Two questions about McDonald's - (real food? burger meat?)

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  • lilyaqha
    lilyaqha Posts: 26 Member
    Hm..i'm confused. I went to the McDonald's website to get the ingredients in their hamburger patty. It now says 100% beef plus spices. Did that new law that says they don't have to list ingredients that equate to less than a certain percent of the actual food itself. They seem to be circumventing that, because the actual ingredient list I saw for just a burger patty included 15 different things.
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    Hm..i'm confused. I went to the McDonald's website to get the ingredients in their hamburger patty. It now says 100% beef plus spices. Did that new law that says they don't have to list ingredients that equate to less than a certain percent of the actual food itself. They seem to be circumventing that, because the actual ingredient list I saw for just a burger patty included 15 different things.

    No idea what ingredient list you're talking about. As far as I know, ground beef has been the sole ingredient in a McDonald's hamburger or quarter pounder patty for as long as I can remember.

    The Angus burgers had more ingredients. They added some other stuff to make it taste different and have a different texture. They don't have those anymore though.

    There is no law that lets you not list ingredients, no matter how small an amount you add.
  • lilyaqha
    lilyaqha Posts: 26 Member
    The beef is irradiated and can still be washed with ammonia. They have e coli issues, because of the sheer volume and how many hands the patty's go through to get to the consumer. They have to be sure there is no bacteria on the meat. They stopped using the pink slime, only because people found out about it.

    Who KNOWS what they do to their food. It's not about the food at McDonald's, it's about the money they MAKE on the food.

    Also, "beef" means any part of the flesh of a bovine. It can be ANYTHING. Notice they say "100 PURE Beef". Not Prime, Choice, Utility etc. They use the stupidity of the consumer to get around these things.

    Oh, and factory farming anyone? Corn fed beef/antibiotics? There's tons of really good reasons to NOT eat at McDonald's, but I would think the fact that they think their consumers are so ignorant would be the main one for me.
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    The beef is irradiated and can still be washed with ammonia. They have e coli issues, because of the sheer volume and how many hands the patty's go through to get to the consumer. They have to be sure there is no bacteria on the meat. They stopped using the pink slime, only because people found out about it.

    Who KNOWS what they do to their food. It's not about the food at McDonald's, it's about the money they MAKE on the food.

    Also, "beef" means any part of the flesh of a bovine. It can be ANYTHING. Notice they say "100 PURE Beef". Not Prime, Choice, Utility etc. They use the stupidity of the consumer to get around these things.

    Oh, and factory farming anyone? Corn fed beef/antibiotics? There's tons of really good reasons to NOT eat at McDonald's, but I would think the fact that they think their consumers are so ignorant would be the main one for me.

    What's wrong with washing with ammonia?

    Beef means beef. It's muscle tissue, end of story. Organs, lips, skin, hooves, etc are not beef. Not sure what point you're trying to make. The only thing in a McD's patty is cow muscle.
  • cmcollins001
    cmcollins001 Posts: 3,472 Member
    The beef is irradiated and can still be washed with ammonia. They have e coli issues, because of the sheer volume and how many hands the patty's go through to get to the consumer. They have to be sure there is no bacteria on the meat. They stopped using the pink slime, only because people found out about it.

    Who KNOWS what they do to their food. It's not about the food at McDonald's, it's about the money they MAKE on the food.

    Also, "beef" means any part of the flesh of a bovine. It can be ANYTHING. Notice they say "100 PURE Beef". Not Prime, Choice, Utility etc. They use the stupidity of the consumer to get around these things.

    Oh, and factory farming anyone? Corn fed beef/antibiotics? There's tons of really good reasons to NOT eat at McDonald's, but I would think the fact that they think their consumers are so ignorant would be the main one for me.

    What's wrong with washing with ammonia?

    Beef means beef. It's muscle tissue, end of story. Organs, lips, skin, hooves, etc are not beef. Not sure what point you're trying to make. The only thing in a McD's patty is cow muscle.

    "As of late last August, McDonald’s confirmed that it is no longer using pink slime in its burgers. In a statement on its website, Todd Bacon, the senior director of quality systems, wrote:

    "At the beginning of 2011, we made a decision to discontinue the use of ammonia-treated beef in our hamburgers. This product has been out of our supply chain since August of last year. This decision was a result of our efforts to align our global standards for how we source beef around the world.""
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    The beef is irradiated and can still be washed with ammonia. They have e coli issues, because of the sheer volume and how many hands the patty's go through to get to the consumer. They have to be sure there is no bacteria on the meat.

    e-coli from hands?? The hands are more likely to get e-coli from the beef.
  • cadaverousbones
    cadaverousbones Posts: 421 Member
    Beef is beef.. Just not the best quality of beef. as well as with the chicken etc. All fast food is this way.
  • lilyaqha
    lilyaqha Posts: 26 Member
    That's not how e coli is spread. Meat, if it hasn't been contaminated by fecal matter and has been kept at a temp below 37 f, will have very few e coli bacteria and is not likely to cause illness. MOST causes of e coli contamination..comes from workers who DO NOT WASH THEIR HANDS. So, they wipe their bum and pass the nasty onto unsuspecting customers.
  • lilyaqha
    lilyaqha Posts: 26 Member
    They stopped using pink slime, ONLY because the public found out about it.

    They stopped using the ammonia washed beef, ONLY because the public found out about it.

    I can't believe this does not bother people.

    Anyway, i'm off to lunch, I think i'm gonna get some Arby's. LOL!
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    in for mcdonalds coupons....

    anyone have any they can send me?

    I do, but I think they're only valid in Bahrain so you may not want them....
  • Bry_Fitness70
    Bry_Fitness70 Posts: 2,480 Member
    There is a McRib sandwich in my stomach that my body has been attempting to digest since 2002...
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    Cow muscle, includes the heart. "Beef" includes everything including the muscle, per the USDA. My reason for posting? Because of ignoramuses like you who don't know.

    Beef heart is considered organ meat and cannot be sold as "beef" or included in ground beef.

    "Beef" is skeletal muscle only. The heart is cardiac muscle.

    So, what were you calling me again?
  • Lleldiranne
    Lleldiranne Posts: 5,516 Member
    If you believe it is not real food, then what is it?

    If you believe that their burgers are not made of actual meat, then what is it?

    it's... people!

    tumblr_m5ucahDKOi1rohz9zo1_500.jpg


    Wow, it only took until page 3 to get to this. :laugh:

    This was my first thought … watch out when McD rolls out anything GREEN
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    In to find out how many are photonic beings who don't eat any chemicals.

    ^^^ THIS

    Homo erectus ate food that was made of chemicals. So did Homo habilis and australopithecines and all our other evolutionary ancestors.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,993 Member
    Is the McFlurry "white slime"? If it is, then where can I buy my own?

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    Cow muscle, includes the heart. "Beef" includes everything including the muscle, per the USDA. My reason for posting? Because of ignoramuses like you who don't know.

    Beef heart is considered organ meat and cannot be sold as "beef" or included in ground beef.

    "Beef" is skeletal muscle only. The heart is cardiac muscle.

    So, what were you calling me again?

    mmmmmmmmm stuffed heart

    actually I've never eaten stuffed heart. But it sounds rather nice. Maybe I should stuff it with liver.
  • kckBxer396
    kckBxer396 Posts: 460 Member
    According to the "What's really in a fast food hamburger" section of the 2011 edition of Eat This Not That, McDonald's burgers are made of slaughterhouse trimmings that are traditionally used in pet food. A company "cleans" the meat of E coli and salmonella by "forcing it through pipes and exposing it to ammonia gas". Apparently, they are only required to inform you that it is a "processing agent".
    For anyone interested in reading it, it's on page 18. Do I live by these books? No,but I definitely find them interesting.

    (If this has already been said, I didn't read all 6 pages of this post...I just skipped around a little and decided to give my input)...and as soon as I hit edit, I realize someone has already said it. haha
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    McDonald's burgers are made of slaughterhouse trimmings that are traditionally used in pet food. A company "cleans" the meat of E coli and salmonella by "forcing it through pipes and exposing it to ammonia gas". Apparently, they are only required to inform you that it is a "processing agent".
    For anyone interested in reading it, it's on page 18. Do I live by these books? No,but I definitely find them interesting.

    (If this has already been said, I didn't read all 6 pages of this post...I just skipped around a little and decided to give my input)...and as soon as I hit edit, I realize someone has already said it. haha

    You are describing pink slime, which made up a part of the ground beef McD's used to use in their patties. They don't use it anymore.

    And on top of that, despite how scary it sounds, it's 100% safe and nutritionally equivalent to the rest of the beef, though perhaps not as tasty. It's just the last bits of meat from off the bone that gets cleaned with ammonia (a totally normal process that is used on a lot of food, even stuff considered "clean").

    I strongly suggest you read this article before you think ammonia cleaning is somehow bad, or that pink slime is a health hazard: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/04/us-food-ammonia-idUSBRE8331B420120404
  • SailorKnightWing
    SailorKnightWing Posts: 875 Member
    At the time David Zinczenko was writing that book, it was true. It hasn't been true for a year and a half.

    http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/01/31/10282876-mcdonalds-drops-use-of-gooey-ammonia-based-pink-slime-in-hamburger-meat?lite
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    Cow muscle, includes the heart. "Beef" includes everything including the muscle, per the USDA. My reason for posting? Because of ignoramuses like you who don't know.

    Interesting.

    Wrong...

    ...but still interesting.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    Would wizards conjuring the burgers make them less real? Presumably they'd incorporate the elements of "actual meat" in a fashion to make said burgers chemically indistinguishable, unless they were poor magicians.

    OMG! Come ON! Everyone knows that one of the basic laws of wizardry is THEY CANNOT CONJURE FOOD! Am I the only one who paid attention at Hogwarts?
  • BeachIron
    BeachIron Posts: 6,490 Member
    At the time David Zinczenko was writing that book, it was true. It hasn't been true for a year and a half.

    http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/01/31/10282876-mcdonalds-drops-use-of-gooey-ammonia-based-pink-slime-in-hamburger-meat?lite

    Americans have become way too precious about the part of the animals we eat. It's a horrible waste and this was a good attempt at rectifying that. Unfortunately, the press coined the word "pink slime" and a smear job was in the making and presented for the consumption of a largely ignorant public. Meanwhile, the rest of the world eats organ meat, cartilage, etc. and consider them delicacies while a good number of people here turn their noses up to it, but munch sausage and hot dogs none the wiser.
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    At the time David Zinczenko was writing that book, it was true. It hasn't been true for a year and a half.

    http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/01/31/10282876-mcdonalds-drops-use-of-gooey-ammonia-based-pink-slime-in-hamburger-meat?lite

    Americans have become way too precious about the part of the animals we eat. It's a horrible waste and this was a good attempt at rectifying that. Unfortunately, the press coined the word "pink slime" and a smear job was in the making and presented for the consumption of a largely ignorant public. Meanwhile, the rest of the world eats organ meat, cartilage, etc. and consider them delicacies while a good number of people here turn their noses up to it, but munch sausage and hot dogs none the wiser.

    Totally agree. Finely textured beef is a safe, nutritionally worthwhile food. It looks funny and you can throw around "ammonia" like some scare word along with it and attach it to McDonald's and it's suddenly horrible.
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    The beef is irradiated and can still be washed with ammonia. They have e coli issues, because of the sheer volume and how many hands the patty's go through to get to the consumer. They have to be sure there is no bacteria on the meat.

    e-coli from hands?? The hands are more likely to get e-coli from the beef.

    there are strains of e-coli that live in peoples' guts. they get on the beef when people don't wash their hands carefully after using the toilet. Sometimes it can come from the cow itself. But usually it's from human contamination. That's why people who handle food should wear gloves, hair nets and be meticulous about personal hygiene.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    If you believe it is not real food, then what is it?

    If you believe that their burgers are not made of actual meat, then what is it?

    IDK what it is, but it sure is nasty compared to Steak N Shake or an Arby's hot roasted beef with melted cheddar and 3 pepper sauce!
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    I think of it as "emergency food." Something to eat when we're driving a long distance and have the dog with us, so we can't stop for a sit-down meal. Or something to get when everything else is closed. It's not something I ever crave or go out of my way to eat.

    As a kid, I thought of it as a special treat, but I can make a much tastier burger at home for less money. I do rather like Dairy Queen burgers, though. They're closer to what I expect a hamburger to taste like.

    Yes! Thanks for the reminder. I forgot about DQ (How could I?) Dairy Queen Mushroom and Swiss burgers with fried mushrooms on the side and a Peanut Buster Parfait for dessert. Not *that's* a meal. I agree that McD's is only for those times when I'm starving and there is no other option. And even then, I get the chicken, not the burger.
  • JingleMuffin
    JingleMuffin Posts: 543 Member
    Burger:
    100% Beef Patty:Ingredients: 100% pure USDA inspected beef; no fillers, no extenders. Prepared with grill seasoning (salt, black pepper). also the cows arent us cows any more.. their from south america right now (they are cheaper there)

    Thankfully, McDonald’s and several other chains recently stopped using the “pink slime” in their beef. But the vast majority of fast food beef comes from CAFO (concentrated agricultural feeding operation) cows. Not only is this horrible for the animals and the environment, but eating meat from sick animals will only make you sick. Eat a McDonald’s hamburger and you might be getting a mouth full of antibiotics, hormones, and dangerous bacteria.

    Regular Bun:Ingredients: Enriched flour (bleached wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), water, high fructose corn syrup and/or sugar, yeast, soybean oil and/or canola oil, contains 2% or less of the following: salt, wheat gluten, calcium sulfate, calcium carbonate, ammonium sulfate, ammonium chloride, dough conditioners (may contain one or more of the following: sodium stearoyl lactylate, datem, ascorbic acid, azodicarbonamide, mono- and diglycerides, ethoxylated monoglycerides, monocalcium phosphate, enzymes, guar gum, calcium peroxide), sorbic acid, calcium propionate and/or sodium propionate (preservatives), soy lecithin.

    Oh boy. Where do I start? How about we just look at the length of this ingredient list. All of this for a bun? Did you know you can make your own bread using just flour, salt, and water? Seriously. The extra 20 – 30 ingredients here is stuff your body doesn’t need.

    Lets look at just a few of the above ingredients:

    ■Ammonium chloride… sounds tasty right? Did you know it is also an ingredient in fireworks, safety matches and contact explosives? Eat up.
    ■Ammonium sulfate is used most commonly as an artificial fertilizer for alkaline soils. It’s also in flame retardant materials. Ammonium sulfate activates yeast, so it helps to get industrially produced bread to rise.
    ■The soybean and/or canola oil used here are most likely GMO. They are also foods I generally avoid for a number of reasons.
    ■The high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), despite the desperate marketing strategies to persuade otherwise, is not natural. And because it’s in so much of our processed foods, not only is it hard to avoid, but it can be doing major damage to your health.
    ■“Enriched” flour sounds harmless enough. But “enriched” just means that all the nutrition was taken out in the first place. Refined flours are also hard for your body to digest, even before the mess of chemicals are added to it.
    I can’t even get through this whole list. But I think you get the point. Nothing really healthy or real here.



    so its meat. low quality meat, but you can buy that same low quailty meat in almost any other grocery store.
    the buns are bad too. but same thing - they can be bought nearly anywhere too..

    its a dollar for a reason.
  • BrittanyAnnL
    BrittanyAnnL Posts: 140
    It's meat, but the living conditions of the animals & nutrition of them is HORRIBLE. They are very sick and poorly treated. They pump them full of chemicals to make them mature faster, beat them, cram them into dark desolate places, & feed them crap. It is REALLY sad. It shouldn't be legal. When you eat at places like McDonald's you are supporting this. & eating a sick animal only makes you sick. I only eat grass fed beef for this reason. YES you just end up eating them.. but their quality of life shouldn't be so bad. Its inhumane.
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    Burger:
    100% Beef Patty:Ingredients: 100% pure USDA inspected beef; no fillers, no extenders. Prepared with grill seasoning (salt, black pepper). also the cows arent us cows any more.. their from south america right now (they are cheaper there)

    Thankfully, McDonald’s and several other chains recently stopped using the “pink slime” in their beef. But the vast majority of fast food beef comes from CAFO (concentrated agricultural feeding operation) cows. Not only is this horrible for the animals and the environment, but eating meat from sick animals will only make you sick. Eat a McDonald’s hamburger and you might be getting a mouth full of antibiotics, hormones, and dangerous bacteria.

    Regular Bun:Ingredients: Enriched flour (bleached wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), water, high fructose corn syrup and/or sugar, yeast, soybean oil and/or canola oil, contains 2% or less of the following: salt, wheat gluten, calcium sulfate, calcium carbonate, ammonium sulfate, ammonium chloride, dough conditioners (may contain one or more of the following: sodium stearoyl lactylate, datem, ascorbic acid, azodicarbonamide, mono- and diglycerides, ethoxylated monoglycerides, monocalcium phosphate, enzymes, guar gum, calcium peroxide), sorbic acid, calcium propionate and/or sodium propionate (preservatives), soy lecithin.

    Oh boy. Where do I start? How about we just look at the length of this ingredient list. All of this for a bun? Did you know you can make your own bread using just flour, salt, and water? Seriously. The extra 20 – 30 ingredients here is stuff your body doesn’t need.

    Lets look at just a few of the above ingredients:

    ■Ammonium chloride… sounds tasty right? Did you know it is also an ingredient in fireworks, safety matches and contact explosives? Eat up.
    ■Ammonium sulfate is used most commonly as an artificial fertilizer for alkaline soils. It’s also in flame retardant materials. Ammonium sulfate activates yeast, so it helps to get industrially produced bread to rise.
    ■The soybean and/or canola oil used here are most likely GMO. They are also foods I generally avoid for a number of reasons.
    ■The high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), despite the desperate marketing strategies to persuade otherwise, is not natural. And because it’s in so much of our processed foods, not only is it hard to avoid, but it can be doing major damage to your health.
    ■“Enriched” flour sounds harmless enough. But “enriched” just means that all the nutrition was taken out in the first place. Refined flours are also hard for your body to digest, even before the mess of chemicals are added to it.
    I can’t even get through this whole list. But I think you get the point. Nothing really healthy or real here.



    so its meat. low quality meat, but you can buy that same low quailty meat in almost any other grocery store.
    the buns are bad too. but same thing - they can be bought nearly anywhere too..

    its a dollar for a reason.

    This is a terrible post. A mouthful of antibiotics, hormones, and dangerous bacteria? I'd like to see you prove that there's any significant antibiotic and hormone content in one of their patties. And surely the mouthful of dangerous bacteria is the reason McDonald's has a phenomenal safety record.

    And the entire idea of singling out ingredients and listing scary things those ingredients may be used in is just ridiculous.