They’re not the fast-food fountain of youth everyone thinks they are.
McDonald’s burgers may seem immune to decay, given the avalanche of stories on the noshes looking im-Mac-ulate over time.
However, former Golden Arches chef Mike Haracz, who regularly spills industry secrets on TikTok, declared it a huge myth in a recent clip about whether the burger merchant’s products ever go bad and break down.
“When anyone talks about McDonald’s burgers never going bad that is false,” said the content creator, who was a manager of culinary innovation for McDonald’s US menu for four years, developing new items and conducting sensory and quality testing on products.
The controversy was sparked in recent years with stories of so-called immortal burgers, most notably a Quarter Pounder in Australia that has never shown signs of decay despite being bought nearly three decades ago.
Then there have been the myriad videos of Golden Arches burgers and french fries looking as good as the day they were bought after sitting in a jar for weeks.
However, the industry insider dispelled the legend of the so-called decomposition-defying nosh, instead chalking up their longevity to a dry environment coupled with “mold inhibitors” that the corporation adds into the food to preserve their shelf life.
“When everyone talks about them pulling out food from behind a seat that’s been there for a year or whatever, it’s a combination of dehydration and the fact McDonald’s cooks their burgers and its meats well done so there’s no raw protein,” Haracz explained.
“There’s a lot less moist and fat in there. The fact they salt and season after it’s cooked – so that salt is dropping the water activity.”
He added, “Salt absorbs any free moisture and that free moisture is what microbes and things use to grow.”
McDonald’s spokespeople have even admitted to this apparent McMummification phenomenon, claiming that “the burgers you are seeing are likely dried out and dehydrated, and by no means ‘the same as the day they were purchased.’”
However, Haracz declared that when stored in “an enclosed environment to keep them moist,” McDonald’s burgers “will mold after a week or two, just like every other bun.”
The Golden Arches alum even urged viewers to “test this” themselves by putting a McDonald’s burger in a Ziploc bag or something similar and letting it sit.
“You are going to see it go bad very, very quick,” he insisted.
