"We found this in a car. Rock hard. Look at this shit."
It's hardly a secret that fast food chains use preservatives and other food additives to keep consumers hooked on their low-cost, addictive offerings. But while on a surface level, it may be unclear what all those chemicals are doing to your body, a recent TikTok video demonstrates the effect it may have on the product.
While working on a 12-year-old Toyota Camry, Brisbane, Australia-based mechanic Cameron Holland unearthed a still-wrapped McDonald's cheeseburger nestled behind the spare wheel in the boot. When he unwrapped the burger, he discovered to his horror that the burger was still completely solid, not discolored in the slightest, and had gone untouched by insects.
In a video uploaded to TikTok, Holland tapped the cheeseburger against the side of the trunk to demonstrate how stiff it was. "We found this in a car. Rock hard. Look at this shit," he said in the short clip. He then dropped it on the ground and hit it a few times with a mallet, as the burger quickly broke apart and turned to dust.
"Literally. What the fuck," he added. "That’s like a biscuit.”
@whats_the_issue Found this cheese burger in a spare wheel well at work , has to be atleast 1-3 years old , the burger is rock hard with out one bit of mould on it WTF it wasnt wven eaten by ants ???? ???? #fyp #fypシ #mcdonalds #mcdonaldsau #foryoupage
♬ original sound - Papi Cam
Holland later told News.au that he suspected that the burger had been in the car for up to three years. "The spare wheel was the original wheel which looked like it had never been moved before which leads me to believe it had been there for a long time,” he explained. "Also the fact it was rock hard like cement."
He noted that the "whole burger was still intact almost as if it was fresh from McDonald’s," adding that he would never eat at the fast food chain again.
In a statement responding to the video, McDonald’s said that it "prides itself on serving up great quality products."
“We have supported Aussie farmers for over 50 years and our Cheeseburger includes 100 percent Aussie beef and Aussie grown pickles," the company stated. "Our food is made to be consumed upon purchase or delivery to ensure quality and freshness."
Though the incident occurred in Australia, a first-of-its-kind 2021 study found that potentially harmful industrial chemicals detected in U.S. fast foods were linked to a long list of serious health problems. Neither McDonald's or any specific menu items were singled out by the researchers, but the results were worrying nonetheless.
"We found phthalates and other plasticizers are widespread in prepared foods available at U.S. fast food chains, a finding that means many consumers are getting a side of potentially unhealthy chemicals along with their meal," said Lariah Edwards, lead author of the study and a postdoctoral scientist at George Washington University. "Stronger regulations are needed to help keep these harmful chemicals out of the food supply."
Just a little food for thought before your next trip to the drive-through.
