We all know by now that not everything you read online is true, especially when it comes
to the legendary fast-food chain McDonald's.
Here are some false facts about this American staple that you probably always believed.
It's not easy being a giant in the burger biz, which explains why McDonald's has been
dodging rumors about its beef for years.
A few years ago, a rumor spread around the web.
It claimed McDonald's planned to trick customers into believing its soy and beef combo patties
were, in fact, one-hundred percent beef.
They planned to do this by buying bogus meat from a company named "100% Beef."
That would be quite the switcheroo, huh?
As the rumor goes, McDonald's could claim they used 100% beef by playing off the company's
name, 100% Beef.
To stamp out the story, McDonald's released a statement reading in part:
"We've heard this myth, and can confirm that '100% beef' is not a company owned by McDonald's."
The company assured customers the only thing they add to their whole cuts of beef is salt
and pepper.
At the end of the day, truth in advertising laws would never let a corporation get away
with that kind of scheme.
In fact, The Federal Trade Commission was put in place to prevent that kind of thing
from ever happening.
When you have the most popular french fry on the planet, it doesn't take much to make
the rumor mill start turning.
"Did you invent french fries?"
One common myth is that McDonald's french fries contain beef…but how true this is
depends on how you look at the chemistry.
In 1990, McDonald's announced they'd only be using pure vegetable oil in their fry-making
process.
They were subsequently sued by vegetarians, who claimed they used beef in their fries.
McDonald's eventually settled the lawsuit to the tune of ten million dollars, because
their fries contained quote "natural beef flavoring."
Since then, a lot of people think McDonald's fries contain beef, and therefore aren't a
suitable choice for vegetarians and vegans.
But what exactly is this "natural beef flavoring" and is it vegetarian-friendly?
Well, it's created by adding sugars and citric acid to the amino acids found in beef.
As Eater explained:
"Once a flavor is broken down into its basic chemical components, scientists can reconstruct
it and add one food's flavor to another."
Still, since the FDA's rules regarding natural flavors are incredibly relaxed, we may never
ultimately know what's really in those fries.
If you think your McDonald's ice cream isn't dairy, we have news for you.
According to a longstanding rumor, McDonald's dropped the word "milk" from their milkshakes
because the beverage isn't dairy at all.
That's hogwash.
The reason they're called "shakes" is because each state has different dairy regulations
as to what can be considered a "milkshake".
"I had a Shamrock Shake."
"I hate you."
"And…
I got one for you, too."
"I love you."
According to a McDonald's spokesperson:
"Our shakes contain milk from our reduced-fat, soft serve, which makes them thick and creamy."
A similar finding holds true for McDonald's soft serve.
It's actually quote "ice milk" rather than ice cream, because it has a lower milkfat
content to make it lighter.
"What do you get for a McDonald's price?"
"I got a chocolate mustache."
Considering that the McFlurry is made using soft-serve, this frozen treat is decidedly
not vegan-friendly.
For now, vegans will have to skip all those shakes and McFlurries... or embrace the dairy
guilt that comes with them.
The fact is, a fast food restaurant run by robots might not be too far off in the future.
But it's not a reality at McDonald's just yet.
Still, that didn't stop a 2015 story from spreading the idea that robots had taken over
an Arizona McDonald's.
A fake news site ran a story entitled "New McDonald's In Phoenix Run Entirely By Robots,"
and it quickly gained traction on Twitter.
It probably didn't help matters that the story wasn't written in a particularly satirical
way and even referenced a CNN story that talked of the possibility of robots replacing fast
food workers.
Despite the completely made up quotes and non-existent restaurant opening, numerous
people on social media circulated the phony story.
Even a year later, shareholders had to be assured by McDonald's CEO Steve Easterbrook
that robot workers were not about to take over.
McDonald's apparently wants us to think that the company is all grown up now.
Its McCafe is competition to Starbucks, and the once plentiful PlayPlaces are all but
extinct.
But just because PlayPlaces are disappearing doesn't mean McDonald's is entering its teenage
rebellion phase.
Nevertheless, a lingering social media rumor claimed Colorado locations were replacing
PlayPlaces with weed-smoking lounges.
Sorry, stoners, but that's definitely not happening.
"There is no truth to a report on social media that fifteen restaurants in the state have
transformed or plan to transform play areas into pot-smoking centers."
The rumor began in 2015 after the fake Now 8 News site claimed that several Colorado
McDonald's had created quote "pot pods".
These would allow customers to take bong rips without disturbing other guests.
Colorado may have legalized recreational marijuana use in 2014, but openly lighting up at McDonald's
is still an illegal buzzkill… so have a McCafe smoothie instead.
McDonald's has been plagued with a variety of rumors about their food over the years,
specifically about their meats and animal products.
But the rumor that McDonald's treats its beef with ammonia, specifically because McDonald's
uses select lean beef trimmings, is just that: a rumor.
"This burger's chock full of hotness and juiciness!
And the cheese… hello, meltiness…!"
In fact, McDonald's stopped using select lean beef trimmings back in 2011.
According to their website, McDonald's burgers are one-hundred percent beef, and they aren't
treated with any preservatives.
The beef is ground, shaped, and frozen for distribution... but ultimately, no chemicals
are used.
Fast food restaurants like McDonald's have long been criticized for underpaying their
workers, often starting employees at minimum wage.
So in 2015, fast food workers around the country went on strike, demanding that the minimum
wage be raised to $15 per hour.
Memes in support of these protests quickly spread on social media, and they claimed that
all McDonald's workers in Denmark make forty-five thousand dollars a year.
"In Denmark, there is no minimum wage, but because of union negotiations, people who
work at McDonald's here make almost $20 an hour."
It's true that McDonald's workers in Denmark are paid better than most American workers…
but it's important to point out that most employees only work part-time.
In the end, it's only the full-time McDonald's employees who make forty-five thousand dollars
a year in Denmark.
Got that?
McDonald's probably has a full-time staffer whose sole job is to clean up rumors about
its ice cream, because the myths just keep coming.
Take, for instance, the Pig Fat Myth.
"Where's your costume, Ronald?"
"Ooh!"
We don't know how the rumor got started, but McDonald's apparently felt the need to make
a statement.
The company assures concerned consumers that the only animal products in their frozen treats
are dairy... not pig fat, and not chicken fat.
There are also rumors that McDonald's shakes contain plastic.
The story apparently spread after a writer claimed he'd spoken to a "scientist" who swore
the shakes were nothing but sugar-infused plastic.
But don't worry: No credible source has ever backed up the claim.
The shakes do contain carrageenan, which is derived from seaweed and ensures your milkshake
doesn't become an undrinkable frozen block.
So to sum up: You're not sucking down any pork fat or plastic in your McDonald's shake.
Just lots and lots of sugar.
Fun fact: Nobody wants to eat fries made out of potentially toxic potatoes.
Fortunately, McDonald's customers don't have to.
In 2014, food author Michael Pollan launched a video attack against McDonald's for being
too picky with its potato size.
He claimed McDonald's required potatoes to be a certain size and shape.
And since the potatoes couldn't have any blemishes caused from aphids, Pollan claimed using pesticides
were a must.
He also described farmers spraying crops with poison and storing them away for weeks.
There are size requirements for McDonald's potatoes, but they don't toss the rest in
the trash.
They resell them.
McDonald's reportedly avoids potatoes that have the aphid-caused "net necrosis," because
frankly, black streaks in fries are gross.
Finally, farmers don't hide McDonald's potatoes away for weeks because they're toxic, but
because the large sheds are climate-controlled so you can have fries January through December.
Ok… who's hungry?