McDonald's urban legends: Difference between revisions

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There are many urban legends about McDonald's. This is perhaps because of McDonald's very high profile around the world and perhaps also because McDonald's is a focus of the anti-globalization movement whose more maverick elements regard the corporation as evil.

Red and yellow empties seats

McDonald's restaurants tend to have a "red and yellow theme". An urban legend is that the corporation "calculated" that this color combination would entice people to leave the restaurant; thus, making room for new customers. However it should be noted that this is a successful two-colour scheme for many corporations, e.g. Shell Oil and the British Royal Mail. It should also be noted that if such a color scheme had such a repulsing effect on some, it is likely those affected by the colors wouldn't come at all.

Unusual ingredients

Many large companies have been plagued by rumors that they substitute unusual and unethical substances in their products, to save a few cents per serving. McDonald's is not immune to such claims. The following is a list of the most popular rumors about their food. None contain any truth, all are just mere flings of jealousy and of the overcreative minds of customers.

One common thread that ties many stories like these together, is the fact that the near death experiences were not reported to the easily accessible mainstream media, police, medical services, or even government-run food or health inspection agencies, such as the FDA. These agencies and services are legally obliged to act on such extreme cases.

Hamburgers

RUMOR: McDonald's/Jack in the Box hamburgers are made of worms meat. This rumor dates back to at least 1978, possibly earlier.
ORIGIN 1: One account of the story claims it was dug up by [[60 Minutes]. The show has never aired a segment on this or any similar theme. Other variants have creditted other investigative journalism shows for the "shocker".
ORIGIN 2: Some versions of the tale have it being revealed in a talk show chat with company CEOs. Its unlikely that business people would even be booked to appear on a talk show, CEOs generally aren't interesting enough to be booked and appear on the shows, thus any producer unwittingly booking the executive would have had to be prepared for a rating disaster.
DEBUNKING FACT 1: McDonald's or any other restaurant wouldn't use worms, for the simple reason that worms cost more per pound. To use worms as filler would be more expensive than using actual beef. In a April 30, 1992 issue of The London Times, Ray Kroc commented that "We couldn't afford to grind worms into our meat. Hamburger costs a dollar and a half a pound, and night crawlers six dollars."
DEBUNKING FACT 2: To set up a case against McDonald's on this, one would have to justify what McDonald's does with the gigantic shipments of meat it regularly orders from cattle farmers.
DEBUNKING FACT 3: If one was to suppose that worm meat was used, one must justify the miniscule amount of the US' population involved in worm farming.
DEBUNKING FACT 4: See note on FDA, other authorities.
DEBUNKING FACT 5: "At an Atlanta press conference, McDonald's officials, backed by a regional officer of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, denounced the rumors as "completely unfounded and unsubstantiated," and swore that the company's hamburgers contain nothing but beef." From Newsweek, November 27, 1978.
DEBUNKING FACT 6: McDonald's releases a letter from the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture in 1982, attesting to McDonald's burger's pure beef content. It was used as proof in a rebuttal press conference on October 1 of that year, against the rumor.
EVEN IF IT WAS: Worm meat is considered very nutritious, and contains no grissle.

RUMOR: McDonald's/Jack in the Box hamburgers are made of kangaroo meat. Origins and details are similar to the above rumor about worm meat.

PRESUMED ORIGIN: Kangaroos are regularly killed en-mass in Australia, they are considered a pest, and their carcasses are essentially useless. Anyone to find a purpose for their meat could easily profit.

DEBUNKING FACT 1: The cost of setting up a major operation to transport this meat thousands of kilometers, even just from Australia's east coast to the west coast of the US would theoretically be astronomical, and would be represented in the consumer's final price for purchasing the burger at a McDonald's/Jack in the Box restaurant.
DEBUNKING FACT 2: To set up a case against McDonald's on this, one would have to justify what McDonald's does with the gigantic shipments of meat it regularly orders from cattle farmers.
DEBUNKING FACT 3: If one was to suppose that kangaroo meat was used, one would have to question why there isn't obvious bulk quantities of kangaroo meat coming into the US, from Australia.
DEBUNKING FACT 4: See note on FDA, other authorities.

McFlurry rumor

One rumor circulating on the Internet claimed that a girl suffered a near death experience after eating a McFlurry. the rumor claimed that the girl was highly-allergic to bird feathers. The family traced back the origins of all the food the girl had recently eaten. On phoning McDonald's head office, they were told what was in the dessert.

McDonald's provides complete ingredient lists for all of its products in each restaurant location, and on each of its regional websites.

Exception legends

It is sometimes claimed a particular location is the only place where a McDonald's has closed down, due to lack of business. This claim has been made for several occasions. In fact it is not very rare for particular branches of the franchised chain to close, particularly after McDonald's poor financial performance in 2002.

No McDonald's Here

In 2002 British Foreign Office Minister Denis MacShane claimed that Sarajevo, Bosnia and Pyongyang, North Korea are the only two world capitals lacking a McDonald's. In fact McDonald's operates in just 119 countries, and now does have a branch in Sarajevo.

References

McDonald's Yugoslavia. 2003. http://www.mcdonalds.co.yu/
McDonald's country website index, McDonald's, 2003, http://www.mcdonalds.com/countries/index.html

@@ Line 8: / Line 8: @@
 One common thread that ties many stories like these together, is the fact that the near death experiences were not reported to the easily accessible mainstream media, police, medical services, or even government-run food or health inspection agencies, such as the [[FDA]]. These agencies and services are legally obliged to act on such extreme cases.
+===Hamburgers===
+* '''RUMOR:''' McDonald's/Jack in the Box hamburgers are made of worms meat. This rumor dates back to at least 1978, possibly earlier.
+* '''ORIGIN 1:''' One account of the story claims it was dug up by ''[[60 Minutes]''. The show has never aired a segment on this or any similar theme. Other variants have creditted other investigative journalism shows for the "shocker".
+* '''ORIGIN 2:''' Some versions of the tale have it being revealed in a talk show chat with company CEOs. Its unlikely that business people would even be booked to appear on a talk show, CEOs generally aren't interesting enough to be booked and appear on the shows, thus any producer unwittingly booking the executive would have had to be prepared for a rating disaster.
+* '''DEBUNKING FACT 1:''' McDonald's or any other restaurant wouldn't use worms, for the simple reason that worms cost more per pound. To use worms as filler would be more expensive than using actual beef. In a April 30, 1992 issue of The London Times, [[Ray Kroc]] commented that "We couldn't afford to grind worms into our meat. Hamburger costs a dollar and a half a pound, and night crawlers six dollars."
+* '''DEBUNKING FACT 2:''' To set up a case against McDonald's on this, one would have to justify what McDonald's does with the gigantic shipments of meat it regularly orders from cattle farmers.
+* '''DEBUNKING FACT 3:''' If one was to suppose that worm meat was used, one must justify the miniscule amount of the US' population involved in worm farming.
+* '''DEBUNKING FACT 4:''' See note on FDA, other authorities.
+* '''DEBUNKING FACT 5:''' "At an Atlanta press conference, McDonald's officials, backed by a regional officer of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, denounced the rumors as "completely unfounded and unsubstantiated," and swore that the company's hamburgers contain nothing but beef." From ''Newsweek'', November 27, 1978.
+* '''DEBUNKING FACT 6:''' McDonald's releases a letter from the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture in 1982, attesting to McDonald's burger's pure beef content. It was used as proof in a rebuttal press conference on October 1 of that year, against the rumor.
+* '''EVEN IF IT WAS:''' Worm meat is considered very nutritious, and contains no grissle.
+* '''RUMOR:''' McDonald's/Jack in the Box hamburgers are made of kangaroo meat. Origins and details are similar to the above rumor about worm meat.
+'''PRESUMED ORIGIN:''' Kangaroos are regularly killed en-mass in Australia, they are considered a pest, and their carcasses are essentially useless. Anyone to find a purpose for their meat could easily profit.
+* '''DEBUNKING FACT 1:''' The cost of setting up a major operation to transport this meat thousands of kilometers, even just from Australia's east coast to the west coast of the US would theoretically be astronomical, and would be represented in the consumer's final price for purchasing the burger at a McDonald's/Jack in the Box restaurant.
+* '''DEBUNKING FACT 2:''' To set up a case against McDonald's on this, one would have to justify what McDonald's does with the gigantic shipments of meat it regularly orders from cattle farmers.
+* '''DEBUNKING FACT 3:''' If one was to suppose that kangaroo meat was used, one would have to question why there isn't obvious bulk quantities of kangaroo meat coming into the US, from Australia.
+* '''DEBUNKING FACT 4:''' See note on FDA, other authorities.
 ===McFlurry rumor===