# Does McDonalds really use zero additives and fillers? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 13, 2011, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-mcdonalds-really-use-zero-additives-and-fillers/596138 "2011-09-13T04:34:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2011, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-mcdonalds-really-use-zero-additives-and-fillers/596138/21 "2011-09-13T16:15:46Z")
The “trans-fat” is usually the oil they use to deep-fry. They do not need to add fat/grease/transfat to burgers. Or, they use vegetable oil but they coat their fries with a light coat of beef tallow (source of a shake-down lawsuit by some vegetarians a few years ago). Plus, IIRC, cow fat is high in transfat. The healthy stuff usually comes from expensive vegetable sources. Yeah, there seems to be some determination to believe the urban legend that McD’s stuff is not 100% beef. Hey, they use real beef, they are one of the largest buyers of beef in N. America, there is no need to cut corners on beef. A patty is IIRC 1/10lb, so selling you a burger for even a dollar probably means a significant markup even if it is real beef. Even at retail prices they would make a killing. The patties are plopped out and frozen by the millions, so there are huge economies of scale. The only “gotcha” loophole is that you can add stuff like salt or pepper or seasoning and it still can be called 100% beef. I don’t see this as deceptive; the amount of seasoning you add is miniscule compared to the volume of beef. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2011, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-mcdonalds-really-use-zero-additives-and-fillers/596138/22 "2011-09-13T17:33:13Z")
I think people just underestimate how big a variation there is in the taste of beef. I know I did until I tasted an Angus burger. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2011, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-mcdonalds-really-use-zero-additives-and-fillers/596138/23 "2011-09-13T21:13:51Z")
> [@AaronX](#): > > Their poster here: [https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-42UWI6PBf0I/Tm7cOUMtdAI/AAAAAAAAz7g/tVvJ1KKdMxs/s800/photo.JPG](https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-42UWI6PBf0I/Tm7cOUMtdAI/AAAAAAAAz7g/tVvJ1KKdMxs/s800/photo.JPG) > > It says, “we use nothing other than 100% beef with zero additives and fillers. All that we add? A small pinch of salt and pepper for taste.” > > Is this possible? Is cooking this easy? … Yes. Yes, it really is. What did you _think_ cooking meant? > [@AaronX](#): > > I’m very wary of food terminology after learning Snapple’s apple juice “drink” doesn’t contain apple juice, and this is allowed because it’s a “juice drink”, not “juice” [http://www.omg-facts.com/view/Facts/42968](http://www.omg-facts.com/view/Facts/42968) Keep in mind that, because it’s legal terminology, food terms have very precisely-defined boundaries. “Drink” does not mean juice because, well, only “juice” means “juice.” You _associate_ the term “drink” with juice but it’s just that - a mental association you’ve formed. They exploit that, but really, that’s the whole purpose of marketing. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-mcdonalds-really-use-zero-additives-and-fillers/596138/24 "2011-09-14T00:03:25Z")
No need to assume they make money on burgers. The margins might be slim to non-existent on burgers. Cooking hamburgers is about simplicity and fat: Griddle, salt/pepper /end. Everything else adds cost, time and detracts from taste. Most chefs who cook fancy burgers and home-style food would never cook a burger on a flame/grill setup, because you the fat drips away. . ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-mcdonalds-really-use-zero-additives-and-fillers/596138/25 "2011-09-14T00:21:19Z")
> [@Reverend\_Meade](#): > > Why would they? Additives cost money. This line of logic makes no sense. Silver costs money. If I replace gold with silver, am I adding to my cost? No, because gold _also_ costs money, and more importantly it costs _more_ money than silver, to create the same volume. Just the same, if some stale bread costs 10 cents a pound and a pound of meat costs 20 cents a pound, then if I replace 1/10th of my meat with bread (ground in), then I’m saving 5% of my overhead. ---
**Author:** ![pope\_hentai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@pope\_hentai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pope_hentai)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-mcdonalds-really-use-zero-additives-and-fillers/596138/26 "2011-09-14T00:31:43Z")
the cooking method can also make things taste different. A restaurant i work at used to cook full sized burgers and smaller sized “shooter” the burgers were grilled, and the “shooters” were cooked in a clamshell grill. though they came from the same beef, there was a definite difference in taste so much so that they’ve recently abandoned the clamshell grills entirely. ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-mcdonalds-really-use-zero-additives-and-fillers/596138/27 "2011-09-14T00:48:33Z")
> [@md2000](#): > > The “trans-fat” is usually the oil they use to deep-fry. They do not need to add fat/grease/transfat to burgers. Or, they use vegetable oil but they coat their fries with a light coat of beef tallow (source of a shake-down lawsuit by some vegetarians a few years ago). > > Plus, IIRC, cow fat is high in transfat. The healthy stuff usually comes from expensive vegetable sources. This is wrong. Trans-fat is an entirely unnatural byproduct from the hydrogenation of unsaturated fats usually found in vegetable oil. I doubt that any burger joint would add hydrogenated vegetable oil to burgers because burger meat has a short shelf life, and one of the advantages of hydrogenated oil is a longer shelf-life. If one is going to add fat to a burger, you may as well add cheaper lard. Better yet, add beef tallow and then you get to claim you have an all beef patty. ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-mcdonalds-really-use-zero-additives-and-fillers/596138/28 "2011-09-14T00:57:19Z")
From experience, I can say that the two biggest differentiators between McDonald’s burgers and “normal” burgers is the concentration of black pepper and how thin they are. If you fry up incredibly thin burgers with a bit more salt and black pepper than you think is sensible, they taste a lot like McDonald’s. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-mcdonalds-really-use-zero-additives-and-fillers/596138/29 "2011-09-14T01:13:29Z")
as far as burgers go, there are two styles- 1. the thin, seasoned, well-done patty. Meaning most fast food chains like McPuke’s, Booger King, Spendy’s, In-n-out, etc. 2. the thick, lightly seasoned, cooked-to-order patty. meaning most locals, smaller chains, and what you cook on your own grill. both can be good. just depends on what you’re in the mood for. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-mcdonalds-really-use-zero-additives-and-fillers/596138/30 "2011-09-14T02:20:32Z")
How does mcd’s make a burger patty without a binder (egg, cornmeal, etc) ? Wouldn’t such a burger fall apart during cooking? ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-mcdonalds-really-use-zero-additives-and-fillers/596138/31 "2011-09-14T02:33:04Z")
> [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](#): > > How does mcd’s make a burger patty without a binder (egg, cornmeal, etc) ? Wouldn’t such a burger fall apart during cooking? Doesn’t seem to when I make a hamburger at home with no additives, even when I use super lean (93/7) ground beef. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-mcdonalds-really-use-zero-additives-and-fillers/596138/32 "2011-09-14T02:34:24Z")
> [@WarmNPrickly](#): > > This is wrong. Trans-fat is an entirely unnatural byproduct from the hydrogenation of unsaturated fats usually found in vegetable oil. I doubt that any burger joint would add hydrogenated vegetable oil to burgers because burger meat has a short shelf life, and one of the advantages of hydrogenated oil is a longer shelf-life. If one is going to add fat to a burger, you may as well add cheaper lard. Better yet, add beef tallow and then you get to claim you have an all beef patty. Not true. Trans fats are found naturally, just at low percentages. Beef is a source. > **[Trans fat | Presence in food](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans_fat#Presence_in_food)** > > Trans fatty acids (TFAs) occur in small amounts in meat and milk of ruminants (such as cattle and sheep), typically 2–5% of total fat. Natural TFAs, which include conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and vaccenic acid, originate in the rumen of these animals. CLA has two double bonds, one in the cis configuration and one in trans, which makes it simultaneously a cis- and a trans-fatty acid. > A type of trans fat occurs naturally in the milk and body fat of ruminants (such as cattle and sh The US National... ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-mcdonalds-really-use-zero-additives-and-fillers/596138/33 "2011-09-14T02:41:11Z")
> [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](#): > > How does mcd’s make a burger patty without a binder (egg, cornmeal, etc) ? Wouldn’t such a burger fall apart during cooking? I’ve never needed any binder when making hamburgers at home. I don’t think they would need anything. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-mcdonalds-really-use-zero-additives-and-fillers/596138/34 "2011-09-14T02:46:18Z")
> [@anson2995](#): > > … > They use only only forequarter and flank cuts. Interesting. These are the cuts that are standard to kasher. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-mcdonalds-really-use-zero-additives-and-fillers/596138/35 "2011-09-14T03:07:19Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > Interesting. These are the cuts that are standard to kasher. I’d be inclined to think that’s why they use those cuts, but the almost ubiquitous presence of decidely non-kosher cheeseburgers would seem to refute that idea. Maybe it’s so Jews can order without cheese and still keep kosher, and McDonald’s doesn’t have any special kosher supply chain issues to deal with anywhere. ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-mcdonalds-really-use-zero-additives-and-fillers/596138/36 "2011-09-14T03:20:56Z")
Hmm so no loopholes? Maybe cooking is easier than I thought. I don’t have anything against McDonalds, in fact I like it more than I should, I was just wondering if they were getting away with anything. > [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > Keep in mind that, because it’s legal terminology, food terms have very precisely-defined boundaries. “Drink” does not mean juice because, well, only “juice” means “juice.” You _associate_ the term “drink” with juice but it’s just that - a mental association you’ve formed. They exploit that, but really, that’s the whole purpose of marketing. I don’t have issue with the drink part, only that adding it negates the “juice”. As long as juice is used, it should have juice inside. It’s like saying this is 100% pure wholesome premium stuff! Not. > [@md2000](#): > > Yeah, there seems to be some determination to believe the urban legend that McD’s stuff is not 100% beef. Hey, they use real beef, they are one of the largest buyers of beef in N. America, there is no need to cut corners on beef. A patty is IIRC 1/10lb, so selling you a burger for even a dollar probably means a significant markup even if it is real beef. Even at retail prices they would make a killing. The patties are plopped out and frozen by the millions, so there are huge economies of scale. Is their food more natural than everybody thinks? How did their burger last a year, then? > [@bump](#): > > That’s the real argument right there; generally speaking, adding additives and fillers both costs money to devise the additives, figure out how to add them, and then it incurs a cost every time you add the additive to the food. > > Plus, agricultural commodity items like bread, ground beef, potatoes, etc.. are about the cheapest things that you can buy; adding anything to them other than other commodity items such as salt would almost certainly raise the price. > > The only reason I can see for a huge chain like McDonalds to use additives would be if there was a serious consistency or shelf life issue to some ingredients that the cost of adding an additive would offset the lost sales or wastage. I know that chicken nuggets (maybe not McDonald’s) have additives to plump them up and absorb water. Aren’t there conventions for food additives manufacturers? That means someone must be using them, and it must be profitable to do so. ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-mcdonalds-really-use-zero-additives-and-fillers/596138/37 "2011-09-14T03:23:09Z")
Oh and I didn’t know the burgers didn’t earn much money. I always thought they can’t be earning much by giving me more fries and drink for only 50 cents. ---
**Author:** ![Reverend\_Meade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Reverend\_Meade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reverend_Meade)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-mcdonalds-really-use-zero-additives-and-fillers/596138/38 "2011-09-14T04:39:32Z")
> [@AaronX](#): > > Is their food more natural than everybody thinks? How did their burger last a year, then? It has been known for several thousand years that salt + meat + cool dry place (like an apartment shelf) = Preserved meat. Also bread will go stale and get moldy and potatoes will rot. Everything in that experiment behaved exactly like it was supposed to. > [@AaronX](#): > > Aren’t there conventions for food additives manufacturers? That means someone must be using them, and it must be profitable to do so. My understanding is that additives are focused more on retail food sales, where product apperance and shelf life are more important. ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-mcdonalds-really-use-zero-additives-and-fillers/596138/39 "2011-09-14T05:03:56Z")
> [@Reverend\_Meade](#): > > It has been known for several thousand years that salt + meat + cool dry place (like an apartment shelf) = Preserved meat. Also bread will go stale and get moldy and potatoes will rot. Everything in that experiment behaved exactly like it was supposed to. Did the bun and fries in the experiment spoil? I thought they were unchanged, like the burger. ---
**Author:** ![gatorslap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gatorslap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gatorslap)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-mcdonalds-really-use-zero-additives-and-fillers/596138/40 "2011-09-14T05:13:15Z")
I’m sure there are plenty of additives in stuff McDonald’s sells other than beef patties. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-mcdonalds-really-use-zero-additives-and-fillers/596138.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-mcdonalds-really-use-zero-additives-and-fillers/596138.md?page=3)