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{{short description|Urban legends about McDonald's}}
{{Short description|none}}
There are multiple '''[[urban legend]]s''' centering around the fast-food chain '''[[McDonald's]]'''. These legends include claims about the food and allegations of discrimination by the company.
There are multiple [[urban legend]]s centering around the fast-food chain [[McDonald's]]. These legends include claims about the food and allegations of discrimination by the company.


==Funding terrorism==
==Funding terrorism==


In the late 1980s, rumours persisted in the [[United Kingdom]] that McDonald's was covertly funding the [[Provisional IRA]], which was designated as a terror organisation, via [[NORAID]]. The source of these rumours was eventually traced to a [[CNN]] talkshow in which the company was praised for its generosity in providing funding for employees via [[Individual Retirement Account]]s, or IRAs.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/11/30/opinion/topics-of-the-times-the-ira-you-say.html |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100129181855/https://www.nytimes.com/1989/11/30/opinion/topics-of-the-times-the-ira-you-say.html|archive-date=2010-01-29|title=Topics of the Times - The IRA you say |newspaper=The New York Times |date=30 November 1989}}</ref>
In the late 1980s, rumors persisted in the [[United Kingdom]] that McDonald's was covertly funding the [[Provisional Irish Republican Army|Provisional IRA]], which was designated as a terror organization, via [[NORAID]]. The source of these rumors was eventually traced to a [[CNN]] talk show in which the company was praised for its generosity in providing funding for employees via [[individual retirement account|Individual Retirement Account]]s, or IRAs.<ref>{{cite news |date=30 November 1989 |title=Topics of the Times - The IRA you say |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/11/30/opinion/topics-of-the-times-the-ira-you-say.html |url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100129181855/https://www.nytimes.com/1989/11/30/opinion/topics-of-the-times-the-ira-you-say.html |archive-date=2010-01-29}}</ref>


==Unusual ingredients==
==Unusual ingredients==
Large companies have been the subject of rumors that they substitute unusual or [[unethical]] substances in their products, usually to decrease costs. McDonald's is not immune to such claims.
Large companies have been the subject of rumors that they substitute unusual or [[unethical]] substances in their products, usually to decrease costs. McDonald's is not immune to such claims.


===Confectionery cheeseburgers===
===Earthworms===
[[File:McDonald's Double Cheeseburger (1).jpg|thumb|A McDonald's cheeseburger]]
Dating back to at least 1978, this rumor claims that McDonald's restaurants use earthworms in their hamburgers.<ref name=snopes-worm>{{cite web|url=https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/worm-meat-used-mcdonalds-hamburgers/ |last=Mikkelson |first=David |author-link=<!--David Mikkelson--> |title=Worm Meat Used in McDonald's Hamburgers? Does McDonald's use worm meat as filler in their hamburgers? |date=5 July 1999 |access-date=7 January 2020}}<!--New URL redirecting from old URL: [http://www.snopes.com/horrors/food/wormburg.asp Snopes: ''McSquirmies'']--></ref><ref>[http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/fooddrink/a/wormburgers.htm Urban legends: ''Worms as 'Filler' in Fast Food'']</ref> This "worm-in-the-burger" rumor was originally attached to [[Wendy's]] burgers.{{Refn|{{harvp|Koenig|1985}} apud [[www.snopes.com]]<ref name=snopes-worm/> and G. V. J. Howell (Ph.D. dissert. 2006)<ref name=howell/>}}{{sfnp|Fine|1980|p=228}}
One story claims that if McDonald's cheeseburgers did not include pickles as an ingredient, the cheeseburger would be classed as a confectionery item. It stems from the belief that the sugar content in the bun is high, but adding a pickle then keeps the overall sugar percentage below the threshold of what is classed as confectionery. McDonald's have stated that this story is an urban legend.<ref>{{cite web |title=Are McDonald's cheeseburgers counted as confectionery? |url=https://youtube.com/watch?v=oWBZCqkJLTE |access-date=5 March 2023 |website=YouTube |publisher=McDonald's |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Are gherkins added to a Big Mac® to offset the sugar content & avoid it being called a dessert? |url=https://www.mcdonalds.com/gb/en-gb/help/faq/are-gherkins-added-to-a-big-mac--to-offset-the-sugar-content---avoid-it-being-called-a-dessert.html |access-date=5 March 2023 |website=www.mcdonalds.com}}</ref>


===Cow eyeballs===
===Cow eyeballs===
One belief is that McDonald's uses cow eyeballs in its products, permitting it to brand them as "100% beef".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/the-eyes-of-texas/ |last=Mikkelson |first=David |author-link=<!--David Mikkelson--> |title=McDonald's: World's Largest Purchaser of Cow Eyeballs? |date=1999 |access-date=7 January 2020}}, updated 5 April 2015.<!--New URL redirecting from old URL: [http://www.snopes.com/horrors/food/coweyes.asp Snopes:''Cow Eyeballs'']--></ref> However, the [[United States Department of Agriculture|USDA]] mandates that all beef by-products, including cow eyeballs, be appropriately labeled. McDonald's, has asserted that its products contain "100% pure USDA inspected beef; no additives, no fillers, no extenders." In addition, cow eyeballs are actually more expensive than the more commonly eaten cow parts, due to demand from scientific institutions for experiments.<ref>[http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/weekly/aa103000a.htm "McEyeballs"]. Retrieved January 16, 2006.</ref>
One belief is that McDonald's uses cow [[eye]]balls in its products, permitting it to brand them as "100% beef".<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Mikkelson |first=David |date=15 April 2015 |title=McDonald's: World's Largest Purchaser of Cow Eyeballs? |url=https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/the-eyes-of-texas/ |access-date=2022-07-05 |website=[[Snopes]] |language=en-US}}</ref> However, the [[United States Department of Agriculture]] (USDA) mandates that all beef by-products, including cow eyeballs, be appropriately labeled. McDonald's has asserted that its products contain "100% pure USDA-inspected beef; no additives, no fillers, no extenders." In addition, cow eyeballs are actually more expensive than the more commonly eaten cow parts, due to demand from scientific institutions for experiments.<ref name=":0" />


A related claim is that McDonald's buys its meat from a company called "100% Beef", making it possible for McDonald's to call beef by-products and soy products "100% beef".<ref>{{Cite web |date=24 January 2011 |title=Are McDonald's Hamburgers 100% Beef? |url=https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/mcdonalds-100-beef/ |access-date=2022-07-05 |website=[[Snopes]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=FAQS {{!}} Is '100% beef' a company owned by McDonald's (and therefore your beef products are not actually 100% beef)? |url=https://www.mcdonalds.com/gb/en-gb/help/faq/18916-is-beef-a-company-owned-by-mcdonalds-and-therefore-your-beef-products-are-not-actually-beef.html |access-date=2022-07-05 |website=McDonald's UK |language=en-gb}}</ref>
A related claim is that McDonald's buys its meat from a company called "100% beef", making it possible for McDonald's to call beef by-products and soy products "100% beef".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/the-eyes-of-texas/ |author=Snopes staff |author-link=<!--David Mikkelson--> |title=Are McDonald's Hamburgers 100% Beef? |date=24 January 2011 |access-date=7 January 2020}}<!--New URL redirecting from old URL: [http://www.snopes.com/business/market/allbeef.asp Snopes:''100 % beef"]--></ref> During the [[McLibel case]] it was found that once imported beef was cleared by the authorities it lost its country of origin identity and gained the status of "U.S. graded beef", so this claim may have emerged from the lack of effective country of origin labelling in the U.S.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mcspotlight.org/case/trial/verdict/verdict_jud1d.html |title=McLibel Verdict |author=Chief Justice Bell |date=June 19, 1997 |website= www.mcspotlight.org |access-date=June 15, 2018 |quote="Dr Nations' and Mr Shane's understanding of U.S. beef labelling laws appeared to be the same as Mr Secrett's. They thought that a problem arose because under U.S. law once imported beef was cleared by the authorities it lost its import identity and gained the status of U.S. graded beef. Thus if the meat was purchased by a broker for resale, the next or final buyer only knew the U.S. grade of the product and not necessarily the country of origin. Efforts by some U.S. environmentalists to have Congress enact a labelling law designating beef's country of origin had been unsuccessful."}}</ref>


===Mutant laboratory meat===
===Earthworms===
Dating back to at least 1978, this rumor claims that McDonald's restaurants use earthworms in their hamburgers.<ref name="snopes-worm">{{Cite web |last=Mikkelson |first=David |date=5 July 1999 |title=FACT CHECK: Is Worm Meat Used in McDonald's Hamburgers? |url=https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/worm-meat-used-mcdonalds-hamburgers/ |access-date=2022-07-05 |website=[[Snopes]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Taylor |first=Kate |date=2016-01-21 |title=A viral rumor that McDonald's uses ground worm filler in burgers has been debunked |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/debunked-mcdonalds-uses-worm-filler-2016-1 |access-date=2022-07-05 |website=[[Business Insider]] |language=en-US}}</ref> This "worm-in-the-burger" rumor was originally attached to [[Wendy's]] burgers.<ref name="snopes-worm" />
Around March–April, 2000, an Internet rumor spread via e-mail in [[Brazil]] claimed that McDonald's meat was actually made from a [[genetically modified animal]] maintained in a laboratory. The e-mail stated that "the few who saw it assure it is a very unpleasant sight: they have no limbs or horns, no bones (undeveloped cartilage instead), no eyes, no tail and no fur; its head is about the size of a Baseball; they are fed through tubes connected directly into their stomach".<ref>[http://www.quatrocantos.com/lendas/22_coisas_mcdonald.htm "If you think you're eating something natural"]. Portuguese article, contains the original e-mail.</ref>


=== Human meat ===
⚫
The e-mail carries on saying that "some irreversible health damage can be done by eating this meat, resulting in diseases who manifest themselves in a way similar to [[AIDS]], and have symptoms related to [[Alzheimer's Disease]]" and ends encouraging the reader to boycott McDonald's until it sells actual beef. The urban legend has also been attributed to other fast-food chains and animal products, such as [[KFC]] and mutant chickens.
A claim circulating since 2014, including in a video, is that McDonald's uses human meat in their hamburgers. The claim originates from a satire blog.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-08-24 |title=False claim of human meat in McDonald’s factories stems from old hoax |url=https://apnews.com/article/archive-fact-checking-9233643423 |access-date=2024-07-08 |website=AP News |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Lee |first=Ella |title=Fact check: No, McDonald's doesn't serve 'human meat' |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2021/12/30/fact-check-false-claim-mcdonalds-and-human-meat/9044539002/ |access-date=2024-07-08 |website=USA TODAY |language=en-US}}</ref>


===Mutant laboratory meat===
This rumor is a plot point of the science fiction novel ''[[The Space Merchants]]'', by [[Frederik Pohl]] (w/[[CM Kornbluth]]).
Around March–April 2000, an internet rumor spread via e-mail in [[Brazil]] claimed that McDonald's meat was actually made from a [[genetically modified animal]] maintained in a laboratory, attributing the findings to the [[Michigan State University]]. The e-mail stated that the creatures kept were "figures without legs and without horns, which are fed through tubes connected to the stomach and which in fact have no bones, but a little cartilage that never develops", and "anyone who has seen them assures them that they are very unpleasant things, because in addition to remaining immobile all their 'life', they have no eyes, no tail and practically no fur; in fact the head is the size of a tennis ball".<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=As coisas da McDonald's: hambúrgueres são feitos de seres geneticamente modificados. (hoax). |url=http://www.quatrocantos.com/lendas/22_coisas_mcdonald.htm |access-date=2022-07-05 |website=www.quatrocantos.com |language=pt}}</ref>

⚫
The e-mail carries on saying that "some irreversible health damage can be done by eating this meat, resulting in diseases who manifest themselves in a way similar to [[AIDS]], and have symptoms related to [[Alzheimer's disease]]" and ends encouraging the reader to boycott McDonald's until it sells actual beef. The urban legend has also been attributed to other fast-food chains and animal products, such as [[KFC]] and mutant chickens.<ref name=":1" />


===Pig fat===
===Pig fat===
This rumor is that McDonald's uses [[lard|pig fat]] in its milkshakes, ice cream, and fried potatoes. McDonald's provides complete ingredient lists for all of its products on each of its regional websites: this includes unidentified fats within the ice cream used to make soft serve cones and sundaes.<ref>Williams, Ruth (Apr. 20, 2004).[https://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/04/19/1082357114662.html?from=storyrhs "McSalads bring back health"]. ''www.smh.com.au''.</ref><ref>Sanghera, Sathnam (Dec. 16, 2005). [http://firstnews.com.ua/en/food/food.html?id=139121 "McDonald's bid to sugar its image will do it a fat lot of good"]. ''FirsTnews''.</ref> McDonald's Australia, however, specifically mentions that "there is definitely no lard or pig fat in the McDonald's Soft Serve."<ref>Top FAQs section of [http://makeupyourownmind.com.au/ http://makeupyourownmind.com.au/] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161003090711/http://makeupyourownmind.com.au/ |date=2016-10-03 }}. Retrieved January 12, 2007.</ref> This rumor should not be confused with the fact that McDonald's has in the past used [[Tallow|beef tallow]] as its frying oil.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html|title=McDonald's To Settle Suits On Beef Tallow In French Fries|date=9 March 2002|access-date=9 September 2016|via=NYTimes.com}}</ref>
This rumor is that McDonald's uses [[lard|pig fat]] in its milkshakes, ice cream, and fried potatoes. McDonald's provides complete ingredient lists for all of its products on each of its regional websites: this includes unidentified fats within the ice cream used to make soft-serve cones and sundaes. The claim that McDonald's dairy products contain pig fat has been denied by the company on several occasions.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kelly |first=Debra |date=2020-07-16 |title=The Untold Truth Of McDonald's Ice Cream |url=https://www.mashed.com/227375/the-untold-truth-of-mcdonalds-ice-cream/ |access-date=2022-07-05 |website=[[Mashed.com]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2004-04-20 |title=McSalads bring back health |url=https://www.smh.com.au/business/mcsalads-bring-back-health-20040420-gdirqt.html |access-date=2022-07-05 |website=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |language=en}}</ref>


===Choko pie===
=== Pink slime ===
Around 2014, a photo of "[[pink slime]]" or "pink goop" was widely shared and claimed to be what [[Chicken McNuggets]] were made of.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Behr |first=Felix |date=2020-11-09 |title=Don't Believe These Myths About Chicken Nuggets |url=https://www.mashed.com/275839/dont-believe-these-myths-about-chicken-nuggets/ |access-date=2022-07-05 |website=[[Mashed.com]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Mikkelson |first=David |date=2015-01-28 |title=Pink Slime and Mechanically Separated Chicken |url=https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/legal-separation/ |access-date=2022-07-05 |website=[[Snopes]] |language=en-US}}</ref> This has led to McDonald's Canada releasing a video showcasing how Chicken McNuggets are actually made in response.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-02-06 |title=McDonald's Shows How Its McNuggets Are Made: No 'Pink Slime' |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/mcdonalds-shows-how-its-mcnuggets-are-made-no-pink-slime-n23706 |access-date=2022-07-05 |website=[[NBC News]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Tuttle |first=Brad |date=2014-02-05 |title=McDonald's Made the Right Move in Response to Gross 'Pink Slime' |url=https://time.com/4680/mcdonalds-made-the-right-move-in-response-to-gross-pink-slime/ |access-date=2022-07-05 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |language=en}}</ref>
There is a rumor in Australia that McDonald's Apple Pies were made of [[Chayote|choko]], not apples.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dailyripper.com/2004/12/17/we-must-never-forget-choko/ |title='We must never forget choko' |date=December 17, 2004 |work=The Daily Ripper |access-date=3 September 2010 |location=Australia |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081204111610/http://www.dailyripper.com/2004/12/17/we-must-never-forget-choko/ |archive-date=December 4, 2008 }}</ref> This eventually led them to emphasize the fact that real [[Granny Smith apple]]s are used in McDonald's pies.


==Racism==
==Racism==
{{main|Seriously McDonalds}}
{{main|Seriously McDonalds}}
Rumors in 2011 proclaimed an image shows a McDonald's sign announcing a $1.50 surcharge for African-American customers. This was proven to be a hoax.<ref name="CBS">{{cite news|last=|first=|date=15 June 2011|title=McDonald's racist Twitter message was hoax|work=|publisher=[[CBS News]]|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/06/15/earlyshow/leisure/gamesgadgetsgizmos/main20071227.shtml |url-status=dead|access-date=29 July 2012}}</ref>
Rumors in 2011 proclaimed an image shows a McDonald's sign announcing a $1.50 surcharge for African-American customers. This was proven to be a hoax.<ref name="CBS">{{cite news|last=|first=|date=15 June 2011|title=McDonald's racist Twitter message was hoax|work=|publisher=[[CBS News]]|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/06/15/earlyshow/leisure/gamesgadgetsgizmos/main20071227.shtml|url-status=dead|access-date=29 July 2012|archive-date=3 May 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120503003115/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/06/15/earlyshow/leisure/gamesgadgetsgizmos/main20071227.shtml}}</ref>


==Drugs==
==Drugs==
[[Fake news website]]s since 2015 have purported that McDonald's restaurants in Colorado are converting children's playgrounds to lounges for on-premises [[cannabis consumption]]. The story has been disavowed by a McDonald's spokesperson.<ref>{{citation|publisher=Associated Press|title=NOT REAL NEWS: McDonald's not adding pot-smoking centers|date=April 17, 2018|url=https://apnews.com/0780444bcc40456aa31b43a6f471f0da/NOT-REAL-NEWS:-McDonald's-not-adding-pot-smoking-centers}}</ref>
Since 2015, [[fake news website]]s have purported that McDonald's restaurants in Colorado are converting children's playgrounds to lounges for on-premises [[cannabis consumption]]. The story was started on the fake news website [[Now 8 News]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-04-18 |title=NOT REAL NEWS: McDonald's not adding pot-smoking centers |url=https://apnews.com/article/0780444bcc40456aa31b43a6f471f0da |access-date=2022-07-05 |website=[[AP News]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Evon |first=Dan |date=2015-10-08 |title=McWeed |url=https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/mcdonalds-marijuana-smoking-pods/ |access-date=2024-07-08 |website=Snopes |language=en}}</ref>


== Big Mac conspiracy ==
==Politics==
The rumour says that the [[hamburger button]] is actually a Big Mac that McDonald's has planted around the Internet to advertise the burger on multiple websites. The designer behind the hamburger menu item, [[Norm Cox (designer)|Norm Cox]], has not confirmed this claim.<ref>{{Citation |title=The Icon - Truth About the Hamburger Menu |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYlyB0j6DzQ |access-date=2024-03-13 |language=en, fi}}</ref>
[[Australian Prime Minister]] [[Scott Morrison]] is rumored to have defecated his pants at a McDonalds in the rural Australian suburb of Engadine in 1997. The PM addressed this in a speech in 2019 as a passing joke. There is no definite truth to this rumor.{{Fact|date=May 2021}}


== References ==
== References ==

;Citations
=== Citations ===
{{reflist|30em|refs=
{{reflist|30em|refs=
<ref name=howell>{{cite thesis|type=Ph.D. |last=Howell |first=Gwyneth Vernoica James |title=Using the Informational Processing Paradigm to Design Commercial Rumour Response Strategies on the World Wide Web |publisher=The University of Western Australia |year=2006 |url=https://research-repository.uwa.edu.au/files/3232988/Howell_Gwyneth_Veronica_James_2006.pdf}}</ref>
<!--<ref name=howell>{{cite thesis|type=Ph.D. |last=Howell |first=Gwyneth Vernoica James |title=Using the Informational Processing Paradigm to Design Commercial Rumour Response Strategies on the World Wide Web |publisher=The University of Western Australia |year=2006 |url=https://research-repository.uwa.edu.au/files/3232988/Howell_Gwyneth_Veronica_James_2006.pdf}}</ref>-->
}}
}}


;Bibliography
=== Bibliography ===
{{refbegin}}
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite journal|last=Fine |first=Gary Alan |author-link=Gary Alan Fine |title=The Kentucky Fried Rat: Legends and Modern Society |journal=Journal of the Folklore Institute |publisher=[[Indiana University Press]] |volume=17 |number=2/3<!--, Special Double Issue: The America Theme in American Folklore--> |date=<!--May - Dec., -->1980|pages=222–243 |doi=10.2307/3813896 |jstor=3813896}}
* {{cite journal|last=Fine |first=Gary Alan |author-link=Gary Alan Fine |title=The Kentucky Fried Rat: Legends and Modern Society |journal=Journal of the Folklore Institute |publisher=[[Indiana University Press]] |volume=17 |number=2/3<!--, Special Double Issue: The America Theme in American Folklore--> |date=<!--May - Dec., -->1980|pages=222–243 |doi=10.2307/3813896 |jstor=3813896}}

* {{cite book|last=Koenig |first=Frederick |author-link=Frederick Koenig |title=Rumor in the Marketplace: The Social Psychology of Commercial Hearsay |place=Dover, MA |publisher=[[Greenwood Publishing Group|Auburn House]] |year=1985 |pages=<!--1–180--> }}, 180pp
* {{cite book|last=Koenig |first=Frederick |author-link=Frederick Koenig |title=Rumor in the Marketplace: The Social Psychology of Commercial Hearsay |place=Dover, MA |publisher=[[Greenwood Publishing Group|Auburn House]] |year=1985 |pages=<!--1–180--> }}, 180pp
{{refend}}
{{refend}}


==External links==
==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20061005001717/http://www.makeupyourownmind.com.au/ ''Make Up Your Own Mind''], a site made by McDonald's, dedicated to clarifying myths and urban legends.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20061005001717/http://www.makeupyourownmind.com.au/ ''Make Up Your Own Mind''], a site made by McDonald's, dedicated to clarifying myths and urban legends
*[https://www.snopes.com/tag/mcdonalds/ Articles tagged with McDonald's] at [[Snopes]]


{{McDonald's}}
{{McDonald's}}
{{Urban legends}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Mcdonald's Urban Legends}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mcdonald's Urban Legends}}

Latest revision as of 08:41, 8 July 2024

There are multiple urban legends centering around the fast-food chain McDonald's. These legends include claims about the food and allegations of discrimination by the company.

Funding terrorism

[edit]

In the late 1980s, rumors persisted in the United Kingdom that McDonald's was covertly funding the Provisional IRA, which was designated as a terror organization, via NORAID. The source of these rumors was eventually traced to a CNN talk show in which the company was praised for its generosity in providing funding for employees via Individual Retirement Accounts, or IRAs.[1]

Unusual ingredients

[edit]

Large companies have been the subject of rumors that they substitute unusual or unethical substances in their products, usually to decrease costs. McDonald's is not immune to such claims.

Confectionery cheeseburgers

[edit]
A McDonald's cheeseburger

One story claims that if McDonald's cheeseburgers did not include pickles as an ingredient, the cheeseburger would be classed as a confectionery item. It stems from the belief that the sugar content in the bun is high, but adding a pickle then keeps the overall sugar percentage below the threshold of what is classed as confectionery. McDonald's have stated that this story is an urban legend.[2][3]

Cow eyeballs

[edit]

One belief is that McDonald's uses cow eyeballs in its products, permitting it to brand them as "100% beef".[4] However, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) mandates that all beef by-products, including cow eyeballs, be appropriately labeled. McDonald's has asserted that its products contain "100% pure USDA-inspected beef; no additives, no fillers, no extenders." In addition, cow eyeballs are actually more expensive than the more commonly eaten cow parts, due to demand from scientific institutions for experiments.[4]

A related claim is that McDonald's buys its meat from a company called "100% Beef", making it possible for McDonald's to call beef by-products and soy products "100% beef".[5][6]

Earthworms

[edit]

Dating back to at least 1978, this rumor claims that McDonald's restaurants use earthworms in their hamburgers.[7][8] This "worm-in-the-burger" rumor was originally attached to Wendy's burgers.[7]

Human meat

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A claim circulating since 2014, including in a video, is that McDonald's uses human meat in their hamburgers. The claim originates from a satire blog.[9][10]

Mutant laboratory meat

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Around March–April 2000, an internet rumor spread via e-mail in Brazil claimed that McDonald's meat was actually made from a genetically modified animal maintained in a laboratory, attributing the findings to the Michigan State University. The e-mail stated that the creatures kept were "figures without legs and without horns, which are fed through tubes connected to the stomach and which in fact have no bones, but a little cartilage that never develops", and "anyone who has seen them assures them that they are very unpleasant things, because in addition to remaining immobile all their 'life', they have no eyes, no tail and practically no fur; in fact the head is the size of a tennis ball".[11]

The e-mail carries on saying that "some irreversible health damage can be done by eating this meat, resulting in diseases who manifest themselves in a way similar to AIDS, and have symptoms related to Alzheimer's disease" and ends encouraging the reader to boycott McDonald's until it sells actual beef. The urban legend has also been attributed to other fast-food chains and animal products, such as KFC and mutant chickens.[11]

Pig fat

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This rumor is that McDonald's uses pig fat in its milkshakes, ice cream, and fried potatoes. McDonald's provides complete ingredient lists for all of its products on each of its regional websites: this includes unidentified fats within the ice cream used to make soft-serve cones and sundaes. The claim that McDonald's dairy products contain pig fat has been denied by the company on several occasions.[12][13]

Pink slime

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Around 2014, a photo of "pink slime" or "pink goop" was widely shared and claimed to be what Chicken McNuggets were made of.[14][15] This has led to McDonald's Canada releasing a video showcasing how Chicken McNuggets are actually made in response.[16][17]

Racism

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Main article: Seriously McDonalds

Rumors in 2011 proclaimed an image shows a McDonald's sign announcing a $1.50 surcharge for African-American customers. This was proven to be a hoax.[18]

Drugs

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Since 2015, fake news websites have purported that McDonald's restaurants in Colorado are converting children's playgrounds to lounges for on-premises cannabis consumption. The story was started on the fake news website Now 8 News.[19][20]

Big Mac conspiracy

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The rumour says that the hamburger button is actually a Big Mac that McDonald's has planted around the Internet to advertise the burger on multiple websites. The designer behind the hamburger menu item, Norm Cox, has not confirmed this claim.[21]

References

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Citations

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  1. ^ "Topics of the Times - The IRA you say". The New York Times. 30 November 1989. Archived from the original on 2010-01-29.
  2. ^ "Are McDonald's cheeseburgers counted as confectionery?". YouTube. McDonald's. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  3. ^ "Are gherkins added to a Big Mac® to offset the sugar content & avoid it being called a dessert?". www.mcdonalds.com. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  4. ^ a b Mikkelson, David (15 April 2015). "McDonald's: World's Largest Purchaser of Cow Eyeballs?". Snopes. Retrieved 2022-07-05.
  5. ^ "Are McDonald's Hamburgers 100% Beef?". Snopes. 24 January 2011. Retrieved 2022-07-05.
  6. ^ "FAQS | Is '100% beef' a company owned by McDonald's (and therefore your beef products are not actually 100% beef)?". McDonald's UK. Retrieved 2022-07-05.
  7. ^ a b Mikkelson, David (5 July 1999). "FACT CHECK: Is Worm Meat Used in McDonald's Hamburgers?". Snopes. Retrieved 2022-07-05.
  8. ^ Taylor, Kate (2016-01-21). "A viral rumor that McDonald's uses ground worm filler in burgers has been debunked". Business Insider. Retrieved 2022-07-05.
  9. ^ "False claim of human meat in McDonald's factories stems from old hoax". AP News. 2020-08-24. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
  10. ^ Lee, Ella. "Fact check: No, McDonald's doesn't serve 'human meat'". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
  11. ^ a b "As coisas da McDonald's: hambúrgueres são feitos de seres geneticamente modificados. (hoax)". www.quatrocantos.com (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2022-07-05.
  12. ^ Kelly, Debra (2020-07-16). "The Untold Truth Of McDonald's Ice Cream". Mashed.com. Retrieved 2022-07-05.
  13. ^ "McSalads bring back health". The Sydney Morning Herald. 2004-04-20. Retrieved 2022-07-05.
  14. ^ Behr, Felix (2020-11-09). "Don't Believe These Myths About Chicken Nuggets". Mashed.com. Retrieved 2022-07-05.
  15. ^ Mikkelson, David (2015-01-28). "Pink Slime and Mechanically Separated Chicken". Snopes. Retrieved 2022-07-05.
  16. ^ "McDonald's Shows How Its McNuggets Are Made: No 'Pink Slime'". NBC News. 2014-02-06. Retrieved 2022-07-05.
  17. ^ Tuttle, Brad (2014-02-05). "McDonald's Made the Right Move in Response to Gross 'Pink Slime'". Time. Retrieved 2022-07-05.
  18. ^ "McDonald's racist Twitter message was hoax". CBS News. 15 June 2011. Archived from the original on 3 May 2012. Retrieved 29 July 2012.
  19. ^ "NOT REAL NEWS: McDonald's not adding pot-smoking centers". AP News. 2018-04-18. Retrieved 2022-07-05.
  20. ^ Evon, Dan (2015-10-08). "McWeed". Snopes. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
  21. ^ The Icon - Truth About the Hamburger Menu (in English and Finnish), retrieved 2024-03-13

Bibliography

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