She makes a dramatic "point," but the logic behind the point is substantially flawed. "This isn't real food, and the proof of that is that it hasn't decayed."

The "meal" she is displaying has been dehydrated (either naturally or artificially), which is why it has not molded or rotted. I have often seen mold grow on leftover McDonald's and other fast food, and I've seen "real" food dehydrated to the point that mold won't grow on it. It's the dehydration and preservation process. Fast food is somewhat more likely to dry before attracting mold (after drying most foods won't attract mold) because of the added salt.

Archaeologists "dig up" preserved foods all of the time that look much like they did when first prepared hundreds and even thousands of years afterwards, if kept in a relatively dry environment (some, at least in theory, would still be edible). But, in a moist environment a McDonald's bun and meat will mold (I've seen it happen). My sisters when they were little would only eat half a hamburger, and my mom would put it in the fridge. If it got pushed ot the back and forgotten, mold would grow on the burger and on the bun (at about the same rate mold grew on other foods. Sometimes yes, sometimes not).

I make homemade jerky, and a four year old piece would look exactly like a newly dehydrated piece.

whoa...

Meh -- I never let my cheeseburgers get THAT old! And if this was true as portrayed, there would be no seagulls nor stink around the McDo's dumpsters at every location...

After all, I found a perfectly preserved orange in my pantry once -- must have been ideal circumstances, because it dried out (or dessicated) while preserving its color and shape -- no mold, no deformation, just a super-light, completely dried out orange. I'd never seen anything like it! And that was a Mandarin orange, for crying out loud!

Kira

yeah that video freaks me out.

I actually haven't eaten a McDonald's hamburger since I saw that video about 6 months ago...then again I also stopped eating red meat 6 months ago

Either way McDonald's is crappy crappy bad food for you just like many other fast food places.

The fact that it DOES dehydrate due to added preservatives and salt already IN the food HELPS her point! Really... can it be good for you?

I can make a better hamburger than Mickey D's any day of the week.

That is amazing, I will try this at home in order to test the non-believers!!!!

It only helps her point IF McDonald's food is more likely to dehydrate without molding than other foods. I've seen quite a few McDonald's burgers go moldy, so I'm not sure that the argument is true (it may be true, it may not be only many repetitions of an experiment comparing the too would be needed to prove so). Salt is known to slow or reduce the likelihood of spoilage somewhat, but there are plenty of healthy foods that are also less likely to mold. Citrus fruits are an example, because the acid is some (but not foolproof) protection against mold. Most of us have seen moldy oranges though, so we know it's not fooldproof. Are McDonald's hamburgers less likely to mold than oranges? There's no proof in this video of that.

Beans are relatively mold-resistant and are easily dried without molding (without preservatives). Does that mean beans aren't healthy to eat?

There are a lot better arguments (with much stronger science behind them) against fast food. Using dramatic, but misleading "evidence" is poor science and is not "information" it's propaganda. I think the truth is always a better argument.

There's always the highly scientific fact that McDonald's hamburgers aren't even appetizing! I never ate them even when I was gaining weight. Blech.

A similar situation is explained in Morgan Spurlock's Don't Eat This Book, where a chicken sandwich was left in an office as a prank but never started to smell bad like it was expected to because it dried out.

He was also contacted by some gentleman (I forget the name) that had bought a couple of McDonald's hamburgers on a New Year's Eve, then proceeded to put one in his coat pocket and forget about it. Several months later when he finally pulled that same coat out again, it was all dried and up still in tact in his pocket, right where he left it! If I remember right, he buys a new one every year now, and has done the same with several other sandwiches from McDonald's and other fast food places to see how they hold up over the years.

And I'd say the main thing about the fries holds true with the sandwiches; they dry out before they have a chance to rot.

LOL, I have to agree. I guess it's why I saw so many moldy half-eaten fast food burgers. When I was growing up, any restaurant leftovers were "fair game" for scrounging by anyone (unless the original owner left a note that they were saving it for themselves). The only person in the family who would touch a leftover fast food burger was my father (he'll eat just about anything, but he never had a weight issue either, at least not until after retirement, now he's fighting middle-age spread).

After about age 12, I would beg AGAINST fast food (now, an oriental buffet was another matter).

Wow. My hubby is a late night hamburger junkie. He often gets 2 and saves the other one for later. I clean out my fridge once a month (like scrubbing and stuff) and I'v found a lonely little McDonalds burger in the back a time or two. And as I curse the hubby for leaving it in there so long I always notice it has not aged or rotted at all. The proof is in the patty!

Also, if you have ever given your kids fries in the mini van and FINALLY gotten around to vacume the thing out like 2 seasons later and there are those few lil fries left back there still in pristine condition. Makes ya think.

While I agree that fast food isn't the healthiest thing. I just read an article about some people digging near a landfilL that recovered carrots basically looking orange and plump - wrapped in newspaper from the 1950's. There were no preservatives in the carrots.

Kind of amazing.

This video is visually interesting and kind of cool, but that's about as far as it goes for me. I just don't trust any sort of "exposé" that ends with a question ("what is in this?"). Ending with a question means that the video (obviously) hasn't answered anything, but viewers tend to feel as if answers have been provided.

It's just the same misleading manipulative sales tactics as provided by late night infomercials and car salesmen. Remember, the video started with a pitch for her diet books.