mcdonald's burger experiment decompose

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Why McDonald’s Hamburgers Don’t Decompose

If you’re up for a bit of scientific experimentation, you can get a McDonald’s hamburger, leave it on the counter, and prove to yourself it won’t appear to rot or decompose over time. Alternatively, you can skip the experiment and trust me on this, as a parent of a child who would hide burgers from Happy Meals in the car. Even if it takes weeks to discover the burger, it looks pretty much the same as the day you ordered it. I can’t say whether it tastes the same. I doubt it. The point is, there is a lot of data out there indicating the basic burger appears to be immortal. This is not true of the Quarter Pounder or Big Mac and here’s why…No, it’s not some crazy preservative. It’s not caused by the presence of any unwelcome chemical at all. Rather, the burger and bun appear unaffected by time because they contain low levels of water. Moisture is required for the bun or burger to mold. Thin hamburgers have a high surface area to volume ratio, so they lose moisture readily.

When a burger gets left out, it becomes dried bread and jerky. The condiments contain enough acid (ketchup) or salt (mustard, pickle) that they don’t rot, either.

In fact, the phenomenon isn’t specific to McDonald’s burgers . If you’re willing to sacrifice a burger, make one yourself, using a simple bun and the same condiments. Make sure the burger is thin, like an inexpensive fast food burger, and cooked completely, since fast food places are pretty good about preventing illness from undercooked food. Leave your test burger on the counter. If you like, get a McDonald’s burger and compare their appearance over time. Are you surprised your fresh, homemade burger appears immortal? You’ve just created a burger mummy! This is much the same process used to preserve meat to make jerky. The burger is dehydrated protein, with a bit of fat. Most of the fat was removed during cooking. The bit that remains may eventually taste rancid, but its appearance won’t change. Gross? Not so much, when you stop to think about it.

What’s gross is what you get if you seal your homemade burger or the McDonald’s burger (or any burger) in a plastic bag. Moisture won’t be able to escape, so the conditions will be suitable for mold and bacteria to multiply and rot the bun and burger.

Related Posts

Does McDonald's Food Not Rot?

Photographs of an ancient mcdonald's order went viral on facebook, but the "phenomenon" of non-decomposing fast food isn't so straightforward., kim lacapria, published feb. 8, 2016.

About this rating

Under specific conditions, food items (and other organic matter) dry out quickly and don't decompose.

It's not the case that McDonald's menu items alone "don't rot," or that McDonald's food never "rots" under any condition, or that "chemicals" cause McDonald's food to not break down over the course of years.

On 3 February 2016, Facebook user Jennifer Lovdahl published the above-reproduced status update, to which were appended were two images of an otherwise unremarkable McDonald's Happy Meal along with the following comment:

A receipt was attached to the Happy Meal box, indicating that it had been purchased over six years earlier, on 8 January 2010:

Although Lovdahl's assertions about the supposedly non-decomposing quality of face food weren't novel , the images piqued viewers enough to garner hundreds of thousands of shares on Facebook.

Claims maintaining that McDonald's food " doesn't rot " have been circulating online for a decade or more. For examples, a September 2008 post held that a McDonald's cheeseburger purchased in 1996 showed few signs of decomposition twelve years on. The phenomenon was also examined by BuzzFeed in a 2014 video comparing seven separate fast-food burgers that had each been stored in glass jars for 30 days:

On 15 October 2010 (the same year Lovdahl reportedly purchased the Happy Meal in question), the food blog  Serious Eats published an article about "The Myth of The 12-Year-Old McDonald's Hamburger." The site took a more in-depth look at whether claims about McDonald's held up in more detailed testing conditions.

Most claims about McDonald's food failing to decompose were presented in the context of individuals' having purchased food items specifically to evidence the phenomenon, but rarely (if ever) did such claims provide much information about the conditions under which the experiments were conducted. Moreover, ever fewer of them included one or more "control" samples of items purchased at other outlets or made at home to rule out factors such as environmental or storage conditions as factors. Since most experiments involved significant passages of time and lacked control specimens, their probative value was significantly diminished.

Serious Eats foregrounded their experiment by explaining that:

The thing is, the hamburger [Karen Hanrahan, of the blog Best of Mother Earth has] been using as a prop is the same plain McDonald's hamburger she's been using for what's now going on 14 years ... Karen is neither the first nor last to document this very same phenomenon. Artist Sally Davies photographs her 137 day-old hamburger every day for her Happy Meal Art Project. Nonna Joann has chosen to store her happy meal for a year on her blog rather than feed it to her kids. Dozens of other examples exist, and most of them come to the same conclusion: McDonald's hamburgers don't rot ...  Most of you are probably thinking just plain, "ew" — a perfectly reasonable reaction to what at first seems like a totally disgusting perversion of nature. I mean, what kind of chemical-laden crap are they stuffing those burgers with to make them last that long? But then there's a few people who're probably shouting out, "now wait just a minute here! This ain't science!"

Serious Eats writer J. Kenji Lopez-Alt surmised that "[t]he problem with all of these tests is that there is but a single data point, and a single data point is about as useless as a one armed man in a clapping contest"; he then set out to "design and carry out the first well-documented, scientific experiment to shed some light on whether or not there is something truly evil lurking between the buns." After pointing out the extensive number of factors involved, he listed the items with which he would attempt to replicate the results:

A plain McDonald's hamburger, stored on a plate at room temperature.

A homemade burger of the same weight and dimensions as a McDonald's burger (I was fine using a store-bought bun, because who bakes their own buns?)

A McDonald's hamburger patty on a store-bought bun.

A homemade patty on a McDonald's bun.

A McDonald's hamburger stored in its original packaging.

A McDonald's hamburger stored in a zipper-lock bag.

A plain Quarter Pounder.

A homemade quarter pounder.

On 5 November 2010, Lopez-Alt published a follow-up , in which he noted of his testing conditions:

Every day, I monitored the progress of the burgers, weighing each one, and carefully checking for spots of mold growth or other indications of decay. The burgers were left in the open air, but handled only with clean kitchen tools or through clean plastic bags (no direct contact with my hands until the last day).

Lopez-Alt first presented his findings visually, producing an image of four virtually identical samples:

He then described the status of all the hamburgers he tested at the conclusion of the experiment:

Turns out that not only did the regular McDonald's burgers not rot, but the home-ground burgers did not rot either. Samples one through five had shrunk a bit (especially the beef patties), but they showed no signs of decomposition. What does this mean? It means that there's nothing that strange about a McDonald's burger not rotting. Any burger of the same shape will act the same way. The real question is, why? Well, here's another piece of evidence: Burger number 6, made with no salt, did not rot either, indicating that the salt level has nothing to do with it.

Finally, Lopez-Alt pointed out that two burgers (one purchased from McDonald's and the other a homemade facsimile) that were stored in sealed Ziploc-style bags behaved identically as well. He attributed the lack of decomposition to rapid dehydration, conditions under which mold and bacteria growth are rapidly inhibited:

The final two burgers I tested were a McDonald's burger and a regular homemade burger of the same dimensions placed in plastic zipper-lock bags side by side. Hopefully the bag would trap in enough moisture. The question: Would they rot? ... Indeed they do. Within a week, both burgers were nearly covered in little white spots of mold, eventually turning into the green and black spotted beast you see above ... Pretty strong evidence in favor of Theory 3: the burger doesn't rot because its small size and relatively large surface area help it to lose moisture very fast. Without moisture, there's no mold or bacterial growth. Of course, that the meat is pretty much sterile to begin with due to the high cooking temperature helps things along as well. It's not really surprising. Humans have known about this phenomenon for thousands of years. After all, how do you think beef jerky is made?

So ubiquitous were the claims and online examples of well-preserved McDonald's food items that the fast food chain addressed such questions on their web site. On a FAQ page titled "Why doesn't your food rot?" the company stated that their food offerings can and do "rot," except in conditions wherein they rapidly dry out (which is not unique to McDonald's food or attributable to any unusual ingredients):

Actually, it can [rot]. Food needs moisture in the air for mold to form. Without it, food will simply dry out — sort of like bread left out on a counter overnight to make croutons for stuffing. You might have seen experiments which seem to show no decomposition in our food. Most likely, this is because the food has dehydrated before any visible deterioration could occur.

Examples of McDonald's food items purportedly failing to decompose proved popular on social media when they intermittently appeared, but the big reveal is typically less compelling when contrasted with homemade burgers behaving in approximately the same fashion. No specific ingredient or other factor is usually singled out as a potential factor in such ad hoc experiments (other than the ambiguous "chemicals" presumed to permeate convenience food), and most serious analyses of the phenomenon cite dehydration as a primary cause. The outcome isn't exclusive to fast food items (or even food in general): on occasion, human bodies have been discovered mummified in houses , cars , and apartments . In those instances, failure to decompose is similarly attributable to rapid dehydration, environmental conditions, and other factors not always present when organic matter is allowed to break down "naturally."

By Kim LaCapria

Kim LaCapria is a former writer for Snopes.

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McDonald’s Has Responded To That Video Of A 24-Year-Old Hamburger That Didn’t Decompose

"In the right environment, our burgers, like most other foods, could decompose."

You may have recently seen the video of a woman who has kept a McDonald’s hamburger and fries in a box in her closet for more than 20 years. It's just the latest in the type of story that seems to resurface every few months, of people showing off fast food they have kept for extended periods of time, only to have it sit in perfect condition all those years later. But now McDonald's has issued a statement responding.

In a post on its newsroom , the fast food chain did not mention the TikTok in question by name but it began by simply stating that "in the right environment, our burgers, like most other foods, could decompose." They went on to say that the reason why many foods do not show these signs of aging is because of a lack of moisture:

"Without sufficient moisture–either in the food itself or the environment–bacteria and mold may not grow and therefore, decomposition is unlikely. So if food is or becomes dry enough, it is unlikely to grow mold or bacteria or decompose," the post read in part. "Food prepared at home that is left to dehydrate could see similar results. Look closely, the burgers you are seeing are likely dried out and dehydrated, and by no means 'the same as the day they were purchased.'"

They continued by saying that burgers are made only with 100 percent USDA inspected beef (and a touch of salt and pepper!) with no preservatives or fillers. So there you have it! The next time you see these types of viral videos, know that these aged burgers and fries may not have mold , but rest assured they are just as disgusting as if they did!

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• Food Science

The Myth of The 12-Year-Old McDonald's Hamburger

Project: to carry out the first well-documented, scientific experiment to shed some light on whether there is something truly evil lurking between the buns.

The Science of Rotting Burgers

What we know so far, the testing.

This story was originally published as a part of the column "The Burger Lab."

If you've recently gone for a couple of 88mph spins in a souped-up DeLorean outfitted with a flux capacitor running at 1.21 jigawatts and have somehow ended up in an alternate universe in which internet memes don't exist, then you may not yet have read about the 12-year old McDonald's Hamburger that still looks just like a McDonald's Hamburger. For the rest of you who are already with me, you'll have to indulge me for a moment while I fill-in the time travelers as to what's been going on.

Back in 2008, Karen Hanrahan, of the blog Best of Mother Earth posted a picture of a hamburger that she uses as a prop for a class she teaches on how to help parents keep their children away from junk food. A noble goal, and one I fully approve of.

The thing is, the hamburger she's been using as a prop is the same plain McDonald's hamburger she's been using for what's now going on 14 years. It looks pretty much identical to how it did the day she bought it, and she's not had to use any means of preservation. The burger travels with her, and sits at room temperature.

Now Karen is neither the first nor last to document this very same phenomenon. Artist Sally Davies photographs her 137 day-old hamburger every day for her Happy Meal Art Project . Nonna Joann has chosen to store her happy meal for a year on her blog rather than feed it to her kids. Dozens of other examples exist, and most of them come to the same conclusion: McDonald's hamburgers don't rot.

Now some of you are probably thinking something along the same lines as these women are:

Ladies, Gentleman, and children alike - this is a chemical food. There is absolutely no nutrition here. Not one ounce of food value. —Karen Hanrahan

Food is SUPPOSED to decompose, go bad and smell foul... Food is broken down into it's essential nutrients in our bodies and turned into fuel. Our children grow strong bodies, when they eat real food. Flies ignore a Happy Meal and microbes don't decompose it, then your child's body can't properly metabolize it either. —Nonna Joann

Most of you are probably thinking just plain, "ew" —a perfectly reasonable reaction to what at first seems like a totally disgusting perversion of nature. I mean, what kind of chemical-laden crap are they stuffing those burgers with to make them last that long?

But then there's a few people who're probably shouting out, "now wait just a minute here! This ain't science!"

You can count me in with that crowd .

The problem with all of these tests is that there is but a single data point, and a single data point is about as useless as a one armed man in a clapping contest. Who knows why those burgers didn't decompose? You could believe the myth that they are packed with preservatives or that they are some kind of nutritional black hole so devoid of sustenance that even bacteria and fungi will not grow on them.

For the record, the McDonald Corporation's official response states:

McDonald's hamburger patties are made with 100% USDA-inspected ground beef, cooked and prepared with salt, pepper and nothing else, no preservatives, no fillers.

So who do we believe? Without experimentation, there is no science. Without science, there is no proof. Without proof, there is no truth, and without truth, well where would we be?

It seems to me that the only thing that can last longer than a McDonald's hamburger is an internet meme about them. My project for the next few weeks: design and carry out the first well-documented, scientific experiment to shed some light on whether or not there is something truly evil lurking between the buns. Hopefully we can kill this meme once and for all. Who's with me?

So let me amend my previous statement. There is actually a little data out there. Morgan Spurlock, director of the outrageously propogandist documentary Super-Size Me famously aged a McDonald's burger next to a mom & pop burger in glass jars. The burgers all decomposed around the same rate, while the McDonald's fries seemed to last forever.

The blog Snack Girl aged a homemade hamburger next to a McDonald's burger . After 11 days, the homemade burger was covered in green mold, while the McDonald's appeared perfectly fine.

The problem with these two tests (and several others like it) is that they have failed to isolate the variables. The burgers and fries they were comparing to the McDonald's batch were of a completely different size and completely different moisture level. It's the scientific equivalent of setting up a boxing match between a blue-eyed three-year-old and a green-eyed 20-year-old then declaring that blue eyes make you weak. It's sensationalist and utterly specious.

A truly scientific experiment would need to take all these variables into account and isolate them.

I wanted to test the following things:

• Whether it's something in the beef that's keeping the burgers from rotting.
• Whether it's something in the bun that's keeping the burgers from rotting.
• Whether it's some sort of magical alchemic reaction that keeps the burgers from rotting only when a McDonald's patty is in contact with a McDonald's bun.
• Whether it's the size of the patties that are preventing the burger from rotting.
• Whether it's the storage environment that is preventing the burgers from rotting.

I figured that would cover most of my bases and prove whether there's anything inherently different about a McDonald's burger and a regular homemade burger.

These are the samples I needed:

• A plain McDonald's hamburger, stored on a plate at room temperature.
• A homemade burger of the same weight and dimensions as a McDonald's burger (I was fine using a store-bought bun, because who bakes their own buns?)
• A McDonald's hamburger patty on a store-bought bun.
• A homemade patty on a McDonald's bun.
• A McDonald's hamburger stored in its original packaging.
• A McDonald's hamburger stored in a zipper-lock bag.
• A plain Quarter Pounder.
• A homemade quarter pounder.

I went out to the McDonald's next door to gather my testing materials.

"Welcome to McDonald's. Can I take your order sir?" said Megan the floor manager cheerfully (if there's one thing that McDonald's has got plenty of, it's smiles).

"Yes. I'd like three hamburgers, plain. Then I'd like one hamburger plain, but no meat. Then I'd like another hamburger plain, but no bun. After that, I'd like a quarter pounder with cheese—also plain—and finally some fries please; Not those ones—I'll wait for the fresh batch. Thanks!"

The situation was strangely reminiscent of the last time I tried to wrangle an unusual order out of a McDonald's for my French fry testing . I imagined her picturing the three fussy kids, vegetarian wife, brother-in-law with celiac disease, and mother-in-law who likes sesame seeds but not cheese sitting at home waiting for their dinner. I gave her the benefit of the doubt and assumed that she knew the fresh French fries were for myself*—the only sane and sophisticated member of a palate-deprived and ketchup-hating extended family.

"Sure no problem," was her immediate response. "If you want, I can just put in an order for four plain burgers, one with the bun and meat wrapped separate so you don't have to pay for it twice."

"That'll be lovely, thanks."

"It's the least you deserve for placing the most interesting order of the day, sir."

McDonald's HQ: if you're listening, employee of the month right there . Give this woman a raise.

With burgers in hand, along with a pack of plain, Mcdonald's-sized buns and a few chuck steaks I picked up from the supermarket, I returned home to grind my beef. A little research revealed that regular McDonald's patties are 10 to a pound, or 1.6 ounces. Quarter Pounders, unremarkably, weigh a quarter pound. I weighed out my beef formed them into thin patties slightly wider than the cooked patties I had (to account for shrinkage), seasoned them with salt and pepper, and fried them in a skillet with a little bit of oil. I toasted my store-bought buns, then assembled all of my sample burgers and laid them out on plates.

Now all I needed was a place to store them for a few weeks, preferably without my wife killing me. The kitchen counter was out of the question, as was the dining room table. I couldn't leave it under the bed or the couch or anywhere that a hungry dog could get at them. Since I live in a household with two exceedingly short creatures, my best option was to go high. I picked the shelf above my wife's desk.

After carefully removing the picture frames and other knick-knacks and stashing them in a drawer, I perched my burgers there for the aging. Perfect. Neither overly humid nor dry, average temperature, decent indirect lighting, out of reach of the dog, and stable.

Now I know you're all reading with bated breath— what's the answer? Which ones rotted and which didn't?

Well, I'd sure love to tell you, and I hate to end on a cliffhanger but unfortunately, we're all gonna have to wait a few weeks before I can gather any data worth reporting. Until then, I just hope that my wife doesn't look up and realize that her sister's graduation photo's been replaced by a dessicated meat puck. If that happens, pesky internet memes aren't going to be the only thing getting killed around here.

October 2010

• Food Industry
• The Food Lab

More Serious Eats Recipes

Why Those Burgers Don't Rot, Decompose, or Molder Away

After a rigorous scientific test, the results are in. McDonald's burgers don't decay, but neither do home-made patties of freshly ground chuck steak.

There's been speculation that the meat was pumped full of chemicals and sodium propionate, but Lopez-Alt wanted an objective test so he set up an informal experiment . He left the burger out, unwrapped, and he also made his own burger out of ground chuck, salted and cooked it (just like McDonald's), and put it on a store-bought bun and left that out, too.

What happened? It turns out that neither burger decayed .

The burger doesn't rot because [its] small size and relatively large surface area help it to lose moisture very fast. Without moisture, there's no mold or bacterial growth. Of course, that the meat is pretty much sterile to begin with due to the high cooking temperature helps things along as well.

So there you have it, meat and heat goes a long way in preserving things. Whether this means you should go out to Mickey D's or challenge some long held assumptions about leaving meat lying around your house is entirely up to you. Personally, I would recommend either checking out this recipe or reading another great post from The Food Lab .

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Here's What Happens to a McDonald's Cheeseburger in Hydrochloric Acid

This cheeseburger vs. acid experiment by YouTube channel Periodic Videos is a classic, from way back in 2010. But it's still one of our favourite YouTube experiments of all time, and we thought it was definitely worth bringing it out of the archives for any of you who may have missed the truly revolting results.

The set-up itself is pretty simple - take one McDonald's cheeseburger and stick it in hydrochloric acid in the lab for three and a half hours to see what happens.

Why hydrochloric acid? Because it's one of the main ingredients in our stomach acid, which kick-starts the digestive process and helps us break food down into useable components that give us energy and nutrients.

Or, at least, that's what happens in theory. In reality, what it does to the cheeseburger is a little less stomach-friendly, as you can see in the footage above . 

But although it's easy to assume that the resulting black sludge is caused by some nasty ingredients used in fast food, that's not necessarily the case.

For starters, the experiment isn't a true replication of our stomach environment - we also produce bile and many other types of acid churn around in our stomachs to help break down food much more effectively. As the Periodic Videos team explains above , in this example, the fats haven't dissolved very well simply because they're just soaking in nothing but concentrated HCL.

And while it's easy to jump to conclusions when it comes to fast food, we also can't necessarily assume that a cheeseburger would break down any better or worse than any other food item, as we have nothing to compare the results to.

Last year, another video went viral after it showed a range of fast food burgers 30 days after purchasing. Creepily, while some of them were covered in mould, others (McDonald's included) hadn't changed at all, as you can see below.

Most viewers immediately assumed this was the result of some kind of evil preservative being used by fast food companies. But a follow-up experiment by chef J. Kenji López-Alt over on his blog Serious Eats suggests that the reason some burgers don't rot could be a lot more innocent - it may simply have to do with water content.

While investigating why McDonald's burgers didn't become mouldy, he hypothesised that it was most likely due to one of five things:

• The burgers are filled with preservatives
• They are too salty to rot
• The burgers dry out fast enough that mould can't grow on them
• They never come into contact with mould spores
• They're never exposed to air

He pretty quickly ruled out the second two because, well, mould spores are everywhere, and so is air. But to test the first three, López-Alt made his own home-made burgers with no preservatives and varying amounts of salt, and stored them alongside McDonald's burgers. And he found that they also didn't rot after 25 days.

In fact, his results suggest that it's the large surface area to volume ratio of the McDonald's cheeseburgers that keep them mould-free, not their preservatives, as they lose moisture too quickly to allow mould to grow in the first place. He backed that up by showing that if you seal a McDonald's cheeseburger in a ziplock bag, it quickly begins to rot.

Obviously these results haven't been reproduced or published in a peer-reviewed journal, and we could all stand to eat less fast food regardless of its preservative content, but they reinforce the fact that there's always more going on than meets the eye.

So enjoy watching scientists stick a burger into acid, simply because it's really freaking cool to watch and creep your friends out with. But don't forget to think for yourselves, too.

Now excuse me while I go and imagine everything I've ever eaten sitting my stomach as black sludge.

Our Terms and Conditions have changed. Please take a moment to review the new McDonald's Terms and Conditions by selecting the link, effective 09/05/2024, which includes updates to our age requirements and the arbitration and dispute resolution process. By continuing to use our website after that date, you agree to the revised Terms & Conditions agreement.

Response to myth that McDonald’s burgers do not decompose

August 31, 2020

In the right environment, our burgers, like most other foods, could decompose.

But, in order to decompose, you need certain conditions – specifically moisture. Without sufficient moisture – either in the food itself or the environment – bacteria and mold may not grow and therefore, decomposition is unlikely. So if food is or becomes dry enough, it is unlikely to grow mold or bacteria or decompose.  Food prepared at home that is left to dehydrate could see similar results. Look closely, the burgers you are seeing are likely dried out and dehydrated, and by no means “the same as the day they were purchased.”

The reality is that our burgers are made only with 100% USDA inspected beef. There are no preservatives or fillers in our patties and the only thing ever added is a touch of salt and pepper on the grill. 

Latest Stories

The Oldest McDonald’s Burger in the World Is Turning 21

The patty's proud owner reveals how he's preserved it all this time.

• The world's oldest McDonald's hamburger will turn 21 on July 7, 2020. What will its first legal drink be?
• David Whipple, who bought the burger more than two decades ago, says he didn't even realize he still had it until his wife found it while they were moving.
• Whipple, who isn't the only person to have saved a McDonald's burger for a comically long amount of time , plans to donate the patty to a museum at some point "so that it can be accessible to everyone," but he'll continue to hold on to it for now.

A 10-year-old McDonald’s hamburger isn’t cool. You know what’s cool? A 20-year-old McDonald’s hamburger.

Since we pride ourselves here at Popular Mechanics for staying on top of the disturbingly old burger beat, we immediately wanted to know everything there was to know about the petrified patty after Yahoo recently unleashed it onto the world . So we reached out to the man behind the meat for the full story.

Oh, what a long, strange trip it’s been.

“I bought the burger in 1999—for 79 cents—for a work demonstration,” says David Whipple, a 70-year-old from Utah who was working in the nutrition field at the time and needed a prop for a decomposition presentation. “Once I was done with it, I just tossed it into my jacket pocket and kind of forgot about it.” As one does.

Whipple didn’t wear that particular jacket very often, especially not in the sweltering summer of '99. So the garment—and burger—sat in the back of his car all summer long. Unworn. Uneaten. Unloved. It was only while Whipple and his wife were moving that the burger reappeared. “I didn’t realize it was there all that time,” says Whipple. Surprisingly, it was in pristine condition.

Once Whipple rediscovered his treasure and surefire future meal ticket, he placed it in a tin container to keep it safe. Over the years, as he regaled his friends, family, and reporters with tales of what lied inside that tin, he received offers from others—including a local radio station—who wanted to get their hands on the grub. No chance, Whipple told them all.

“The station wanted to actually eat the burger,” Whipple says, “but I told them that I wouldn’t hand it over, especially because I thought someone might die if they ate it.”

While Whipple's burger certainly won't kill anyone, it almost certainly doesn't taste good. “It doesn't smell like much of anything,” he says. “You have to really get close to it and even then, it doesn't smell like food. It smells like old cardboard.”

And, Whipple says, “it's hard as a rock."

Despite some of the burger's fixins fading away—Whipple says it was once adorned with a pickle, ketchup, and onions, all of which have since disintegrated—it's still in remarkably good shape. Why, exactly, has it been able to endure for two decades?

For the science, here's Anne Christensen , Director of Field Brand Reputation for McDonald's:

Without sufficient moisture—either in the food itself or the environment—bacteria and mold may not grow and therefore, decomposition is unlikely. So if food is or becomes dry enough, it is unlikely to grow mold or bacteria or decompose. Food prepared at home that is left to dehydrate could see similar results. Similarly, this particular burger is likely dried out and dehydrated, and by no means the same as the day it was purchased.

Whipple won't stop hoarding the burger any time soon—not when he has that kind of conversation piece on his hands.

"It's a real hoot at family gatherings!" Whipple says. "I'll bring it out so people can see it, but I don't let people touch it anymore. I want to continue preserving it for as long as possible while I have it. I'm 70 years old—I actually wonder if it will outlive me!"

Whipple would ultimately like the burger (and the original wrapper, bag, and receipt, to boot) to end up alongside some of our nation's other most prized possessions—"in the Smithsonian or some museum, so that everyone can have access to it," he says.

"I'll probably end up donating it," Whipple continues, "but not just yet."

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The truth about mcdonald's burgers that don't rot.

A customer asked on McDonald's Canada's fantastic Q&A page why McDonald's burgers don't rot, and the company responded with quite a thorough answer.

It's a common thing folks say about McDonald's burgers. Once in a while, an experiment pops up that shows how a burger — or entire Happy Meal — can remain unchanged for months.

So, what's the truth about the everlasting burgers?

McDonald's burgers do rot — under certain conditions.

McDonald's spoke with Dr. Keith Warriner , the program director at the University of Guelph's Department of Food Science and Quality Assurance.

Here's his explanation :

“There have been a lot of online videos and photos touting the fact that when left out for an extended period of time, a McDonald’s hamburger does not rot and that this is because they are laden with chemicals. The reality is that McDonald’s hamburgers, french fries and chicken are like all foods, and do rot if kept under certain conditions.

Essentially, the microbes that cause rotting are a lot like ourselves, in that they need water, nutrients, warmth and time to grow. If we take one or more of these elements away, then microbes cannot grow or spoil food.

In the example of a McDonald’s hamburger, the patty loses water in the form of steam during the cooking process. The bun, of course, is made out of bread. Toasting it reduces the amount of moisture. This means that after preparation, the hamburger is fairly dry. When left out open in the room, there is further water loss as the humidity within most buildings is around 40%. So in the absence of moisture or high humidity, the hamburger simply dries out, rather than rot.

With moisture loss, we take away an element required by microbes to grow and cause spoilage. So to spoil a McDonald’s hamburger, we simply need to prevent the moisture loss. This can be done through wrapping it in cling film to prevent moisture from escaping, or storing it within a high humidity environment, such as a bathroom (notice black mould on your bathroom windows but not in your bedroom). If you try doing the same experiment with a homemade burger with similar moisture content as a McDonald’s hamburger and under similar conditions, you’ll probably get the same results.”

Food blog A Hamburger Today did some rigorous experiments a while back which confirm that the phenomenon of undecayed burgers isn't unique to McDonald's. From AHT:

"Turns out that not only did the regular McDonald's burgers not rot, but the home-ground burgers did not rot either . Samples one through five had shrunk a bit (especially the beef patties), but they showed no signs of decomposition."

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McDonald's Has This to Say About Its Burger Not Decomposing After 20+ Years

Since January, two instances of people saving McDonald's burgers from the 1990s went viral on the internet because the 20-year-old foods had yet to decompose or decay in any kind of way. In response, McDonald's has issued a statement to the most recent allegations that its food withstands the test of time in an alarming way. And we have to admit, the fast-food giant's reasoning is a bit underwhelming .

"In order to decompose, you need certain conditions—specifically moisture. Without sufficient moisture—either in the food itself or the environment—bacteria and mold may not grow and therefore, decomposition is unlikely," McDonald's wrote in a media statement on Monday.

The response comes after TikTok user @aly.sherb posted a video of her grandmother pulling out a 24-year-old hamburger from a shoebox that she kept stashed away in her closet. In the video, she takes the burger out of its original wrapping—showing a few different angles of it—and you can see that there is no visible indication that the burger (or the fries she also kept) rotted or attracted any mold.

Rest assured, McDonald's has responded with this argument, which continues: "So if food is or becomes dry enough, it is unlikely to grow mold or bacteria or decompose. Food prepared at home that is left to dehydrate could see similar results. Look closely, the burgers you are seeing are likely dried out and dehydrated, and by no means 'the same as the day they were purchased." (Related: This Is Why You Should Never Order a Sundae From McDonald's ).

We have a lot of questions and, unfortunately, we may never get the real answer—especially after this last claim: "The reality is that our burgers are made only with 100% USDA inspected beef. There are no preservatives or fillers in our patties and the only thing ever added is a touch of salt and pepper on the grill," McDonald's wrote.

For more, check out the 108 Most Popular Sodas Ranked by How Toxic They Are .

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McDonald's burger and fries show no sign of rot after 6 years

We're all getting older, but some of us show the years more than others.

Then again, some — like a 6-year-old McDonald's combo that's gone viral — don't show the passing of time at all!

In October 2009, McDonald's was shuttering its restaurants in Iceland as a result of the worldwide economic crash.

On Oct. 30, anthropologist Hjörtur Smárason stopped by the fast food chain just before it closed its doors for one last meal. But he never meant to eat it.

MORE: McDonald's 'smart' menus will recommend food based on the weather

Instead, Smárason stashed the cheeseburger and fries away to see what would happen as time ticked by.

After three years, he took a peek. To his surprise, the meal looked as fresh as the day he bought it.

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Now, the not-so-happy meal has a permanent home in Reykjavik's Bus Hostel, where a live cam makes it possible for anyone anywhere to watch it not decay.

It's billed as "The Last McDonald's Cheeseburger sold in Iceland."

But the display has led many to wonder what's really behind the burger and fries that time forgot. Super preservatives? Stored in a cold climate? A mold-free strain of meat?

None of the above, according to McDonald's.

https://www.instagram.com/p/5hlDcXDYyP

A post on the company's site titled "Response to the myth that McDonald's burgers don't decompose" said: "In order to decompose, you need certain conditions – specifically moisture. Without sufficient moisture — either in the food itself or the environment — bacteria and mold may not grow and therefore, decomposition is unlikely.

"So if food is or becomes dry enough, it is unlikely to grow mold or bacteria or decompose."

And McDonald's says a burger cooked on your own grill could look just as fresh later.

"Food prepared at home that is left to dehydrate could see similar results," the company said.

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All-american burger experiment: what happens to your best fast food burger when left in a jar for 30 days.

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Chances are most of us have succumbed to the mouth-watering allure of meaty fast food burgers more times than we’re proud of. We have sacrificed nutritional value — and our waistlines — for the affordability, availability, and convenience of America’s fast food chains. As the fast food giant McDonald’s launched its “ Our Food. Your Questions ” campaign earlier this week, BuzzFeedBlue conducted the all-American burger experiment in the YouTube video “How Fast Do Burgers Age?”

Seven burgers from seven different fast food chains, including McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, Carl's Jr., Jack in the Box, In-N-Out, and Umami Burger were each placed into their own glass jar for a month. BuzzFeed expected to see what commonly happens to food that’s left unrefrigerated for 30 days — to look unappetizing with mold. In reality, all burgers should look unpleasant and unable to be stomached after a month because it is a natural process of decomposition.

All of the fast food burgers, minus one, were covered in mold after 30 days. From Wendy’s to In-N-Out, mold could be spotted on the surface of the food with gray fur, fuzzy green dots, and even white dust on the cheese. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), when a food shows heavy mold growth, “root” threads have invaded it deeply. This can increase the possibility of poisonous substances contained in and around these threads that could spread throughout the food.

The McDonald’s cheeseburger was the only one from the seven fast food giants that did not change in its physical appearance. There was no mold, no rot, or anything. The burger looks the same on day 30 as it did on day one. McDonald’s burgers seem to be immune to the natural aging process of foods, but why?

On McDonald’s Canada website , Laura B asked: “How is it that a McDonald’s burger does not rot?” Dr. Keith Warriner , program director at the University of Guelph's Department of Food Science and Quality Assurance suggests the burgers do not rot because they are laden with chemicals.

“In the example of a McDonald’s hamburger, the patty loses water in the form of steam during the cooking process. The bun, of course, is made out of bread. Toasting it reduces the amount of moisture. This means that after preparation, the hamburger is fairly dry. When left out open in the room, there is further water loss as the humidity within most buildings is around 40 percent.” The burger simply dries out and does not rot since there is a lack of moisture or high humidity.

Interestingly, the other burgers undergo the same cooking process, so why did they decay so much more than the McDonald’s hamburger patty? Melanie Warner, author of the book Pandora's Lunchbox: How Processed Foods Took Over the American Meal , conducted several food experiments earlier this year and found some other fast foods like chicken sandwiches and American cheese can pass the mold-free test. These items are small in size and have a relatively large surface area, which helps it lose moisture very fast.

Standing the test of time in this case is not a necessarily a good thing.

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Not so fast food! McDonald’s burger didn’t decompose after 24 years in storage

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Ever wondered what a hamburger would look like two decades on? Well, not very different at all, it turns out – according to an American woman who kept a McDonald’s burger and chips in a box for 24 years and shared the shocking results online. 

TikTok (where else?) user Aly Sherb posted the video showing the grand unveiling of the burger and chips, both bought back in 1996, and kept in their original packaging inside a shoebox. 

‘The fries look like they maybe could’ve fallen under your seat a month or so ago,’ she said. As for the burger: ‘The bread never moulded, the meat never rotted and it has never even broken; it’s completely intact.’ 

Horrifyingly, both looked like they’d been bought that same day, leaving fans of the fast food chain despairing over the preservatives and chemicals that must have stopped the decay. 

McDonald’s has since responded to the video, stating that: ‘in the right environment, our burgers, like most other foods, could decompose.’ 

However, they added: ‘Without sufficient moisture – either in the food itself or the environment – bacteria and mould may not grow and therefore decomposition is unlikely… Food prepared at home that is left to dehydrate could see similar results. Look closely, the burgers you are seeing are likely dried out and dehydrated.’ 

To credit the chain, the viral video – which has been liked over half a million times – doesn’t actually show anyone eating the burger, and it does look dry and cardboard-like. The hamburger hoarder herself admits: ‘I’m not sure what would happen if you ate it.’ 

For many people, however, the appearance is enough to put them off fast food for life. We’d just love to know what it looks like in another 20 years’ time… or even 200… 

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