Nutritionist claims to have kept a McDonald's Happy Meal for a year without rotting

[Moongirl]

Happy 1st birthday: Mother keeps McDonald's Happy Meal for a whole year... and it still hasn't gone off
By Daily Mail Reporter

Glancing at the two McDonald's Happy Meals pictured here, you may feel they look pretty much identical.

Astonishingly, however, this is the same meal, photographed 12 months apart.

Where any other food might be a mouldy, decomposing mess after a year, the McDonald's meal shows few signs of going off apart from the beef patty shrivelling and the stale burger bun cracking.



Proof, says the American nutritionist who took these photographs, that it contains so many preservatives that it is bad for the children it is aimed at.

Joann Bruso said: 'Food is supposed to decompose, go bad and smell foul eventually. The fact that it has not decomposed shows you how unhealthy it is for children.'
Mrs Bruso left the Happy Meal uncovered on a shelf at her home near Denver, Colorado, to see what would happen. She has revealed the results on her blog, in which she gives healthy eating advice to parents.

I had the windows open many times, but flies and other insects just ignored the Happy Meal. What does that tell you, if they can't be bothered with it?

The 62-year-old, who has eight grandchildren, admitted that the arid temperature of her home near the Rocky Mountains meant there was little moisture in the air with which to speed decomposition.

But she added that during the year-long experiment, no flies or other insects were attracted to the food.

She said: 'I had the windows open many times, but flies and other insects just ignored the Happy Meal. What does that tell you, if they can't be bothered with it? Food is broken down into its essential nutrients in our bodies and turned into fuel. Our children grow strong bodies when they eat real food.

'If flies ignore a Happy Meal and microbes don't decompose it, then your child's body can't properly metabolise it either. Now you know why it's called junk food.'

McDonald's has made great efforts to show that its food is healthy amid growing concerns about childhood obesity. All its restaurants list the calories in each item as well as the individual ingredients.
More...The 'toxic fat' that can strangle your organs and how to shed it

Recent research showed that each product has an average of seven E numbers. The bun has several preservatives such as calcium and sodium propionate, while the pickle slice has the preservative sodium benzoate.

The fries, which Mrs Bruso said were still golden brown after a year, contain preservatives such as citric acid and sodium acid pyrophosphate, which


Read more: Happy 1st birthday: Mother keeps McDonald's Happy Meal for a whole year... and it still hasn't gone off | Mail Online

While a steady diet of McDonald's is by no means healthy, I'm not buying that the food didn't go bad...

[gas_chick]

I agree. Mickey D's isn't the meal of champions but no way that didn't mold and get stinky.

[choozen1ne]

If the food was kept in a dry well lit area it really wouldn't mold that easily- it clearly dried out
mold needs moisture to grow so if they kept the happy mean in a dry temp controlled area of course it is not going to mold
And why would anyone be surprised that McDonald's food has a whole shit load of preservatives in it - who eats the food thinking its healthy ?

[Moongirl]

If the food was kept in a dry well lit area it really wouldn't mold that easily- it clearly dried out
mold needs moisture to grow so if they kept the happy mean in a dry temp controlled area of course it is not going to mold
And why would anyone be surprised that McDonald's food has a whole shit load of preservatives in it - who eats the food thinking its healthy ?

I don't think anyone is disputing the fact that it's chock full of preservatives, as many foods are these days, just that it's not possible it didn't go bad. The nutritionist admittedly said she lives in a low moisture area.

[twitchy2.0]

I'm not buying that the food didn't go bad...

I am. When the kids were younger, I found partially eaten fast food under the seats in the car that looked just fine but had been there for ages. Thank goodness they outgrow that.

[aabbcc]

I've heard this about the fries before ... I think it was mentioned in Supersize Me. This crud doesn't even qualify as food in my books, so I'm not terribly surprised.

I found this at YouTube. Yum!

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htnvzLU1I1o[/YOUTUBE]

[Quazar]

She should try this with a Twinkie. It would probably outlive her.

[Chilly Willy]

Ewwwwwwwww.

[Honey]

The comment about the flies ignoring it made me laugh

[eboni]

I had a loaf of bread on my kitchen table for nearly 8 months and it never molded or dried out. After the first week, I grew suspicious because normally I have to throw it away after a few days. So, just to see how long it would stay soft and mold-less I let it sit there all those months. Finally, I threw it away and started using my breadmaker to make my own. I haven't bought a loaf of bread since. I believe this lady. There are just way too many preservatives in food these days.

[greysfang]

She should try this with a Twinkie. It would probably outlive her.

I think its already been established that Twinkies never die, kinda like Cher and cockroaches.

[Penny Lane]

I took my cousins to get a Happy Meal one day and they started eating the fries in the car... found a fry under my drivers side seat about a year later (I never vacuum!) and it looked just like a day-old fry.. no mold.

[buttmunch]

I am. When the kids were younger, I found partially eaten fast food under the seats in the car that looked just fine but had been there for ages. Thank goodness they outgrow that.

Yup. That food never dies. The trick is to get it out of their hands before they put it in their mouths.

I've heard this about the fries before ... I think it was mentioned in Supersize Me. This crud doesn't even qualify as food in my books, so I'm not terribly surprised.

I found this at YouTube. Yum!

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htnvzLU1I1o[/YOUTUBE]

That video just put me off fast food for good, I think. It woudl take a mighty powerful hangover to get me to eat at McDonald's again. I completely, believe, by the way, that this woman really did this experiement. I've seen stuff before where people did similar experiments for longer periods of time, with similar results.

I had a loaf of bread on my kitchen table for nearly 8 months and it never molded or dried out. After the first week, I grew suspicious because normally I have to throw it away after a few days. So, just to see how long it would stay soft and mold-less I let it sit there all those months. Finally, I threw it away and started using my breadmaker to make my own. I haven't bought a loaf of bread since. I believe this lady. There are just way too many preservatives in food these days.

Agree. This is why I make most stuff from scratch. Very little boxed food in our house, other than cereal.


Here's a link to a 12-year-old burger: 12-year-old McDonald's hamburger, still looking good // Current

[Geest]

I am. When the kids were younger, I found partially eaten fast food under the seats in the car that looked just fine but had been there for ages. Thank goodness they outgrow that.

I second that, somehow food left under the car seat just doesn't rot. shrinks and dries out but never gets green.

[Honey]

I took my cousins to get a Happy Meal one day and they started eating the fries in the car... found a fry under my drivers side seat about a year later (I never vacuum!) and it looked just like a day-old fry.. no mold.

Did it taste good?