# New cheeseburger urban myth? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 13, 2010, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cheeseburger-urban-myth/535930 "2010-04-13T06:30:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cheeseburger-urban-myth/535930/1 "2010-04-13T06:30:00Z")
I put the question mark in the title because although I suspect that something is not on the up-and-up, I don’t yet have anything to point at and go “well that’s not right”. [This “experiment”](http://www.snack-girl.com/cheeseburger-watch/) has been making the rounds on the internet, and I just can’t believe this is real, or that the person who posted it could be so stupid as to say that > [@](#): > > Why didn’t the McDonald’s cheeseburger rot? > > My answer is simple. It isn’t food. In all the pics, it does seem to be the same cheeseburger (note the folds on the top bun), but we have to take **Snack Girl** at her word about the time passed between pics. Tomorrow I plan on purchasing a McDonald’s cheeseburger and putting it in a ziploc bag. I’ll take pics every day, and I suspect that after 11 days it’s gonna look pretty gnarly, let alone after 28 days. I think that Snopes will eventually have an article on this, but can Dopers discern anything weird here? Or is this one gonna be on Snopes with a tagline of “true”? ETA: as a vegetarian, I haven’t purchased anything at McDonald’s since the whole beef-powder-on-fries thing came to light back in the early 1990s, so I don’t have an ounce of interest in defending Mickey D’s. I’m just curious to know if the whole “experiment” was a sham of some kind. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cheeseburger-urban-myth/535930/2 "2010-04-13T06:57:20Z")
Go watch _Supersize Me_ and report back. ---
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cheeseburger-urban-myth/535930/3 "2010-04-13T07:04:25Z")
I remember seeing some commentary on this. Here is a [site](http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2008/09/12-year-old-mcdonalds-hamburger-still-looking-good.html) that claims a 12 year old McDonald’s hamburger. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cheeseburger-urban-myth/535930/4 "2010-04-13T07:08:26Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Tomorrow I plan on purchasing a McDonald’s cheeseburger and putting it in a ziploc bag. I’ll take pics every day, and I suspect that after 11 days it’s gonna look pretty gnarly, let alone after 28 days. Sure it will. The one in the linked blog didn’t decay because it was (as far as I can tell) left unwrapped on a shelf - it just dried out before anything else could happen. If we accept that ‘it isn’t food’ on this basis, we must also conclude that beef jerky, salami, serrano ham, biltong, etc are also ‘not food’. ---
**Author:** ![Dahnlor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dahnlor/32/533_2.png) [@Dahnlor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dahnlor)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cheeseburger-urban-myth/535930/5 "2010-04-13T07:19:38Z")
The key difference in the comparisons appears to be the bread. The moldy “cheeseburgers” appear to have regular slices of bread, which have a tendency to get moldy really easily. Moldy bread = moldy everything else in the sandwich. I’m sure that the McDonald’s burger buns (and other ingredients) have plenty of preservatives, so no mold grows. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cheeseburger-urban-myth/535930/6 "2010-04-13T07:24:27Z")
They also have a smooth crust, which is probably mechanically resistant to the growth of mould - at least for long enough to allow the bun underneath to dessicate completely. Plus McD’s bread is really fluffy and insubstantial white bread - I bet it dried to a rusk in less than 48 hours. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cheeseburger-urban-myth/535930/7 "2010-04-13T07:34:42Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Sure it will. The one in the linked blog didn’t decay because it was (as far as I can tell) left unwrapped on a shelf - it just dried out before anything else could happen. > > If we accept that ‘it isn’t food’ on this basis, we must also conclude that beef jerky, salami, serrano ham, biltong, etc are also ‘not food’. The site specifically claims that the cheeseburger was in a ziploc baggie. > [@](#): > > After 11 days of sitting at room temperature in a Ziploc bag, this is the photo of the 2 burgers. Obviously, the one on the right is the homemade burger and the one on the left is the McDonald’s cheeseburger. The website doesn’t specify, but I will be generous and assume the bag was closed. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cheeseburger-urban-myth/535930/8 "2010-04-13T07:38:28Z")
Something seems wrong with that claim. If it was in a sealed ziploc, how did it dry out? Where did the moisture go? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cheeseburger-urban-myth/535930/9 "2010-04-13T07:43:34Z")
Just re-reading the blog - the first one she did wasn’t sealed in a bag - the second one (with the ‘control’) is - but the last post is only 11 days into the experiment. I’ll be interested to see if the results are different, but I still think people are jumping to wildly inaccurate conclusions over it. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cheeseburger-urban-myth/535930/10 "2010-04-13T07:44:32Z")
> [@Dahnlor](#): > > The key difference in the comparisons appears to be the bread. The moldy “cheeseburgers” appear to have regular slices of bread, which have a tendency to get moldy really easily. Moldy bread = moldy everything else in the sandwich. I’m sure that the McDonald’s burger buns (and other ingredients) have plenty of preservatives, so no mold grows. **Snack Girl** lists the McD’s ingredients, saying they are taken from the McD’s website. > [@](#): > > Here is the ingredients of the cheeseburger via McDonald’s website: > > Cheeseburger: > 100% Beef Patty, Regular Bun, Pasteurized Process American Cheese, Ketchup, Mustard, Pickle Slices, Onions > > 100% Beef Patty: > 100% pure USDA inspected beef; no fillers, no extenders. Prepared with grill seasoning (salt, black pepper). > > Regular Bun: > Enriched flour (bleached wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid, enzymes), water, high fructose corn syrup, sugar, yeast, soybean oil and/or partially hydrogenated soybean oil, contains 2% or less of the following: salt, calcium sulfate, calcium carbonate, wheat gluten, ammonium sulfate, ammonium chloride, dough conditioners (sodium stearoyl lactylate, datem, ascorbic acid, azodicarbonamide, mono- and diglycerides, ethoxylated monoglycerides, monocalcium phosphate, enzymes, guar gum, calcium peroxide, soy flour), calcium propionate and sodium propionate (preservatives), soy lecithin. > > Pasteurized Process American Cheese: > Milk, water, milkfat, cheese culture, sodium citrate, salt, citric acid, sorbic acid (preservative), sodium phosphate, artificial color, lactic acid, acetic acid, enzymes, soy lecithin (added for slice separation). > > Ketchup: > Tomato concentrate from red ripe tomatoes, distilled vinegar, high fructose corn syrup, water, corn syrup, salt, natural flavors (vegetable source). > > Mustard: > Distilled vinegar, water, mustard seed, salt, turmeric, paprika, spice extractive. > > Pickle Slices: > Cucumbers, water, distilled vinegar, salt, calcium chloride, alum, potassium sorbate (preservative), natural flavors (plant source), polysorbate 80, extractives of turmeric (color). > > Onions: > Chopped onions. [url=]Here are the ingredients in Wonder Bread: > [@](#): > > Made with Enriched Wheat Flour (Flour, Flour, Barley Malt, Ferrous Sulfate (Iron)B Vitamins (Niacin, Thiamine, Mononitrate (B1)Riboflavin (B2)Folic Acid)Water, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Potato Flour, Yeast, Buttermilk. contains 2% or less of: Wheat Gluten, Dough Conditioners (Potassium Bromate, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Alpha Amylase)Soy Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Monoglycerides, Monocalcium Phosphate, Calcium Sulfate, Calcium Propionate (to retain freshness) Not much different from the McD’s bun, and I know that Wonder Bread will mold over in a short time, depending on locale (in Florida bread can grow mold in hours; out here in the desert it can take days or weeks). ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cheeseburger-urban-myth/535930/11 "2010-04-13T07:49:05Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Just re-reading the blog - the first one she did wasn’t sealed in a bag - the second one (with the ‘control’) is - but the last post is only 11 days into the experiment. I’ll be interested to see if the results are different, but I still think people are jumping to wildly inaccurate conclusions over it. Thanks for pointing this out. I admit I missed that there were 2 different experiments; I was initially linked to the “Day 11” page, which was from Exp #2. Exp #1 featured the dried out burger. Good catch, **Mangetout**. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cheeseburger-urban-myth/535930/12 "2010-04-13T08:17:32Z")
Maybe the burger in the second experiment will also turn out to be unreasonably durable - but even if it does, the whole ‘not food’ thing can’t be right - If McD’s food is not digestible, people who eat there habitually should be losing weight. I’m at least reasonably certain that isn’t happening. ---
**Author:** ![runcible\_spoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9fc29f/32.png) [@runcible\_spoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/runcible_spoon)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cheeseburger-urban-myth/535930/13 "2010-04-13T08:35:12Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Maybe the burger in the second experiment will also turn out to be unreasonably durable - but even if it does, the whole ‘not food’ thing can’t be right - If McD’s food is not digestible, people who eat there habitually should be losing weight. I’m at least reasonably certain that isn’t happening. Nah, you’re taking the ‘not food’ comment too literally - the claim is not that McDonalds is not food in a nutritional sense, but that it’s made out of chemicals, when everyone knows ‘real food’ is made out of sunshine and happiness. Chemicals are bad, man, baaaaaad. Not that I’m cynical or anything. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cheeseburger-urban-myth/535930/14 "2010-04-13T08:38:40Z")
> [@runcible\_spoon](#): > > Nah, you’re taking the ‘not food’ comment too literally - the claim is not that McDonalds is not food in a nutritional sense, but that it’s made out of chemicals, when everyone knows ‘real food’ is made out of sunshine and happiness. Chemicals are bad, man, baaaaaad. > > Not that I’m cynical or anything. It’s FRANKENFOOD, man! ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cheeseburger-urban-myth/535930/15 "2010-04-13T12:18:47Z")
> [@runcible\_spoon](#): > > Nah, you’re taking the ‘not food’ comment too literally - the claim is not that McDonalds is not food in a nutritional sense, but that it’s made out of chemicals, when everyone knows ‘real food’ is made out of sunshine and happiness. Chemicals are bad, man, baaaaaad. > > Not that I’m cynical or anything. Maybe - on re-reading it, ([this](http://www.snack-girl.com/snack/cheeseburger-take-2-day-11/)post), it’s pretty clear she just doesn’t have a very firm grasp of the processes of human digestion, in comparison to natural decay of things exposed to a bit of air. ---
**Author:** ![Random\_Design](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/58f4c7/32.png) [@Random\_Design](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Random_Design)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cheeseburger-urban-myth/535930/16 "2010-04-13T12:20:39Z")
So the exposition is that McDs put a crapload of preservatives in their food which results in the food maintaining appearance for extended periods of time. Tomorrow let’s investigate rumours that McDs adds sweetener to softdrinks. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cheeseburger-urban-myth/535930/17 "2010-04-13T12:37:51Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Maybe - on re-reading it, ([this](http://www.snack-girl.com/snack/cheeseburger-take-2-day-11/)post), it’s pretty clear she just doesn’t have a very firm grasp of the processes of human digestion, in comparison to natural decay of things exposed to a bit of air. **Snack Girl** is actually 2 people (or one family): > [@](#): > > Lisa Cain, Ph.D., is an avid snacker, foodie, published author, and mother of 2. An evolutionary biologist by training, she has become obsessed with how food contributes to our overall health. > [@](#): > > Matt Cain is an Australian, home chef, father of 2, and software engineer. His family raised him with very little packaged food. They have a lovely vegetable garden, and eat tons of fresh fruits and vegetables. Matt’s favorite snack is potato chips. He believes that with a little preparation, great food can be yours. DISCLAIMER: I was linked to this site by the same person who thought she was doing me a big favor by referring me to the “work” of [Dr. Weston A. Price](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=552661). I find his claims and the claims of his supporters to be dubious at best, and I found this on the **Snack Girl** site: > [@](#): > > For example, she is fascinated with the fact that Americans in the 1950’s weighed on average MUCH less than they do now. Obviously the root cause of the epidemic is what we eat, and she wants to help people make better decisions about what they eat. > > **She believes that the study of nutrition is overrated and that we should eat as our ancestors did**. Since our ancestors didn’t have convenience stores and Starbucks, she decided to write about snacks to help people understand how to decipher food marketing messages. So I note that **SG** has an admitted bias and agenda, and that is prolly what is driving my suspicion that things here are not all above board. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cheeseburger-urban-myth/535930/18 "2010-04-13T12:40:19Z")
> [@Random\_Design](#): > > So the exposition is that McDs put a crapload of preservatives in their food which results in the food maintaining appearance for extended periods of time. > > Tomorrow let’s investigate rumours that McDs adds sweetener to softdrinks. > :rolleyes: #1 - from the list of ingredients, it doesn’t look like McD’s adds preservatives to their food, at least not any more so than other food manufacturers. #2 - McD’s doesn’t add sweetener to soft drinks; they come that way from Coca-Cola. If McD’s were adding sweetener to already-sweetened soft drinks, that would indeed be a scandal. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cheeseburger-urban-myth/535930/19 "2010-04-13T12:55:40Z")
[QUOTE=Snack Girl website] She believes that the study of nutrition is overrated and that we should eat as our ancestors did. [/QUOTE] But what if you come from a long line of cheeseburger lovers? ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cheeseburger-urban-myth/535930/20 "2010-04-13T12:57:10Z")
> [@](#): > > She believes that the study of nutrition is overrated and that we should eat as our ancestors did …when the average life expectancy was half what it is today, presumably? All this “everyone was so much healthier in the old days when everything was natural” bullshit really annoys me. People in the “old days” suffered from numerous vitamin deficiencies, often had stunted growth and led fairly miserable and short lives. People nowadays, assuming they have a modicum of self-control and can avoid stuffing fast food into their mouths 24-7 and consequently resembling human cattle, have never had it so good. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-cheeseburger-urban-myth/535930.md?page=2)