Questions answered
There are 240 questions about “Burgers” in the “What's in the food?” topic.
Click on a question to read our answer.
- 16. where do you get the meat for your burgers
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McDonald's has a policy to source its ingredients locally wherever possible and last year over 17,200 British and Irish farmers supplied ingredients for the menu items. In fact over 70 percent of the annual food spend is with suppliers from the British Isles. Where McDonald's can't buy ingredients from the UK the ingredients are bought from Europe, and some from farther a field. (Any overseas suppliers of course must meet or exceed the stringent quality standards McDonald's set, as they would if they were from the UK.)
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 17. is it true that macdonalds put anti-vomiting ingredients into their burgers?
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No this is not true. You can see a full list of ingredients for all McDonalds menu items under the ‘Ingredients’ section at www.mcdonalds.co.uk.
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 18. I saw a video on Youtube that showed the aging process of a hamburger bought from McDonalds. How do you justify the fact that no matter how old the burger is, it still looks and feels the same? Wouldn't normal food go off? Does that not mean that really what you're selling is artificial food? I mean I'm sure there's a percentage of real meat in there, but why? With McDonalds being such a large successful corporation is there not a hint of concern and responsibility for your customers?
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Firstly apologies for the delay in answering your question, the team has been very busy with all the questions that are pouring in and everybody is working hard to answer them all. McDonald’s does not sell ‘artificial food’. The beef used in McDonald’s burgers is sourced from cattle within the UK and Ireland, with only whole cuts of forequarter and flank used, similar to what you might buy in a supermarket. The beef patties are made from 100 percent real beef, with no added binders, fillers or preservatives. As with all McDonald’s food, the rest of the ingredients used for a hamburger (bun, sauce, mustard, cheese etc) are sourced from carefully chosen suppliers that meet the Company’s high standards. Fresh produce will always be used wherever possible, however cooking and preparation on the scale that the McDonald’s works to makes it difficult to implement throughout and logistics such as storage, consistency of taste and seasonal availability of produce means that additives and preservatives become an essential component of modern convenience food. These additives are no different to those found in many products available at supermarkets which are used everyday.
McDonald’s cares a great deal about its customers’ wants and needs, and this is the primary reason behind the Make Up Your Own Mind website, which has been set up to allow customers and intrigued members alike to ask any questions regarding McDonald’s, offering company transparency, dispelling the myths, and providing honest answers.
(Jan 09)
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 19. Is it true that when you take the top part of the burger bun off a burger a big hand from the burger pulls you into the burger?
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No, this is not true. McDonald's Hamburgers are made from 100 per cent beef.
(Jan 08)
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 20. Chicken nuggets? 100% chicken really? How come the chicken does not pull apart like "proper" chicken does? Burgers? Surely not 100% beef again? Why have i found hard bits of gristle in my burges before, if they are 100% british beef? I'm very confussed or your wording is very skillfull! I would love to hear from your worldwide company? Many thanks, James Creek
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Firstly apologies for the delay in answering your question, the team has been very busy with all the questions that are pouring in and everybody is working hard to answer them all.
The only meat used in all McDonald’s chicken products in the UK is chicken breast meat, the same as “proper” chicken breast available in supermarkets. The chicken breast meat is delivered to the factory where it is marinated and minced before being shaped into the nuggets and then coated with a specially seasoned batter. You may like to try the Chicken Selects which are made from pieces of whole muscle chicken breast meat which has not been minced and are more consistent in texture to that of what you are more accustomed to. McDonald’s burgers are made of 100 percent beef from whole cuts of forequarter and flank. The beef is minced and then formed into burgers. All that’s added is a pinch of salt and pepper after cooking. As with any minced meat there are limited occasions where you might find small pieces of gristle in it, if you have received any food that you feel is unsatisfactory in any way please talk to the restaurant manager, or phone Customer Services on 08705 244 622. If you would like to reassure yourself about how McDonald’s meat products are made then take a look at the recent independent Quality Scout report. Just click on the ‘Quality Scout’ link to find out more.
Jan 2009
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 21. Where does the salt and pepper come from that you put in your burgers? How is it prosseced?
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Firstly apologies for the delay in answering your question, the team has been very busy with all the questions that are pouring in and everybody is working hard to answer them all.
McDonald's salt comes from the USA and has a typical particle size of 0.5-2.0mm. The black pepper can come from a variety of countries including India, Indonesia, Vietnam, Brazil, Malaysia, Madagascar, and Sri Lanka.
The salt and pepper are blended together with non-hydrogenated sunflower oil.
(Dec 2008)
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 22. Have you ever considered bringing out a swan burger? And if so, what stopped such a thing from happening?
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No. McDonald’s burgers have primarily been made from beef. The only exceptions to this rule are the pork, chicken, fish and vegetarian food items.
(Dec 2008)
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 23. how much profit does mcdonalds make on a hamburger. percentage or monetary. The meat is unheathy, poor quality, overpriced and usually over/under cooked.
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Firstly apologies for the delay in answering your question, the team has been very busy with all the questions that are pouring in and everybody is working hard to answer them all.
McDonald's hopes you appreciate that it can't give you any information on specific financial matters in such a public forum. However, you can find some interesting financial facts by visiting www.mcdonalds.com.
Regarding your other comments on the burger patties, McDonald's would have to disagree with you. The beef patties are made in the UK from beef sourced from the UK and Ireland. McDonald's uses only 100 percent beef in the patties – whole cuts of forequarter and flank (similar to what you might buy in a number of supermarkets) with NOTHING ADDED but a little salt and pepper after cooking. Skilled butchers prepare the beef – with care taken to trim the meat to the company's standards – before it's taken to the company that makes the patties. The beef is then minced, just as it would be at a butcher's shop or when using a mincer at home, but on a larger scale. The mince is then made into patties, frozen immediately and packed ready for distribution. When the patties arrive at a restaurant, they're cooked using two-sided hot plates so no extra fat is added.
On the serious issue of undercooked meat, McDonald's stance on food safety and hygiene is one of zero tolerance. Kitchen staff are thoroughly trained to operate and maintain the grills so that they can deliver food in the finest condition time after time. If you feel that this is not the case when you receive your food, then please do not hesitate to tell the restaurant manager who will directly investigate and address the situation. Finally, McDonald's does not believe that its food is overpriced. In fact, the company believes that it offers tremendous value for money. The menu is wide and varied with a choice of options for most tastes, from crunchy Carrot Sticks and thick Milkshakes to fresh Hamburgers and delicious Deli Sandwiches. The company goes a long way to source great ingredients to prepare the food that customers have come to enjoy, while keeping the costs down.
(Dec 2008)
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 24. How many McDonalds products contain various drugs wthin them and pig what is the chance that you guys will buy off KFC and Coke?
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McDonald’s wants all customers to know that McDonald's food does not contain any drugs, all food served at McDonald's has to comply not only to McDonald's very high standards, but also with strict quality standards and food safety laws for the UK and European Community. McDonald’s hamburger patties do not contain pork as they are made from 100 percent beef and nothing else, apart from a pinch of salt and pepper added after cooking. Where menu items contain additional meats, these are clearly highlighted, for example, the Bacon Cheeseburger, and these are normally promotional items. Some of the breakfast range also contain pork sausage meat and bacon but, again, this will be clearly labelled. Regarding you final point on the on McDonald’s purchasing the other companies, this is not going to happen.
(Dec 2008)
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 25. I have recently done an IB Biology Lab that tested the complete contents of a Happy Meal, including the nuggets, drink, fries, etc. We tested a hamburger separately. When I tested for protein, there were such trace amounts that the test came back negative. You say that it is 100 percent chicken or beef in your products, but which part of the chicken/cow would test negative for protein?
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Thank you for your question. There are a number of testing methods which analyse food for protein, so it is fairly difficult to respond exactly to your comments. However, rest assured the beef and chicken used in McDonald's DOES contain protein. The method used to verify the protein content is based on the determination of nitrogen using a LECO analyser. The nitrogen content of the food gives an established correlation to the protein content. Nitrogen content x 6.25 gives you the protein content.
Recent checks completed in April 2008 by an independent food analysis laboratory showed that a hamburger contains 13.1g protein per 100g. Published figures found on tray liners and packaging for this product give a protein content of 14g per portion, or 13g per 100g. The beef patty itself is made from 100 per cent beef from whole cuts of high quality forequarter and flank. Nothing is added or removed; there are no preservatives, additives, binders or fillers. Analysis of the cooked patty using a representative sample from several different production runs gave a protein content of 23.6g per 100g.
(Dec 2008)
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 26. I was wondering why you built a website where you were willing to answer difficult questions only to provide stock answers to 99% of them? Also while you as a corporation may pride yourself on using fresh products I was wondering why a person of average to decent health would constantly experience heart burn after eating a hamburger of yours versus a hamburger of a competitor .... assuming they were both 100% beef this issue should not arrise ?
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McDonald's would have to disagree with your assertion that the answers are stock. In fact, all serious questions (and many of the not so serious ones) are individually read and answered by McDonald's and the dedicated Make Up Your Own Mind team. Over 15,000 questions have been posted to the site since launch, and as you can imagine there are a few questions that, although slightly different in the way they have been posed, require a pretty similar answer. This may result in answers that have a similar tone to them. However, you can be sure that each question is treated individually.
With regard to the health aspect of your question, McDonald's is sorry to hear of your current condition and hopes that you have fully recovered. People's bodies will react in different ways to food, and factors such as digestive systems or allergies could cause complications with fully enjoying food. McDonald's would like to reassure you that there is nothing in its food that should make you feel ill in any way. The hamburger patties are made from 100 per cent beef and nothing else, except a pinch of salt and pepper for seasoning. No binders, or additives or fillers. You can find nutritional information and ingredients on all McDonald's food items at www.mcdonalds.co.uk and further information at www.mcdonaldsmenu.info.
(Dec 2008)
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 27. Is the meat from McDonald's burgers made from bull testicles? I've also heard that Chicken McNuggets contain lighter fluid...yuck! Every time I eat at a McDonalds restaraunt I feel sick and it makes me tired half the day. I'm sure everything contains something terrible or else people wouldn't refer to McDonald's as eating unhealthy.
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All McDonald's hamburgers are made of beef, nothing else. Just 100 percent beef, from whole cuts of forequarter and flank (similar to the mince you'd buy in the supermarket). All that's added is a pinch of salt and pepper after cooking.
With regard to your comments on lighter fluid, it sounds like you are referring to the myth of TBHQ. Tertiary Butylhydroquinone, or TBHQ, is known as the additive E319 and is not found in any items on McDonald's menu. McDonald's is very conscious of the quality and content of its food and works hard right throughout its business to provide its customers with excellent quality food. It is always difficult to provide exact details relating to diet as everybody is different. Each person's body will deal with food in its own unique way, and health implications are generally related to specific allergens. There is nothing in McDonald's food that a person in reasonably good health with an active lifestyle and balanced diet would be made ill from. The sourcing of ingredients for McDonald's food is something the company takes very seriously. A considerable amount of time and dedication goes into tasting and testing to ensure not only great quality but also high standards of food safety for all of the ingredients. Information on McDonald's food, ingredients and nutrition is available online in the 'Eat Smart' section of www.mcdonalds.co.uk.
(Dec 2008)
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 28. when you go to the grocery store and buy hamburger meat, the package tells you the fat content. for example: 80/20 or 85/15. I was wondering what the fat ratio is for your burgers. I normally eat 96/4 lean burger meat, and if you were to serve meat that lean, I would probably start eating Mcdonalds.
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Firstly apologies for the delay in answering your question, the team has been very busy with all the questions that are pouring in and everybody is working hard to answer them all.
McDonald's beef ratio is approximately 80:20. This ratio is important to ensure that the beef cooks safely. This is vital because McDonald's does not use any other ingredients in its beef patties which may otherwise help the cooking process.
(Nov 2008)
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 29. How much grease is in your burgers??
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Firstly apologies for the delay in answering your question, the team has been very busy with all the questions that are pouring in and everybody is working hard to answer them all.
If you are referring to the fat content, a regular uncooked beef patty contains approximately 19-21 per cent fat; in a Quarter Pounder patty the figure is 21-23 per cent.
(Nov 2008)
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 30. Is there a chemical added to the burgers in order for them to smell like they were recently cooked?
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Firstly apologies for the delay in answering your question, the team has been very busy with all the questions that are pouring in and everybody is working hard to answer them all.
This is an original question that McDonald's can happily answer with an emphatic NO! The reason why McDonald's Hamburgers smell so good is that they are all freshly prepared. It takes around 42 seconds to cook a Hamburger or a Cheeseburger beef patty and approximately two minutes to cook a Quarter Pounder beef patty. The beef patties are cooked without added fat or oil between hot plates that cook the patties from both sides. When they are ready, the sandwiches are individually wrapped or boxed and placed in a warming area for no longer than ten minutes. Any sandwiches that are not sold within that time are discarded. This keeps the food fresh, hot and tasty every time.
(Nov 2008)
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