Why McDonald's Happy Meal Hamburgers Won't Decompose ~ The Real Story Behind The Story

Lets be honest we all know it is crap but I eat it when hungover as is full of grease and salt I wouldent dine on it during the week or let my kids have it, if I had any, regarding the decomposition I call bull*hit as I worked in the Mc job during university and have seen first hand mouldy meat and buns in the bins round the back. Fast Food is there as a choice you dont need to eat it, they dont force it down your throat

reply to post by carlitomoore


I really enjoyed this article, it made me laugh, and grossed me out a bit. We haven't eaten at McDonalds in like a year!! Main reason, trying to save money, and when we did have McDonalds, it gives me wicked bad gas, and heartburn, my middle child gets diarreha, my son gets bloated, it gives my husband the runs, and my youngest gets sick to her stomach, thus we haven't eaten there in a long time!! I feel the last time, the food was contaminated, and told my Mother-in-law not to bring my kids to McD's anymore. They go out for pizza now, which is a lot better then fast food chains.

reply to post by carlitomoore


So you mean to tell me that I can buy a happy meal, put it on the kitchen counter, come back to it 6 weeks later and still have a smile while eating it...? Now thats a damn happy meal my friend!

I used to eat McDonald's until I realized that every time I ate it I felt weird about a half hour after. I don't care for it any more although I do get some nasty cravings every now and then but....I go to Subway instead and have a 6 inch veggie sub....Hey...Works for me...LOL

reply to post by carlitomoore


Oh come off it mate.

For a start, we don't eat the WHOLE animal for 99p do we..there's probably 800-1000 burgers worth of meat if include all the mechanically reclaimed bits and pieces.

That is a HUGE profit margin, over costs of rearing and looking after the animal.

For another, we are NOT a cancer on the Earth. Our corporations, policy makers and government (in that order) are a cancer..at least their money and profit driven mentality is.

The Earth and every planet out there, has only one purpose, and one only..to support life. Any kind of life.

Doesn't have to be 'life as we know it', (we don't 'know' what life we have here, let alone out 'there') life based on Carbon, Silicon, even Gold based if such as thing was possible, all and every kind of life.

The Earth is here to support us and all the other forms of life here. The damage is done, when the greedy and power crazy among us are allowed to get away with the crap they pull, without the rest of us doing anything about it.

Greed and apathy is the cancer, not humanity in general.

I never thought a simple article and commentry would have so many responses, you have just proved a point to me that I have had i nthe back of my mind for a while.

Most members will gladly reply to a thread with a simple home-made youtube video or a blog, if it makes you laugh or angry. Give you some evidence to dissect however and you turn your noses up. Look how many people have responded here through anger!

DBloch, I wish we still had a foe button on the site as you are really someone I can not get on with. To claim I am trying to be a parent figure is ridiculous, I made a valid observation that holds true for msot palces in western civilisation.

You don't understand the difference between processed and unprocessed food!? Do you honestly not understand the basics of how the human food chain works?

Also I think I made clear in a subsequent post that I don't blame humanity as a whole, as this situation has been forced upon most of us, economically, through culture and the lifestyle we are forced to live.

I want to say a big thank you to the vast majority of psoters in this thread, who have had the intelligence to see past this one article and video and see the big picture for what it is. I can see that most people do care about what they eat and I wish you all the health in the world.

reply to post by carlitomoore


What is the big picture? Is not the title of this thread about the biodegradability of McDonalds Hamburgers?

reply to post by DevolutionEvolvd


I was quoting from someone elses work, I kept the article name the same as you would do with a news article on this site according to the rules. I drew special attention to the last paragraph of the article, then reponded in my own words and shifted the focus onto processed food and our food intake in general. I have only posted on this thread around four times, If you have read all of them you can see that this is the case.

I am working on posting some more information now.

Give me a break... I have worked (maintenance manager) at a McDs for only one year and in that year I guaranty you that I have scraped a few moldy decomposed cheese burgers from behind and under grills and other equipment.
This guy is either treating them with something or his basement is so dry they are being mummified. The preservatives and chemicals, which I have no doubt are found in the burger, are not enough to keep mother nature's bacteria from doing their job.

Signed,

Often Grossedout

reply to post by carlitomoore


www.abovetopsecret.com...

You summed it up?

Looks to me like it's just a rehash of the article from natural news. And they're just using sensationalism to push a point...

Fungi can hydrolyze polycarbonate and rocket fuel. This is nothing more than a sensationalist bashing of a corporate giant. These kinds of stories play into consumer ignorance.

Put this meal in a plastic bag in which there will be ample water activity and there is no doubt that microbes would devour a happy meal. You have to remember, fruits and vegetables have plenty of water in them, as well inoculum growing inside of them.

...but it really helps to be factually accurate.

In any case, processed foods come in all shapes and sizes. There's no need to blame McDonalds for this country's problems. I was pretty clear about this in my first few posts....

www.abovetopsecret.com...
www.abovetopsecret.com...

*DISCLAIMER*

The following posts by myself are not intended to be parental in any way, shape or form. Believe it or not, I have to belonging to the food industry, and I am simply posting reference material and asking you to understand what your finely tuned body is trying to do when its balance is disturbed constantly by these foreign things.

I am in fact in engineering, and I would liken it to a system that is constant oscillation, hunting trying to find equilibrium. The best tool for doing this is your liver, which does an excellent function when healthy in trying to filter and clean the system. When you don’t change the filters, or keep inputting the wrong fuel, it eventually shuts down and needs heavy maintenance in order to fix it.

For all those who will undoubtedly attack me again for my further contributions to the thread, I would like to say the following:

Seeing as well you are endowed with such ability to psychoanalyse me without ever meeting me, simply through my posts in this thread, I will counter your armchair psychology with some Freud or Jung and say that you are acting out of insecurity; you are putting me on my ‘pedestal’ yourself as you need an authority figure to act out against. Maybe it is personal connection to the food industry maybe you are unhappy with the way you look and feel, maybe you are stuck in what you see as a dead end career in a fast food restaurant and subconsciously have to defend them to justify your life’s worth and to shy away from your true feeling of unhappiness? If you guys can analyse through a harmless post, so can I.

Food Decomposition

Decomposition

Stages

Five general stages are used to describe the process of decomposition: Fresh, Bloat, Active and Advanced Decay, and Dry/Remains. The general stages of decomposition are coupled with two stages of chemical decomposition: autolysis and putrefaction.

Please see the link for information on all the above stages. Basically, with most meat products we are inducing stage one and then preventing all the following stages from occurring. How do we prolong/prevent this natural process?

Factors Effecting Decomposition

• Temperature;
• The availability of oxygen;
• Prior embalming;
• Cause of death;
• Trauma, including wounds and crushing blows;
• Humidity, or wetness;
• Rainfall; • Body size and weight;
• Clothing; • The surface on which the body rests;
• Foods/objects inside the specimen's digestive tract (bacon compared to lettuce).

We first control all of the above. Low temperature, low oxygen, specific-repeatable cause of death, no trauma, low humidity, no rainfall, ideal size and weight for processing, packaging and transportation, correct packaging, clean, sterile surfaces, clear the inners as soon as possible. Not sure about the embalming, there may be some prior treatment, I don’t know. But we grow or food source in ideal environments to avoid spoil from occurring naturally.

Factors of Food Spoilage In Particular

Spoilage

Bakery products (in baking (cooking): Spoilage by microbes)

Bakery products are subject to the microbiological spoilage problems affecting other foods. If moisture content is kept below 12 to 14 percent (depending on the composition), growth of yeast, bacteria, and molds is completely inhibited. Nearly all crackers and cookies fall below this level, although jams, marshmallow, and other adjuncts may be far higher in moisture content. Breads, cakes etc.

How do we keep the moisture below this level?

Eggs (in egg (food): Microbiology) Certain spoilage organisms (e.g., Alcaligenes, Proteus, Pseudomonas, and some molds) may produce green, pink, black, colourless, and other rots in eggs after long periods of storage. However, since eggs move through market channels rapidly, the modern consumer seldom encounters spoiled eggs.

Through Speed.

Fruits (in fruit processing: Maturation and spoilage)
Maturation and spoilage
Meats (in meat processing: Food-borne microorganisms)
Generally, food-borne microorganisms can be classified as either food-spoilage or food-poisoning, with each presenting unique characteristics and challenges to meat product safety and quality.
Role of microorganisms (in microbiology: Food spoilage)

Foods can be considered as a medium for microbial growth. Considering the vast array of sources, substances, and methods with which food is produced, practically every kind of microbe is a potential contaminant. Given a chance to grow, microbes will produce changes in appearance, flavour, odour, and other qualities of the food.

The changes vary according to the type of food degraded but can be...

Vegetables (in vegetable processing: Aging and spoilage) ...oxidation reactions take place and the vegetables develop off-flavours and loss of nutritional value. Broken cells are also much more easily subject to microbial attacks, which quickly lead to spoilage. In addition, even though the vegetables may be packaged or bagged, the plant cells continue to respire, or break down carbohydrates for energy needs. Respiration leads to loss of quality,...

How Does Food Decompose?

Decoposition

Our Food in the Food Chain

Food decomposes like any other organic matter. Bacteria, fungi, oxygen and moisture all convert plant and animal matter back to basic organic soil nutrients--the lowest link on the food chain. Decomposition renders food unappetizing or even dangerous for human consumption. So we spend a lot of energy trying to understand food decomposition and how it can be prevented or delayed.

Bacteria and Fungi Colonize the Food Food would not decompose if not for bacteria and fungi. Collectively called saprophytes, these microbes are the primary decomposers of all dead organic matter. They are airborne or may be transferred to food by contact.

Surface Damage Allows Microbes Into Food Some foods, like fruit, have a smooth, dry skin that is a natural barrier to bacteria and fungi. Undamaged fruit may not decompose appreciably for several days, even at room temperature. But if the skin is broken by bruising or cutting, microbes have an entrance into the moist interior of the fruit. Decomposition then occurs rapidly.

Fungi are Vital to Decomposition of Plant Matter Often the first microbes to colonize dead organic matter, fungi are able to decompose plant cell walls, or cellulose, making the nutrients in plant cells more accessible to bacteria. Certain fungi species inhabit the digestive systems of animals, like cattle and termites, that have diets high in cellulose, helping to digest grasses and wood for the animal. On our food, we notice fungus as mold on the exterior food surface.

Bacteria and Fungi Feed on the Food All dead organic matter is potential food for bacteria and fungi. But the molecules of plant and animal matter are too large to pass through the microbes' cell membranes. The molecules must be broken down first. Enzymes secreted by bacteria and fungi break large food molecules into smaller molecules that can easily be absorbed by the microbes. The fungi and bacteria use the food energy to divide and multiply.

Food Decomposition

Requires Oxygen and Water In addition to a food source, bacteria and fungi also require water and oxygen in order to live. A short supply of either will limit the number of microbes that can live on the food. This is the principle behind vacuum packing and freeze drying as methods of preserving food. However, some bacteria, like Clostridium botulinum, the bacteria that cause botulism, can decompose food without oxygen, so long as water is present. In this process, called anaerobic decomposition, dangerous toxins are produced. Dented canned goods are a prime breeding ground for the botulism bacteria.

Favorable Temperatures Speed Decomposition

Temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit are ideal for food decomposition. At these temperatures microbe and enzyme activity is optimized, making food energy more available to the bacteria and fungi. Consequently they grow and multiply quickly. However, food does decompose at lower temperatures, even below freezing, though more slowly. This is why food does not keep indefinitely when stored in the refrigerator. In cooking, food-borne bacteria are killed at temperatures between 145 and 180 degrees Fahrenheit. The exact temperature depends on the particular bacteria species.

Chemical Conditions Inhibit Decomposition High sugar, salt or acid content creates a hostile environment for fungi and bacteria. Candying, salt curing and pickling are methods commonly used to preserve food.

Food Preservatives

Preservatives

Preservative food additives can be used alone or in conjunction with other methods of food preservation. Preservatives may be antimicrobial preservatives, which inhibit the growth of bacteria or fungi, including mold, or antioxidants such as oxygen absorbers, which inhibit the oxidation of food constituents. Common antimicrobial preservatives include calcium propionate, sodium nitrate, sodium nitrite, sulfites (sulfur dioxide, sodium bisulfite, potassium hydrogen sulfite, etc.) and disodium EDTA. Antioxidants include BHA and BHT. Other preservatives include formaldehyde (usually in solution), glutaraldehyde (kills insects), ethanol and methylchloroisothiazolinone.

FDA standards do not currently require fruit and vegetable product labels to reflect the type of chemical preservative(s) used on the produce.

The benefits and safety of many artificial food additives (including preservatives) are the subject of debate among academics and regulators specializing in food science, toxicology, and biology.

Health Concerns

Some modern synthetic preservatives have become controversial because they have been shown to cause respiratory or other health problems. Some studies point to synthetic preservatives and artificial coloring agents aggravating ADD & ADHD symptoms in those affected. Older studies were inconclusive, quite possibly due to inadequate clinical methods of measuring offending behavior. Parental reports were more accurate indicators of the presence of additives than clinical tests. Several major studies show academic performance increased and disciplinary problems decreased in large non-ADD student populations when artificial ingredients, including preservatives were eliminated from school food programs. Allergenic preservatives in food or medicine can cause anaphylactic shock in susceptible individuals, a condition which is often fatal within minutes without emergency treatment.

Food Preservation

Source

Method Effect on microbial growth or survival

Refrigeration Low temperature to retard growth

Freezing Low temperature and reduction of water activity prevents microbial growth, slowing of oxidation reactions

Drying, curing and conserving Reduction in water activity sufficient to delay or prevent microbial growth

Vacuum and oxygen free modified atmosphere packaging Low oxygen tension inhibits strict aerobes and delays growth of facultative anaerobes

Carbon dioxide enriched and or modified atmosphere packaging Specific inhibition of some micro-organisms

Addition of weak acids; e.g. sodium lactate Reduction of the intracellular pH of micro-organisms

Lactic fermentation Reduction of pH value in situ by microbial action and sometimes additional inhibition by the lactic and acetic acids formed and by other microbial products. (e.g. ethanol, bacteriocins)

Sugar preservation Cooking in high sucrose concentration creating too high osmotic pressure for most microbial survival.

Ethanol preservation Steeping or cooking in Ethanol produces toxic inhibition of microbes. Can be combined with sugar preservation

Emulsification Compartmentalisation and nutrient limitation within the aqueous droplets in water-in-oil emulsion foods

Addition of preservatives such as nitrite or sulphite ions Inhibition of specific groups of micro-organisms

Pasteurization and appertization Delivery of heat sufficient to inactivate target micro-organisms to the desired extent

Food irradiation (Radurization, radicidation and radappertization) Delivery of ionising radiation to disrupt cellular RNA

Application of high hydrostatic pressure (Pascalization) Pressure-inactivation of vegetative bacteria, yeasts and moulds

Pulsed electric field processing (PEF treatment9) Short bursts of electricity for microbial inactivation

The above ar every brief outlines. More posts to follow will include in detailed information on some of the chemical additives used in these processes, and their effect on the body. I am struggling for time at the minute but I will continue to post. I will try and find those videos as well.

reply to post by fleabit

Amicus, perfectly agreed with you after life style however, we must not forget food is part of the life style statistics says clearly most of mcdonald's consumers have grave problem with health -- that's first; second moment, among non - consumers of fast food, that trouble has been far no so actual. your experience is truly excellent however, that works nicely while you can maintain active life style.

reply to post by SarK0Y

Please quote your source for the statistics.
Not that I'm arguing against your point. It's just that I would like to read that study.

Originally posted by Ahmose
who cares..
I thought everyone "worth saving" knew not to eat this garbage anyway.

i mean, does anyone (in their right mind) still eat this $^%*?

I would forage through the forest floor sewn with animal feces for twigs and berries before i even thought about putting this poison into my body.

Really? Well all of that effort will probably take years off of your life, and your knees and lower back will probably be destroyed from all the bending over you'll be doing while you sift through that animal crap and twigs to find a nice juicy berry..Yum yum. Sounds delicious by the way.

Having the odd burger in amongst an otherwise healthy diet won't do anyone any harm. Living your example above would probably bring nothing more than misery, but good luck with it anyway.

reply to post by SarK0Y


That's a nice try, but there's really nothing factual about the post.

- An active lifestyle does not entirely protect one from a damaging diet

- Fast food can be healthy

- Homecooked meals can be unhealthy

reply to post by palg1

no problem, Amicus, just see here. just a remark: most affected Social Groups are humans of low income, welfare dependents -- in other words, that is fast food consumers. that's funny: in far yrs ago, poors were thin however, none magic -- corpies only found way to make illusions of food's abundance through chemical industry.

I eat fast food semi-regularly because sometimes I'm too lazy to cook, and I just want a hot msg injection into my mouth. I also sometimes eat canned processed foods of the uber-cheap variety (Puritan meatballs in gravy, chef boyardi, chunky soup, etc.) because I'm poor, and real food is expensive.

I cook my own meals using fresh ingredients whenever I have the time and money to do so.

Every time I bite into processed/fast food, I'm always half expecting to get a big mouthful of maggots or pus, or something else out of one of those fast food horror stories. It makes it hard to eat the stuff (probably a good thing) but also, at the same time, kind of exciting (just a weird thing). Still, I have to admit, I love the taste of fast food burgers - especially processed chicken (and yes, I've seen how they make it!)

Me and my friends joke that fast food is just western society's version of "using every part of the buffalo". I mean, heck, we'll eat anything! Doesn't even have to be real food! All while at the same time we export so much ACTUAL food to the rest of the world.

North America produces 40% of the world's supply of grain, and yet we eat plastic cheese and ground up organ meat.

At first I thought people just kept referring to McDonalds for this sort of stuff because they are the biggest, but now I have realized that people here have a thing against MCD but not other fast food places. The thing is it's all the same, sure it's not good for you but it won't kill you if you have it like twice a month or something.

Also Mcdonalds main goal is not profit. The main goal of any company is not to make money, the main goal is to create value.