This is what a cheeseburger and French fries from McDonald’s looks like after 17 years

When it comes to fast food, McDonald's remains a firm favourite around the world. The brand has stores in almost every country and prides itself on its uniformity when it comes to classics like the Big Mac or its popular cheeseburgers. But, the food isn’t the healthiest. Which is why a video of a woman opening a cheeseburger 17 years after she purchased it is taking the internet by storm.

A user who goes by @savswhithead took to TikTok to share a video of her mother, who admits that she kept a cheeseburger and fries she bought 17 years ago to see “how real it is”.

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In the video, Savanna’s mother explained that she had purchased the meal back in 2004 and proceeds to pull out a cheeseburger and some fries.

"Oh that smells bad!" someone is heard saying as the bag is opened.

Interestingly, the French fries still look the same as they normally do, but they have hardened over the years. The fries have absolutely no mould on them.

As the woman unwraps the cheeseburger, she is also shocked to see that the item also didn’t grow mould over the 17 years. The bread, however, did harden and the family found it difficult to open the burger. Once they did, they noticed that the cheese looks like “peanut butter” now, adding that the entire experiment has been “gross”.

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The video is spreading like wildfire and over 700,000 people have viewed the clip – 70,000 of them commenting on it. "It looks exactly alike,” one viewer wrote. Another added: "We can't be eating that!"

Interestingly, the brand has had to deal with a number of these experiments, so much so that the McDonald's Corporate website in the US contains a statement explaining why their food doesn’t always decompose.

"In the right environment, our burgers, like most other foods, could decompose. But, in order to decompose, you need certain conditions – specifically moisture. Without sufficient moisture – either in the food itself or the environment – bacteria and mould may not grow and therefore, decomposition is unlikely,” the statement reads.

The statement adds: “So if food is or becomes dry enough, it is unlikely to grow mould or bacteria or decompose. Food prepared at home that is left to dehydrate could see similar results. Look closely, the burgers you are seeing are likely dried out and dehydrated, and by no means the same as the day they were purchased.” The reality is that our burgers are made only with 100% USDA inspected beef. There are no preservatives or fillers in our patties and the only thing ever added is a touch of salt and pepper on the grill."

Image courtesy: Pexels