pepper).Regular Bun: 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. CONTAINS: WHEAT AND SOY.from: http://nutrition.mcdonalds.com/bagamcmeal/nutrition_ingredients.htmlIt is a well-known (and 3rd-party-verified ) fact that McDonald’s uses very good quality ground beef, and does NOT in fact add preservatives to the meat. The bun is another story, but its composition does not vary greatly from any other store-bought bun.Keeping your burger in an airtight container has simply allowed the food to resist bacteria (visible). No doubt it is well-dehydrated after twelve years as well. Drying food has been a chemical-free preservation process for thousands of years.This article is shockingly puerile for someone who calls themselves a nutrition consultant. (I would hazard a quick guess that you are NOT a real nutritionist, or you would have a better grasp of food.)Please don’t tweak people’s emotional response with cheap sensationalism and make ridiculous and misleading inferences.Thank you.
i dunno…….. but i love micky d’s burgers. there just delishlish!mmmmmmm uhmmmmmmmm uhmmmmmmmmm
I like butterflies
I dont think its real…Its highly impossible..Maybe its called plain freakiness…!!
totally
im pretty sure that “i’m lovin it” was not mcdonalds slogan in 1996… this is bs
Why are you saving hamburgers for 12 years? Do you think if you don’t eat hamburgers from McDonalds you will live to be 100? 200? Do you think you are guaranteed never to get cancer or heart disease? Do you think you have no chance of dying in a car accident? What is your point? You say you prefer to wear cotton. Why? Don’t you know growing cotton is one of the most soil and nutrient depleting – i.e. “bad” things to do to the environment? Do you have PVC pipe in your home, water system, electrical system? What about the mercury in your fluorescent lights? Do you think it will just disappear when you throw it away? What about the toxic chemicals on the motherboard of the computer you wrote this lovely little piece of wellness on? Are you using an organic computer?Best of luck to you!
i like turtles
Well, that’s a terrible experiment because it may not break down in a tupperware container but it does break down (Our gastric juices are pretty good). It’s okay to have McDonald’s every once in a while but it’s just as bad as eating any other fatty foods! e.g. Candy/lollies
I love McDonalds!
Karen, you’re a very smug person by the tone of your article and responses. You haven’t responded to a single message that completely disproves your article, you only reply to people who say it’s “disturbing” with smug replies like “Isn’t it?” and “Good choice!” I think it’s hilarious that you’ve supposedly (I say supposedly because I can’t believe someone actually did this) kept a McDonald’s burger around for 12 years JUST to post about it on your blog.Because of this article, I’m gonna go buy some McDonald’s for homeless people.Seriously, to say it doesn’t “nourish” the cell and that there is NO nutrition is a complete lie and exaggeration to get your point stuck in people’s minds. That’s called propaganda. And if you freeze most foods, they will stay preserved.
The maker of this little piece of crap believes everything she said. This scares me more than the burger.
We’re no strangers to loveYou know the rules and so do IA full commitment’s what I’m thinking ofYou wouldn’t get this from any other guyI just wanna tell you how I’m feelingGotta make you understandNever gonna give you upNever gonna let you downNever gonna run around and desert youNever gonna make you cryNever gonna say goodbyeNever gonna tell a lie and hurt youWe’ve know each other for so longYour heart’s been achingBut you’re too shy to say itInside we both know what’s been going onWe know the game and we’re gonna play itAnd if you ask me how I’m feelingDon’t tell me you’re too blind to seeNever gonna give you upNever gonna let you downNever gonna run around and desert youNever gonna make you cryNever gonna say goodbyeNever gonna tell a lie and hurt yougive you up. give you upgive you up, give you upnever gonna givenever gonna give, give you upnever gonna givenever gonna give, five you upI just wanna tell you how I’m feelingGotta make you understandNever gonna give you upNever gonna let you downNever gonna run around and desert youNever gonna make you cryNever gonna say goodbyeNever gonna tell a lie and hurt youNever gonna give you upNever gonna let you downNever gonna run around and desert youNever gonna make you cryNever gonna say goodbyeNever gonna tell a lie and hurt youNever gonna give you upNever gonna let you downNever gonna run around and desert youNever gonna make you cryNever gonna say goodbyeNever gonna tell a lie and hurt you
that’s an awesome post haha. so glad i haven’t eaten a macdonalds in more years than i can remember.next time someone praises macdonalds i’ll be sending them here.
Karen,Do me a favor will you? If what you’ve said is so true. I believe you will be able to hold a press conference and tell the whole world about what you’ve found out. You don’t have to just post it on the web to share your result. I am pretty sure that the CNN…. BBC….. they’ll be very interested in this.
Saving a McDonald’s Hamburger for 12 years or any food (besides a slice of wedding cake in the freezer) does imply some kind of hoarding or OCD issue. But she does have a point. Whatever nutritional value these fast foods once had in whole form has been processed out of it. I don’t eat the stuff. But peer influence and the toys offered, which is a technique known as applied behavioral analysis, have led me to take my children there. The toys are what kids like, not the food. The food is really gross. But it’s cheap, quick and marketed really well.I became so disgusted with myself for taking my kids there I made a deal with them. I asked my 6 year old to look around at the other people waiting inthe lunch line at one of our local Mc Donald’s. He did and I said if you eat this food eventually you might look like that. So we agreed to buy the toy which was under $2. and go somewhere else to eat.So, I am guessing that those of you who are writing out racist and other bigoted terms are low class, overweight, greasy, bad teeth and angry and stupid.
Thank you for speaking out for those of us that have reasoning ability. You’ve pointed out everything I was thinking.I will bet you that if you heat up that 12 year old burger and eat it, you will get very sick.
She means thats its fillled with harmful preservatives that are probably carcinogenics. No food should last that long. ever. “I’m also a fan of eating what you like, even if it will kill you, because you are going to die eventually”and thats probably the most stupid thing I have ever read. Eating crap like that can take of possibly 10 years from your life…..why would you eat it if you could have 10 more years to maybe be with the people you love?Also honey is a sugar….sugar is a natural preservative. no shit it lasts that long, its supposed to. bodys are not supposed to last twelve years after they die…and im not sure if youre aware of this…but a burger is part of a body, sweetheart.Just pointing out the freaking ignorance in you. you’re rude man.
well there has already been antisemitism and gay bashing, so i applaud your effort to bring classism into this as well. fight the good fight.
Karen! This should definitely be on ebay.
This makes me want to check my weight watchers.
I have been concerned really about the Fat diet of the U.S.I was fortunate to travel & be in contact with survival books. In Australia the Vegetable burger is very good. The fish are plentiful,private gardens in raised box and watered then plants covered, plastic etc.Also snails, grubs, nuts, grains, rice, granola ,goat & lamb cheese. As much fruit and vegie’s as possible sometime’s in a salad.
I can’t believe how many comments this generated!t
mmmmmmmmm burgers, argrghrghrghhrghr
Sugar is not a preservative, retard.
don’t you realise what you’ve unearthed!?! in 12 years that burger isn’t rotten! mcdonalds have the secret to immortality!!!
That is disgusting, yet strangley I am now craving McDonalds. I wonder how the fries would hold up. I’m going to be passing this along on twitter. Follow me if you want http://twitter.com/Crozon
I think, as the article states, she uses the hamburger as a prop for her classes. It’s not a case of hoarding or an OCD thing.
What kind of burger are they serving, I think Jollibee is better than them and more nutritious than their food!
EAT IT!
I have just found a boxs of frys under my bros bed they have been there 4 about 5 mounths and they still taste the same as they do when they leave the shop
i am thinking arby’s
The verse has to do with sacrifices at the altars of “other” gods. Not additives put into foods or vitamins and minerals removed from food by over processing – but a state of mind; setting down to a table with foods sacrificed to other gods. The woman here is talking about food value. If food will not support germs and fungi, it will not support life. The container is not air-tight, and a box of Total has a complete set of daily vitamins and minerals which are completely man-made (artificial)and your body just poops it out-can’t and does not use artificial vitamins. Honey is famous for preserving food. That is why it is edible after long periods of time. Twinky’s never had any food value in the first place and neither can that piece of whatever it is (meat?). To the lady who wrote this article: Bravo. Your assertions about the burger are anecdotal, they will not cause the blind to see. Reference the trolls above. The vegetables that you eat? Are they from the main chain grocer? If they are, irradiation makes the vegetables as useless as the meat above.How can I feed my three children on organic vegetables when a clump of kale costs as much as a gallon of milk? How can organic vegetables grown locally cost more than the iceberg lettuce trucked 3000 miles? Have you ever heard of monkey on my back? well I have a farmer on my back who wants to put his kids through college while my children cannot afford tech school.All you have to do is read the Organic Bytes newsletter to know that organic is not and that I cannot believe you, who is probably just a polyanna, the government agencies who are supposed to police these coporations, I cannot believe the labels, the advertisements There is no organic foods in america if you do not grow them yourself. Raw foods are real foods. The honey, (by law) has to be pasteurized as does aloe products and milk. the group of bacteria that is killed by pasteurization are the same beneficial organisms that are required to digest the food product. So tell me what exactly are you going to teach that will do my family any good?Oh, you and the rest of the little box bloggers! And you don’t even provide a preview option. You just want activity you don’t care about content,
I was impressed with your argument. I am a college instructor that teaches about types of bias and the art of logical argument. I get very tired of people flooding the internet with illogical arguments and unscientific statements. And much of the gullible public eats it up readily. Thank you for your intelligent response. I agree with you.
Thanks for this nice article!http://www.canbilteknoloji.com
Thanks for this nice article!
Umm, hate to burst a bubble here, but any food under the right circumstances will hold color and not mold and look mildly edible… we once had an orange at work that nobody wanted. One guy put it in his desk drawer and left it. Much to our amusement when the company moved 5 years later it became the stone orange joke. It looked a little brown, but the skin did not mold; it was somewhat shrunken, but it was hard to tell without holding it; it didn’t have an odor at all. Clearly it was not a ‘chemical’ food.
ok. also you listed 4 things.
Why write 1982 on the box?
And if it was a cheeseburger it would be just as preserved. I’ve seen experiments where a slice of processed cheese stuck under the fridge will look the same even after 5 years.
IDK BUt WHO EVER SAID ASSHAT MADE MY DAY!!! PEOPLE JUST COOL THE HECK DOWN AND DON”T EAT POISOINING FREAKING McDonalds!!!!!!!! And For You people who eat Mcdonalds HAVE FUN BEING OBIESE
OMFG MCDONALDS IS NASTY!!!! BE SMART IF YOU EAT MCDONALDS EVERYDAY YOUR GONNA BE OBEISE!! AND YOU’LL BE VERY VERY FAT, AND YOU WILL SMELL LIKE THE GREASE YOU JUST ATE DUH?!!?!?!!!! SO STAY AWAY FROM MCDONALDS OR YOU’LL BE FATER THAN A MOTHER PIG
I wonder if someone could start a mummified food museum. I’m sure there are other fast foods around that last just as long as McDonalds.
I DID DO A UTUBE SEARCH ON RONALD MCDONALD WILLIARD SCOTT. WHAT WAS I SUPPOSE TO FIND?
I bet you’re an engineer
Thanks for this research!I think its not that irrational people eat this… the same reason people do anything they do; eat lots of red meat, use cell phones, pesticides in their gardens…because people who are supposed to monitor products and care for our wellbeing (fda) tell us its okay. What do you expect the average person to do, if I want to eat properly I seek out censored info like this… can I honestly expect the rest of our nation to do research other people should have already done before these products reach the shelves? Anyone who read this article should read up on GMO food products, best presented via The Future Of Food
It’s really unbelievable.Could this happen at Mc Donalds.
Wow! As a health and fitness expert, I shouldn’t be surprised by this, as I know the damage these chemicals cause our body. But, I have to say that seeing it in this way, makes me shudder. The sad part is that it is so easy nowadays to avoid having to make such bad food choices. I counsel my clients on ways to go about this, on a daily basis and I’m glad to have people like you on my side.
Matt – I so appreciate your comments and the work that you do! Our advocacy and guidance really do make a difference in people’s lives.
I think it’s a sad state of affairs when we see a picture of a 12 year old Burger and the comments a bit of the way down start to turn into a racist rant by some individuals who have nothing better to do with their time than make themselves feel big by abusing someone. Small minds with most likely small dicks hiding behind the internet in order to have some sense of winning. Carry on arguing on the internet you sad, inbred, childish, moronic losers oh and do the world a favour and please look into birth control as in the rare occurence that someone agrees to shag you we would’t want you reproducing. ps jerking off to your drunk sister passed out on her bed doesn’t count as sex.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SugaringCheck your facts before you call someone a retard.
i like to fly!!!!
How did you store it? Not that it makes it any less disgusting, but still… If I left a Mickey Dees burger on my counter for a month it would look like a science experiment. On that note, I’m going to test this just to see.
Holy cow. Holy scary.
SO HAVE YOU GUYS EVER WATCHED TV?
not much
Okay well I work at Mcdonald’s and when i make the burgers, they look nothing like that.. They still look fresh but not dark brown like that. That is just overcooked so get your facts straight.
UMMMMM how are they an idiot?
The presence of weeds among the Peppermint, especially other species of Mentha, is an important cause of deterioration to the oil. M. arvensis, the Corn Mint, if allowed to settle and increase among the crop to such an extent as not to be easily separated, has been known when distilled to absolutely ruin the flavour of the latter. In new ground the Peppermint requires handweeding two or three times, as the hoe cannot be used without injury to the plant.In America great detriment is occasioned by the growth of Erigeron canadensis, and newly cleared ground planted with Peppermint, is liable to the intrusion of another plant of the order Compositae, Erechtites hieracifolia, which is also highly injurious to the quality of the oil.[Top of Mints] [Go to top of Peppermint]—Irrigation—Peppermint requires frequent irrigation. In the south of France the crop is irrigated on the I5th of May, and thereafter every eight or ten days. When the plants are fully developed they are watered at least three times a week. It is important to keep the soil constantly moist, although well drained. Absorption of water makes the shoots more tender, thus facilitating cutting, and causes a large quantity of green matter to be produced.
I am amazed that so many people in these comments are against your idea of using a burger to teach children. What is with everyone? You make it sound like you need evidence to prove that McDonalds is bad for you. Isn’t the current state of America’s health enough evidence? Just take a look around and look what people put in their mouths.You can’t tell me that fast foot isn’t a problem. It provides little (more like Zero) nutritional value and is dense with useless calories. Where’s the greens, reds, and other natural colors that typical food has? It’s nothing but brown, fried, processed garbage.There’s a reason the burger cost a dollar…
I can’t believe you held onto a hamburger for 12 years. Get a life. And to everyone else: winning an interweb discussion board argument is like winning the special olympics. Even though you may have won; you’re still a retard.
Hahah :]
Is this really true? I checked snopes, but couldn’t find anything. I believe it, but my brother doesn’t. I have long thought that it is not food, but chemicals in the shape of food. Please tell me if this is factual or not. Thanks!
Cathy, The photograph of the 1996 McDonalds hamburger is indeed real. Warmly,Karen Hanrahan aka Mother Earth
This is really a silly article. There’s no “control” food. I don’t know what a “normal” beef patty will look like after 12 years. A grass-raised Neiman farms piece of meat. Do you? Also, it’s ignorant to say there’s no nutrition in this food. It’s packed with protein and carbohydrates, and plenty of fats, all of which “nourish the cell.” However, white flour carbs and fatty beef are not optimal ways to get your nutrition and will indeed, if over-eaten, lead to obesity.The key is balance, and there’s no reason the occasional McDonald’s can’t be a part of a balanced diet.
Yeah, I like how she was able to “keep” the hamburger, but not the wrapper…
I admit, I have not been on this webpage in a long time… however it was another joy to see It is such an important topic and ignored by so many, even professionals. I thank you to help making people more aware of possible issues.Great stuff as usual….
Hello;You have done a great work too;I’d like to congratulate you.I’m waiting for more work..
thanks for sharing.
What fascinates me is that the old burger actually looks more appatizing…
I SO wanna know why you saved it for ten years??? Aside from that, I wish I could have changed so little in the last decade
I stay fit with MILK.
I keep healthy with milk.
Bodies are found routinely that have not decomposed. They are normally preserved due to the lack of moisture. If you notice the burger has no toppings that would have made it moist and thus allowed mold to grow.
its no news flash that maccas fill there food with crap and that its not good to eat but who cares you only live once and it taste dam awesome? if your hungry eat who cares that fat content or what other shit is in it??
You fucking morons!
You fucking moron!
Well not really. I don’t know what it’s like over there but in Australia.. Yes it’s still not a great food to be eating BUT.. Tastes a shit load better than in other parts of the world. These days we use locally sourced meat and veg. Yeah there’s heaps of sugar in the buns and whatever have you but it’s not bad for a once off snack. We Also have healthier stuff like salads etc with out without dressings etc. Just puttin it out there!
Looks good!
Where is the mold that should have formed on the bread in 12 years?
“If I were killed to be eaten I’d want them to use every part of me”Now theres a thought!
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this is so nasty im glad i dont eat mcdonalds that is so unhealthy i think mcdonalds should go out of business because the arent helping anyone
Super interesting post, responses as interesting too, hehehe.. Time to hit the McDees, WHOOP WHOOP!!
I noticed that those against this have to use horrible language, and lack the ability to put together one intelligent sentence. That being said I propose this theory: those who eat the ageless burgers become what they eat? A useless, contaminated “thing” they still look like people, write like people, but lack the ability to process information, as the burger looks like a burger but cannot be eaten. I say, thank you for posting this picture and story. Let the others continue to eat, after all we do need to eliminate the weakest. I now know my first stop when I am in need of a large group of idiots for research! Food that is good for you cannot be left out for days never mind years. To the person who posted the “burger nutritional” information, you said yourself it INCLUDES all the toppings. You negated your own post. The fibers and anything of value came from the toppings NOT the burger. Continue on your path, I will be sure to start building more affordable motorized chairs; apparently we will need many more based on the responses posted here. For the rest of you, who had to resort to name calling “fags, lesbian, vegans” are you serious? I assume you have not yet read up on netiquette. I believe you can find the phonetic spelling so you can pronounce that without being laughed at, that is if you are able to read and comprehend my words. As far as being called Vegan/Vegetarian, just be happy we are here, because guess who will be treating you when you are riddled with disease, or representing you when you decide to sue the Food Industry…. That is right those of us who told you so.
i love hamburger!good post and quite informative!and yes this post makes me wonder!
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But they’re sooooooo tasty… not to mention burger king, wendy s, fuddruckers, and the list goes on..HAIL BURGERS.
After reading this I got hungry, so I went to McDonalds. It was delicious.
I believe the meat was the subject of conversation. I would think that after 12 years, if it was REAL beef, it would probably look a whole lot different. I do not like none of the fast-food hamburger joints. Just think what the chemicals in there are doing to your health. That’s why the gov’t is pushing for health-care for everyone. That way they ask for more money on health R&D after you are DEAD.
half the reason this thing would survive for so long is that bacteria and molds tend to not like greasy foods. Hence why any restauraunt can leave bacon out at room temperature once cooked for days and not worry about making people sick.
To all detractors of the above article. Watch more network TV, Eat more micky dees, this will insure we will not have you around to put up with in a few years.
this burger that is said to be from 1996 could not be because the bun is toasted, McDonald’s did not start toasting its regular buns until 1998 when it rolled out “Made for You”
How can you still have a 1996 hamburger??
Precisely why I don’t eat McDonalds! Granted I became a vegetarian at some point in my life, but even when I WAS eating meat, I always thought their food to be a bit strange. That being said, this isn’t exactly “surprising.” What did people expect to find in those things?
How do we get a hold of the writer? No email on this site. I love this post, and would like to link and use your photo w/your permission for my blog.Nancy LunaOCRegister.com
Nancy – Karen Hanrahan here, I wrote this post – contact info is in my sidebar – or bestwellnessconsultant@gmail.com. Happy to have you share. Thanks for asking permission
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Proved to be a worthy article.what you shared about burgars proved to be quite interesting.
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That was incredible. I don’t mind some forms of McDonald’s food but I hate the burgers! The creator of McDonald’s has probably never tried one but dosen’t mind giving us that crap!
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RyanPosted September 10, 2009 at 6:34 pm | Permalink
Okay First off, Where and how did you keep the burger for twelve years ? I have worked for mcd’s for the past 15 years and any buns that were left in the plastic airtight wrap for more than 5 days started to mold. So your bun is obviously false, and secondly they burger would not be the same size as the bun after twelve years it would have shrunk to about the size of a dime. Back in my days as Crew we took a fully cooked patty and held it at room temputure for 4 months and amazingly it did start to mold after 2 weeks and this was back in 95 and every orientation that i have preformed as a DISTRICT MANAGER for MCDS we have showed what happens to each burger and selection of chicken after a couple of months to show to the employees what happens when the store is not properly cleaned ! before you type up such an article you should probably contact a McDonald’s Corporate office to get the full information because obviously you are a FRAUD !
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someone should buy a normal hamburger of the same size and thickness, cook it thoroughly (until as dry as a McD’s burger) and save it in the same way, as a control for this experiment. for all we know, all hamburgers look this way after 12 years. it’d also be interesting to see a veggie or soy burger (something i have a feeling many of the commenters on this page would eat) saved in the same way.and for the record, I don’t eat at McD’s or even eat red meat…I’m just curious.
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Multi-Tasking MommyPosted September 24, 2009 at 11:24 am | Permalink
You are kidding me, right?! Yes! You’ve got to be kidding me.
If they have no nutritional value then they are the best weight loss solution since they have 0 calories…Oh wait they do have calories and therefore have nutritional value.
Absolutely horrifying. Kudos for keeping the burger for so long because it’s like a car crash. It’s horrible but curiosity gets the better of you and you end up looking anyways. How fast food restaurants are immune to criminal charges is completly unknown to me.Mike
Odds are the whole story is a lie. The author says, “The paper and bag in the backround is circa 2008 – to add decor to the photo.” Now why wouldn’t you save the wrapper too if you were saving an old burger? With the wrapper some idiot might buy it off of ebay. I don’t believe a bun wouldn’t mold either unless it was treated in some manner. I’d bet that the whole article is a lie. She had a day old plain burger or two and made up a story. If she lies once, (which she clearly did, there is some nutritional value to a Mcburger), she’d likely lie about the whole thing too. At any rate the author is an idiot, that thinks others aren’t are fools that believe anything and aren’t as smart as her.
Those sure do look yummy. You sure can cook!
so what.. ppl dont eat this to eat healthy but cos it tastes great. not all the time or very often.. but once in a while. it’s great! McDonalds forever!!!
Thanks for this marvelous comment, Alexandria. I tend to be convinced by the most irrelevant arguments just because everyone seems to be accepting them. Fortunately, and alert mind shed some light on this non-sense with _real_ facts.
I would not eat a hamburger even if it was free. When Europe wrote about the 100’s of toxic chemicals in the burger Isaid thank God that I stopped eating it several years ago. Mater of fact most of our ready made food not fit to eat.
My biology teacher did something similar to this. One day in class he showed us a mcdonalds french fry stabled to a note card that he pulled out the cabinet in his room. It looked just like any french fry you could get “fresh” from McDonalds. He then told us he bought the french fry in 1990 and has had in his room ever since. Ehttp://www.. that french fry was older than me. omg.
This picture and story does nothing else than to show that mc donalds is fucking great!To have food that can be laying around for 12 years and still look apetizing is nothing less than a miracel..All hail mc donalds..
Ok, so I was eating alot of McD’s purely due to location and short lunch breaks. Time to at least consider a better, safer option. Problem is, when I die like everyone else, will it take longer for me to decompose since I have now ingested such large amounts of this and dispursed into each cell in my body? LOL! I really need to re-think things… Besides, I do know in my area (Central Valley, California)our population is targeted HARD to follow this path and not so targeted to follow a healthier one. Sad, but true. I will try to do my part, but is McCafe Coffee ok? I really like that.
So… just a question… is the FDA and USDA in on this conspiracy because according to McDonald’s published ingredients list, their burgers are 100% pure ground beef, no filler, NO PRESERVATIVES and it is all USDA inspected. Now, do you really think the FDA would let them advertise this if it was 50% preservatives?http://nutrition.mcdonalds.com/nutritionexchange/ingredientslist.pdf
I find McDonalds delicious thus it has value for money
LMAo who keeps a burger for 12 years? gross and you are a reh tard(hangover)
From http://www.foodfacts.info/blog/2008/09/mcdonald-hamburger-from-1996.htmlMcDonald’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!
I really don’t see the big deal about this. If you properly store many foodstuffs in a clean, dry, place, it should retain much of its original appearance.Telling kids there’s NO nutrition in this is wrong. It’s a beef burger patty and bread. There’s nutrition in that. Not as much as in a more healthy alternative, but it’s not pure junk link candy, Coke, or countless other crap kids eat at mealtime.By making a big deal out of this, you’re just emphasizing your granola-hugging tendencies. It’s making you look like an idiot. But since I suspect most granola huggers either don’t care or WANT to look like idiots — for the attention it gets them — you’re probably very happy about this.As for me? I don’t pay much attention to idiots. I won’t be back — and actually regret the few moment of my time spent responding to this.
WOW — calling someone you don’t even know an idiot is wonderfully idiotic. Your comment fits in nicely with the other 1100 or so folks that to me are very small minded – their message along with yours speaks volumes to sheer idiotic thinking. If you really think that fast food is nutritious at any level you need to rethink your path to wellness. I bet you might not have one – have a nice day
Karen,that is simply amazing. Definitely a great teaching tool. I don’t think many people think about a McDonalds burger that way, but it really catches your attention. It provides no nutritious value at all. I think it could really reach kids and emphasize upon them that a Mcdonald’s burger is terrible for them. I am going to share this on Facebook. Thanks.
absolutely love the comment and sharing
Well, the author is an idiot. Major science fail. Learn some actual science, get a real degree, and try again.
I am amazed anyone cares. If you don’t already know this you are to ones they are writing the warning on ciggaretts for and life is going to be very, very hard for you.
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We all know that burger is not healthy but as long as we eat not to much then it would not be a problem.
Omg that is gross!
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Cloned Burger!! That makes you look a little bit crazyyy…
So you are telling me that a McDonald’s burger has no protein,fat, sodium, fiber, iron, calcium, vitamins, protein, or sugars which are all vital for our existence? If I ate nothing but food from Mcdonalds, then I would die after a few days, because apparently there is absolutely no nutrition! Nothing you buy is “healthy” it is all manufactured in a lab somewhere, but there is not an epidemic of people billions of people dying every second, so i think a little fast food is OK. Quit freaking out!!!!
If it doesn’t rot or decay, don’t eat it.
Who is the lone Gentleman?
This Youtube vid shows the same kind of thing… I thought it was disgusting. Watch how the real burger looks compared to McD’s there has GOT to be something wrong there!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knJHfVQL8JE
This post should be taken down. This is the biggest lie and pathetic attempt to trick people. Any fool would know this is NOT a 12 year old hamburger. I am a food scientist and can guarantee that. Please do not act like a scientist when you do not have proof, or worse place a 2008 wrapper underneath the burger because this whole thing stinks worse than a “12″ year old burger with a 1 day old bun or whatever you propped there in your “experiment”. Do you even know anything about nutrition? I didn’t think so.
I think it has to do with the conditions it is stored in
They did a video of this on “supersize me” and all of the mcdonalds burgers started rotting after like a week
This is all factually correct. McDonald’s is evil and bad and not good. If you eat a McDonald’s hamburger you will get cancer, lose your job and you will smell funny. McDonald’s is bad. BOO! HISS! DOWN WITH MCDONALD’S!!!!!!1
This doesn’t surprise me. I bought some budget choc chip cookies from a supermarket. I put them on a plate, tasted one and it was disgusting. As I had guests, I hastily put the plate out of the way in the cool pantry in case anyone ate them. They were still there two years later, looking exactly as they did when I put them on the plate. I didn’t cover them or do anything to them. They just sat on the plate, uncovered, in a cool room. Then we got mice and they ate them. If they hadn’t I have no reason to believe they wouldn’t still be there, looking as fresh as a daisy.
hahahahahaha it’s so good to see so many intelligent, educated people adding their enlightening thoughts…… McD’s rots your brain…?? What nonsense….these people are perfectly mentally intact…. hahahah…my sarcasm will go straight over their heads too i guarantee. Keep on eating it you retards. God Bless McD’s.
Okay people. Read your history. The meat is preserved not only because of chemical preservatives, but because of the oldest method of preserving meat: SALT. It inhibits mold growth and accelerates the loss of moisture in an open environment. To one person way above that said McDonald’s only uses Grade A beef: That means NOTHING. The USDA has three grades of beef fit for sale to humans(from lowest to highest) Select, Choice, and Prime. While ‘Super Size Me’ showed consumption at it’s most extreme, it wasn’t the fact that he GAINED so much weight during the month that surprised me. It was how long it took him to LOSE it, even on a macrobiotic diet regimen mixed with a good amount of exercise. And while your friend that works out all of the time and then eats four double cheeseburgers may LOOK healthy outwardly, I shudder to think of what his circulatory system looks like, although I do know people that eat horribly with seemingly no ill effects. Facts are facts folks. Since the rise of drive thru culture in the 1950’s combined with the shift to a service/office economy, Americans have become increasingly obese, with the current generation having a lower life expectancy than their parents for the first time since they started keeping statistics in the US. Do I eat fast food? Yes, once in a while. Can I delude myself into thinking that it’s either good for me or that a capitalist enterprise is looking out for my best interest? No. Freaking. Way.
For years and I do mean years I’ve been telling people about the toxic food that big business has been enticing, fooling, us into eating. I avoid process food in favour of whole food. Thanks or making the point that we have choices when it comes to what we eat and this isn’t a good choice.
So “Whole Foods” are not made by a business out to make some money? Are you positive that you are not the one that is fooled?
It bothers me that you’re using this to “educate” people when you yourself seem to have a tenuous grasp of the science involved here. How does the fact that the hamburger didn’t decay away mean that it has zero food value? Do you also have a cooked organic burger from 1996 prepared and stored in the same way to use as a control? Do you have any evidence that the preservatives used are harmful, or are you just assuming they are?
I don’t think anyone believes that McDonalds food is overly healthy, so you certainly don’t need to attempt to drive home your point with a bunch of half-baked assumptions that aren’t necessarily supported by your prop.
Debbie Ward…. the fact that the chocolate chips didn’t break down or dissipate doesn’t make me wonder quite as much as the fact that you left them sit there on a plate for two years. Sometimes hygiene is just as important as healthy eating; and leaving chocolate laying around for a few years until the rats or mice eat it isn’t good for anyone.
my mom did the same thing with a loaf of bread. looked fresh years later
There are some bad things about McDonald stuff, but this is probably one of the worser examples.
Let’s look at this from another view: “Wow. You can preserve your foods even without having to store them in a special place?! That’s amazing!”
In short, “it’s preserved!” isn’t very convincing of anything.
just to clarify a few things,but not wanting to start a war:
As a consumer, why should concern me if the meat is “cloned”?
I worked at a mcDonalds for 3 years when I was a student. this was in Portugal. Im living in US and the taste isnt the same (actually, I stoped to eat in US mac’s)
what about KFC? seriously… I dont sence any chicken flavour. its like eating water
I personally think mike that fast food fills empty hungry spaces, but is truly the demise of our countries health and well being. Why should you be concerned ? How important is your health? Are you eating for taste or for building well being?
Karen – I only recently came across your post and wanted to pass along my thanks for spreading the word. Our children must be taught to eat healthier! I have two of my own ages 10 & 7 that constantly ask for fast food. They don’t understand why their friends can eat it and not them. Keep doing all that you do!
absolutely janet …
Its not a healthy choice, yet has some nutritional value. Im only a student, not even a science or nutrition major, but i have the intellect to also know there is SOME value in that burger…or was…not 12 years later…
also…its food. some is more beneficial than others. anyone can take photos and just say things and try to convince people of this TERRIBLE thing….oh my…its food. it gets broken down into far more complex chemicals than your unknowingly small mind can grasp.
stop spreading your lies.