Dispelling Rumor about McDonald’s USA Happy Meal

March 2010

A recent post on a U.S. blog about our Happy Meal hamburgers and french fries is completely unsubstantiated and is in the realm of urban legends. McDonald's hamburger patties in the United States are made with 100% USDA-inspected ground beef. Our hamburgers are cooked and prepared with salt, pepper and nothing else -- no preservatives, no fillers. Our hamburger buns are baked locally, are made from North American-grown wheat flour and include common government-approved ingredients designed to assure food quality and safety. These are the same foods that consumers buy every day in their local grocery stores - bread, meat and potatoes.

According to Dr. Michael Doyle, Director, Center for Food Safety at the University of Georgia, 'From a scientific perspective, I can safely say that the way McDonald’s hamburgers are freshly processed, no hamburger would look like this after one year unless it was tampered with or held frozen.'

Todd Bacon, PhD, Senior Director, Quality Systems
Supply Chain Management, McDonald's USA