Fast Food
McDonald’s Finally Tells Truth About ‘Pink Slime’ And Other Harmful Ingredients In Their Food
McDonald’s USA had begun the process of removing it from our supply chain prior to widespread media coverage on its use and it was completely removed from our supply in 2011. While select lean beef trimmings are safe, we decided to stop using the product to align our global standards for beef around the world.
McDonald’s now admits they have used ‘pink slime’ in their burger meat
Call it the power of the blog press, but fast food giant McDonald’s has taken to a slickly-crafted PR campaign in an attempt to countermand some of the really bad press that has been swirling on the Internet related to things like ‘pink slime’ in beef and yoga mat rubber in their buns. It will be interesting to note that, despite years of denials, McDonald’s now admits to using the disgusting ‘pink slime‘ in their beef, but have recently removed it.
So the question you have to ask yourself is, had it not been for the power of the blogosphere, would they ever have had any reason to change how they prepare and serve their food? The following Q&A has been taken directly from McDonald’s corporate website which you can visit here.
Q: ARE YOUR HAMBURGERS MADE USING REAL BEEF?
MCDONALD’S: Yes. Our burgers in the US are made using only 100% USDA-inspected beef. There are no preservatives, no fillers, no extenders and no so-called “pink slime” in our beef. The only thing added to our burgers is a bit of salt and pepper during grilling.
You can learn more about the ingredients in our food here.
Yep, they used it: “McDonald’s USA had begun the process of removing it from our supply chain prior to widespread media coverage on its use and it was completely removed from our supply in 2011.”
Q: DO YOU USE SO-CALLED ‘PINK SLIME’ IN YOUR BURGERS?
MCDONALD’S: Lean finely textured beef treated with ammonia, what some individuals call ‘pink slime’ or select lean beef trimmings, is not used in our burgers. Any recent reports that it is are false.
McDonald’s USA had begun the process of removing it from our supply chain prior to widespread media coverage on its use and it was completely removed from our supply in 2011. While select lean beef trimmings are safe, we decided to stop using the product to align our global standards for beef around the world.
Q: DO YOU IMPORT BEEF FROM BRAZIL, FROM CLEAR-CUT RAINFORESTS? DO YOU IMPORT CHICKEN FROM CHINA?
MCDONALD’S: Most of our beef we use in our U.S. restaurants comes from the U.S, although we import a small percentage of our 100% beef from suppliers in Australia and New Zealand to supplement our U.S. purchases. These suppliers must also meet McDonald’s quality and safety standards and USDA regulations. In fact, we’ve maintained a global policy against using beef sourced from de-forested rainforests since 1989. You can learn more about our long history of sustainable land management practices here.
All of the chicken we use in our U.S. restaurants is born and raised in the U.S. and comes from our trusted USDA-inspected American suppliers.
Q: WHY DO YOUR CHICKEN MCNUGGETS INCLUDE AN ‘ANTI-FOAMING’ AGENT?
MCDONALD’S: McDonald’s frying oil contains a small amount of an additive called dimethlypolysiloxane, which helps prevent oil from foaming and spattering in our restaurants.
All of the ingredients we use, including dimethylpolysiloxane, meet recognized food quality and safety standards. Because dimethylpolysiloxane is used in some non-food products, like putty, caulks or cosmetics, there have been individuals who have erroneously claimed that these items are also in our food.
We recognize the difference between using ingredients in food versus using a variation of those ingredients for non-food purposes can be confusing. We also realize that sometimes the scientific name for an ingredient may sound scary. For example, the salt you use to de-ice a driveway is a variation of the salt you use in the kitchen, however they are both sodium chloride.
You can learn more about the ingredients in our food here.
Q: IS THE MCRIB MADE USING THE SAME PLASTICS AS YOGA MATS?
MCDONALD’S: We use ingredients that are commonly used by the food industry and meet recognized food quality and safety standards. Azodicarbonamide is used by bakers to help ensure a consistent texture in each batch of bread they bake. It is used in many items on grocery store shelves, like some hot dog and hamburger buns and other bread products you may already purchase.
Because a variation of this ingredient is used in some non-food products, including yoga mats, there have been individuals who have erroneously claimed that our food contains that same rubber or plastics. This is simply not true.
We recognize the difference between using ingredients in food versus using a variation of those ingredients for non-food purposes can be confusing. We also realize that sometimes the scientific name for an ingredient may sound scary. For example, the salt you use to de-ice a driveway is a variation of the salt you use in the kitchen, however they are both sodium chloride.
You can learn more about the ingredients in our food here.
