Questions answered

There are 10 questions about “Food hygiene” in the “How do you operate?” topic.

Click on a question to read our answer.

1. Can you wear a baseball type hat INSTEAD of a hairnet in the kitchen cooking?
Thank you for your question. McDonald’s has strict standards of hygiene and appearance for staff. The rule regarding hats and hairnets is that all staff who handles food should wear hats, and where the hair cannot be controlled sufficiently by the hat, should wear hairnets too. (Jan 2010)

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2. a family group of us went to amsterdam we visited a mcdonalds we sat on the 3rd floor,they was a pigeon inside the restaurant flying about obviously normal there as when i looked down on the rafters to take a photo they were so much pigeon mess,my 2 year old granddaughter also put her hand in some of the mess which was actually on the next table to us,we were charged also to use the toilet which i think is disgusting as we are paying customers,food was cold never again would i eat there
This does sound like a most unfortunate experience and such a lack of hygiene standards is not the sort of behaviour the company expects from its staff anywhere across the globe. Rest assured hygiene and restaurant cleanliness is of paramount importance to us. However, as you may be aware, the Make Up Your Own Mind website is operated by McDonald's UK, and as such deals with issues relating only to the United Kingdom. We can not therefore respond in any greater detail to an incident that took place overseas. If you would like a more specific response, the best course of action is for you to get in touch with McDonald’s Netherlands by visiting http://www.mcdonalds.nl/ (Jan 09)

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3. what are your heath and safety rules?
Thank you for your question. McDonald’s has very strict health and safety policies and procedures. All employees receive specific health and safety training prior to starting work and again throughout their employment. McDonald’s also has regular checks in place to ensure that the company fully complies with its duties under safety legislation. (Jan 2009)

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4. Is there anything about your shake machines that can cause residue from previously made shakes to get into mine? Whether or not there is, I just had a strawberry shake that clearly had a good amount of your promotional Egg Nog flavoured shake in it. I'm sure that's not supposed to happen, but under realistic conditions, is it a possibility?
Firstly McDonald's apologises for your disappointing experience in one of its restaurants. There's no reason why your Strawberry Milkshake should have tasted like eggnog. Each milkshake is made fresh once ordered so it should arrive with you in perfect condition. If this happens with any future milkshakes, please contact the Customer Service Team on 08705 244622 or alternatively please talk to the restaurant manager who should be happy to replace or refund the cost of this item. Regarding leftover milkshake residue, no leftover residue from a previous milkshake should ever be found in a customer's milkshake. McDonald’s has two types of milkshake machines. One pasteurises the mix every night and is taken apart and cleaned once a week. The other one is stripped down and sanitised every night. The mix can be topped up, but is completely discarded every week. This way, McDonald’s can ensure milkshakes are always safe to drink. Furthermore a lubricant supplied by the machine's manufacturer is used to create a seal between the moving parts so, that the liquid shake mix cannot leak. (Jan 2009)

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5. Hi, RE: Q13 on the "shelf life" tab in your previously answered questions. Please answer this question for the public to see so we can use this service the way it was meant to be used; to gain information and make proper judgment on your company.
We hope the below answer will shed light on any queries you have regarding "the shelf life" of McDonald's menu items. Food safety is an area that is rigorously and regularly assessed within every restaurant. Food Safety Regulations stipulate that it is acceptable for hot foods to be held for up to two hours at room temperature prior to being sold. McDonald's procedures are much more stringent for all its food items: for example, burgers are kept at a temperature between 63 and 66 degrees centigrade for around 10 minutes to ensure the best quality is maintained. Every menu item has a tightly defined cooking procedure: for example, the beef patties are cooked from frozen on the specially programmed double sided hot plate which ensures that each patty receives the required cooking temperature for the required time. You can rest assured that the whole kitchen process and equipment along side the training programmes for staff are all focused on ensuring the best quality food is delivered in the shortest service time possible. (Dec 08)

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6. i once saw a tramp do a wee in mcdonalds. why was this allowed to happen? (he was in the toilets)
McDonald’s are concerned to learn that you witnessed something like this taking place in one of its restaurants. For your reassurance I would like to confirm that McDonald’s has a daily checklist, which managers must complete. This ensures that the toilets are properly checked and maintained at regular intervals throughout the day. In future, we would suggest that our customers report any incidents, such as the one you have described, to the manager on duty who I am confident will deal with the situation there and then. Alternatively, if you would like this matter looked into further, please contact our Customer Services Department either on their direct telephone number 08705 244 622 or via the Contact Us page on our website which is located at www.mcdonalds.co.uk.

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7. does anyone have constipated diarrhoea after there meal and do any of your staff wash their hands after handeling raw food and washing them after they have been toilet because all the questions i have read and i just wanted to ask is your hygeine up to standers like alwaysand has any one ever had died in mcdonalds in southend on sea ??????????????? ps answer them
Thank you for your question. McDonald's food contains nothing that would give them diarrhoea and all ingredients that are used are similar to those you would buy in the supermarket or use at home. The food is cooked and prepared following strict hygiene practices and the staff are trained to follow these practices right from day one. Part two of your question - handwashing McDonald’s restaurant staff who handle or prepare food wash their hands at least every 30 minutes and other staff not handling food wash their hands at least every 60 minutes. Staff members are also trained to wash their hands before starting work, after using the toilet and after doing specific tasks. Cleanliness in the restaurants is very important to McDonald’s and hand washing is monitored throughout the day as part of the managers' daily checklist of tasks. If you feel that this has not been the case please talk to the restaurant manager about this or call Customer Services on 08705 244622. Part three of your question - Southend on Sea No-one has ever died in McDonald's in Southend on Sea. (Nov 2008)

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8. As Q1, food often sits around longer than 10 minute rule. One time I was served a Big Tasty from the food hold that was so old that the cheese & bread bun had congealed & become part of the box! A huge pile of them sat in the food hold. Whilst waiting for manager & then for a new one I timed12 mins. I asked the mgr to throw away the pile sat in the food hold, he refused. I'm sure that McDonalds are sincere in their policy, but with a franchisee system its hard to police 100% of the time.
McDonald's apologises for your unsatisfactory Big Tasty and hopes that you brought it to the attention of the restaurant manager at the time. This sounds like an isolated incident as McDonald's has a system in place that once sandwiches are prepared, they are kept in a heated area between the front counter and the kitchen to ensure that they remain hot and fresh. They must be sold within 10 minutes, otherwise they are disposed of. A timecard system is used to help manage this but on this occasion it seems to have failed. This system is in place for both company owned and franchised restaurants. If you believe that this strict protocol is not being followed in a McDonald's restaurant that you visit - then please call Customer Services on 08705 244622 so that this can be fully investigated. (Dec 08)

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9. hello i need to find decent cleaning products for a working kitchen and as you pride yourselves on clenlyness could you tell me the product names of some of the cleaning chemicals you use such as surface degreaser, surface sanitizer, what chemical you use to clean your friers and what floor cleaning product do you use thanks
Thank you for your question. Unfortunately our cleaning chemicals are specially designed for McDonald's by Ecolab (Kay Chemicals) and are not available for general purchase. Companies such as Bunzl supply cleaning products to contract cleaners and may be able to help. (November 2008)

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10. what is your policy for things being dropped on the floor, e.g. the smarties in the mcflurry's is that why they're broken and dusty because they've been swept up off of the floor??
No, this is not true. Any food that is being prepared and is dropped on the floor in any McDonald's restaurant is immediately thrown away. (August 2007)

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