Mother keeps McDonald's Happy Meal for a whole year... and it STILL hasn't gone bad!

Yuck!

A healthy eating advocate left a happy meal sitting on her shelf for a whole year and noticed that the food showed almost no signs of decomposition after the year. Makes you wonder what kinda junk they're putting in that stuff.

Fast food, frighteningly slow decay: Mother keeps McDonald's Happy Meal for a whole year... and it STILL hasn't gone off

Glancing at the two McDonald's Happy Meals pictured here, you may feel they look pretty much identical.

Astonishingly, however, this is the same meal, photographed 12 months apart.

Where any other food might be a mouldy, decomposing mess after a year, the McDonald's meal shows few signs of going off apart from the beef patty shrivelling and the stale burger bun cracking.


[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/d781aee37672.jpg[/atsimg]

Proof, says the American nutritionist who took these photographs, that it contains so many preservatives that it is bad for the children it is aimed at.

Joann Bruso said: 'Food is supposed to decompose, go bad and smell foul eventually. The fact that it has not decomposed shows you how unhealthy it is for children.'

Mrs Bruso left the Happy Meal uncovered on a shelf at her home near Denver, Colorado, to see what would happen. She has revealed the results on her blog, in which she gives healthy eating advice to parents.
The 62-year-old, who has eight grandchildren, admitted that the arid temperature of her home near the Rocky Mountains meant there was little moisture in the air with which to speed decomposition.

But she added that during the year-long experiment, no flies or other insects were attracted to the food.


Read more: Daily Mail

The flies showed no interest in the food during the whole year. Apparently they have better taste in food than most of us.



[edit on 3/19/10 by FortAnthem]

If you watch Super Size Me, they did this on the bonus materials. They took different fast food items and put them in jars. Most of the fast foods took weeks to decay while fresh local items took 2 days. The french fries, never showed decay.

Its not shocking, processed food makes processed people. my mother used to cook food especially for me when i was a toddler, i never had a mcdonalds till i was about 12 my uncle got me a big mac because i crazed him for it and then my mother told me that it was more nutritious to eat the box the burger came in!!! I must admit i have eaten some junk food in my time but ive woken up to raw foods and organic produce and the joys of seeing what i put in the food i cook.We must educate our young so that when they become parents maybe they can make the right choices

Pretty interesting, but what really gets me is how people have the nerve to complain about fast food at all. We all know that fast food isn't healthy and hasn't been since its creation. We all know that it's quick and easy and that meets our crazy schedules sometimes. But the part that pisses me off are outright FOOLS who actually blame fast food places for ANYTHING.

I have NEVER heard of anyone being FORCED to eat McDonalds, or Wendy's. We as people CHOOSE to eat bad stuff and WE should deal with what comes with such stuff. Fast food is actually blamed for "targeting" people....ummm, its called advertising...and if your to weak to pass on it and go somewhere else then thats on you. Also you have people blaming their "girth" on fast food. So the fact someone CHOOSES to eat fast food 2-3-4 times a week is no longer their fault, its the companies fault for having such a convienent product. SAD people are so stupid.

Of course the really pathetic ones then file lawsuits on the places and expect to be paid for their stupidity....

Originally posted by FortAnthem
The flies showed no interest in the food during the whole year. Apparently they have better taste in food than most of us.

But they will swarm a big steamin pile of #^&*!!!!!!!!

fast food are the most terrible of any food. y bother keeping it for that long?

reply to post by FortAnthem


All joking aside, this is very worrying.

I have two kids, and every now and then my wife and i 'treat' them to a happy meal.

Bloody hell...not anymore.

reply to post by rcwj1975


Except when you live in a poor neighborhood with no grocery stores and all fast food restaurants. They deliberate target poorer neighborhoods, and most are not affluent enough for grocery stores.

Easy to judge from an armchair.

In fact, I saw a new program that is being started where people can order groceries over the net and have it delivered to their local library so they can have equal access to healthy fruits and veggies and real food.

reply to post by rcwj1975


Not everyone is as intelligent or as sophisticated as you rcwj1975.

And with billions in the bank, these fast food merchants can literally bombard the average family with very slick and sophisticated advertising and propaganda campaigns.

Nothing in your post, is as cut and dried as you seem to imply.

fort, love your work here.

i read an article (i believe, or just a blog or something) about a guy who got drunk on new years with his friends and happened to go to mcdonalds and ordered some burgers.

hey i'm guilty of it, the last time i ever ate mcdonalds was when i was drunk.

but that next year, in the same coat pocket he was wearing on new year's the year before, he had found an unwrapped, uneaten burger. it hadn't changed in anyway whatsoever, and he actually ended up eating it as a joke.

----
so my first thoughts on this thread was, what is the impact of the waste we flush down the drain into the ecosystem with SO much preservatives in it?

reply to post by rcwj1975


Exactly! Flies will not touch butter either. Just because flies will not land on something doesn't necessarily mean it's bad. bacon grease will keep forever. I've used it a year later to fry in. LOL.

Originally posted by rcwj1975
Pretty interesting, but what really gets me is how people have the nerve to complain about fast food at all. We all know that fast food isn't healthy and hasn't been since its creation. We all know that it's quick and easy and that meets our crazy schedules sometimes. But the part that pisses me off are outright FOOLS who actually blame fast food places for ANYTHING.

I have NEVER heard of anyone being FORCED to eat McDonalds, or Wendy's. We as people CHOOSE to eat bad stuff and WE should deal with what comes with such stuff. Fast food is actually blamed for "targeting" people....ummm, its called advertising...and if your to weak to pass on it and go somewhere else then thats on you. Also you have people blaming their "girth" on fast food. So the fact someone CHOOSES to eat fast food 2-3-4 times a week is no longer their fault, its the companies fault for having such a convienent product. SAD people are so stupid.

Of course the really pathetic ones then file lawsuits on the places and expect to be paid for their stupidity....

I used to blame the corporations but now i blame the poeple as well.

but you have to admit, these fast food corporations strategically market and advertise and monopolize their fast food, they have all the money, people ARE getting brainwashed by these commercials. Im not saying they use subliminal mesages (maybe, i don't know ) but they are on every commercial everyday, every year, for decades now..think about it.

Fast Foods like McDonald's foods are containing lethal doses of Preservatives.

This is BS. Food, when left on the counter, will go "bad". There is no way around it.

I can guarantee you that there is real beef in those patties. I promise it is. I have knowledge of who purchases much of their beef for them, and it is done quietly all over the country.

Having said that, if there is protein in that burger, and it sits anywhere between 70 and 135 degrees, it is going to grow harmful bacteria. It is called a "Potentially Hazardous Food" because its pH is between 4.6 and 7, and it has moisture. Especially since it has protein.

Now, this food may not appear to be spoiled, but this is just because it has not been attacked by spoilage organisms. She had it in a bag, and i am sure it has some preservatives in it, so this doesn't surprise me. It just dried out.

McDonalds food is not the healthiest food. But this demonizing is ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. They are no worse than any other chain restaurant. It is all manufactured/processed food. Just because you pay twice as much at Chili's doesn't make it any better.

I would point out that if you had nothing to eat BUT McDonalds, i can guarantee you that you would die quickly if you chose to not eat it at every meal. Super Size Me is sensationalist, nonscience. Next thing you know, we will be taking skin care tips from George Hamilton.

A few added comments, based on other posts in this thread.

I am a 6'2" white male that weighs about 420. I am healthy, and do not appear to be as heavy as i am. In high school i graduated at 330 lbs, with a 34" waist. I am just big. It is the way i am built.

i can say i have put on a lot of weight, but remember: once you are at 320, 420 is not a large percentage increase, like it seems.

In my childhood, we never ate fast food. We never ate out. I was raised as "oil field trash", and the oil bust of the 80's was not kind to my family. We ate healthy, what you could grow and make type stuff. Ate a lot of beans. Nachos were a favorite snack, as chips/cheese were affordable. I cannot blame my size on fast food. I am just a big person. Just like you cannot tell a skinny person to eat more to get larger. It just doesn't work that way.

You can make small changes, or temporary changes. Most often, however, people just are who/what they are. Psychology certainly has as much to do with it as genetics...but that is another discussion.

People ARE targeted with advertising. The only cure for this is to make advertising methods either regulated (which i oppose), or to just inform the public of what is being done, and how it works. Once you are aware of a psychological trick, it is easier to avoid it. At least, for me it is.

If anyone is disgusted by McDonalds, blame the culture you are helping to create.

reply to post by rcwj1975


Exactly. IF you don't like it just leave the establishment. It is so funny watching people inside a Mcdonalds at 11:00 at night complaining and making a scene. If I am in there at such an hour I can promise you I'd rather starve than start yelling at them. Once you get angry at them you show that you rely on them and need them. So what if they take forever, you pulled up to pay $5 for instant food brought to you by people paid at minimum wage. It's a great example of the system of entitlement passed down to people, and probably one of the most nasty if you are paying attention. And how people take things for granted, and you can almost judge a persons immaturity by the way they act in a Mcdonalds.

It just shows how much of a kid you are if you get angry at people being paid minimum wage in a fast food establishment. And I know that's a little different than what you were talking about but it's along the same lines.

Originally posted by spikey
Not everyone is as intelligent or as sophisticated as you rcwj1975.

And with billions in the bank, these fast food merchants can literally bombard the average family with very slick and sophisticated advertising and propaganda campaigns.

Nothing in your post, is as cut and dried as you seem to imply.

Well anyone who blames a SERVICE who simply provides a place to eat, and YOU CHOOSE to go there KNOWING its unhealthy is pretty damn stupid.

I eat there once in awhile and know EXACTLY what I am taking in. Would I BLAME McDonalds if I gained 5lbs after eating a quarter pounder, fries, and apple pie and a large coke....NO! Why, because I chose to eat that stuff....but there are some people out there who truly believe its the fault of these places for making them fat, unhealthy, etc...and that IS pathetic.

EVERYTHING in my post is cut and dry....its COMMON SENSE,,,or as simple as driving by McDonalds and going somewhere else. As for the BILLIONS..what are you mad at them for having customers who made the CHOICE to eat there. Is it THEIR fault they put an ad on TV showing a burger and fries and you make the choice to go buy it? It's like "oh my god fast food places are so mean and irresponsible, I mean they put food on TV that looks so yummy I can't just say no, I gotta go buy it now. How can a business do such a mean vile thing to poor little me?"

reply to post by FortAnthem


G'day FortAnthem

Now I'm a BIG "anti-McDonald's" guy.....I never give up on it!

But.....

I've seen that story previously & I think it might be a hoax.

Have you been able to find any good, reliable sources to validate this?

Kind regards
Maybe...maybe not

Pretty interesting, but what really gets me is how people have the nerve to complain about fast food at all. We all know that fast food isn't healthy and hasn't been since its creation. We all know that it's quick and easy and that meets our crazy schedules sometimes. But the part that pisses me off are outright FOOLS who actually blame fast food places for ANYTHING.

I can relate to the above and anyone trying who says it is ok to blame is a fool to.
What you eat is your own responsibility and not in any way can the supplier be blamed for the supplier.
Just like I felt shame when I read in the manual of a new microwave I was not supposed to dry animals in it. Apparently someone did.
This behaviour I believe to be stupid and I think the poster is right . It should be common knowledge. Any idiot who does not first learn the basics about any equipment is a fool.

Originally posted by nixie_nox
Except when you live in a poor neighborhood with no grocery stores and all fast food restaurants. They deliberate target poorer neighborhoods, and most are not affluent enough for grocery stores.

ummm I have been to the worst parts of MANY cities and see PLENTY of grocery stores...maybe not the BIG chains but there are a ton of other options...so this is simply false.

Easy to judge from an armchair.

Funny, I don't recall you knowing me or my history. Plus, will I judge someone who chooses fast food to buying lunch meat and making a healthier alternative, or pick subway, before they blame the place for THEIR issues...HELL YES...its a cut and dry DECISION made by the consumer.

In fact, I saw a new program that is being started where people can order groceries over the net and have it delivered to their local library so they can have equal access to healthy fruits and veggies and real food.

Then thats great, but even with this option people will elect to do burgers and fries and some will blame that for their issues, NOT blame themselves for eating it...and thats were it is BS.