October 12, 2010 10:08 PM

Happy Meal Doesn't Decompose After 6 Months

By
David Riedel
Topics
News ,
Food and Drink

In this file photo, McDonald's food is shown. A Manhattan artist photographed a Happy Meal for six months to document its changes. (McDonald's)

(CBS) The Daily Mail reports that a McDonald's Happy Meal bought about six months ago looks the same as a new Happy Meal. Sally Davies, a Manhattan artist, has photographed the Happy Meal each day since its purchase, reports the Daily Mail. There is no sign of mold.

The Happy Meal in question has the standard components, a hamburger and a small order of French fries.

"I bought the meal on April 10 of this year and brought it home with the express intention of leaving it out to see how it fared," Davies told the Daily Mail.

She told the Daily Mail that after the second day she had the Happy Meal in her home, "[M]y dogs stopped circling the shelf it was sitting on trying to see what was up there."

Davies' experiment with the Happy Meal is the latest in a series of high-profile examinations of fast food. Morgan Spurlock, in the DVD extras section of his 2004 documentary "Super Size Me," performed a similar experiment with McDonald's food as Davies did.

In a January 2010 interview with Oprah Winfrey, food writer Michael Pollan said one of his rules on food is, "Eat only foods that will eventually rot."

Read the Daily Mail article here.


Add a Comment See all 16 Comments
by xerofob October 14, 2010 3:12 AM EDT
Preservatives have nothing to do with this. The food will simply dry up. It will NOT decompose. It may eventually turn to dust. With no outside source of moisture, it will just dry up. Even the tomatoes and onions. I have witnessed it myself. The "expert" here knows nothing.
Reply to this comment
by regfarfield December 1, 2011 11:02 AM EST
Well, first of all I feel bad that you have been around food that old before, that's kinda gross. Second, you do have to admit that there is some <a href="http://www.goodfoodpreservation.com">food preservation</a> going on here, considering that the sugars in the buns of the hamburgers would make it a prime candidate for mold if it where a regular bun, not to mention the meat would go rancid.
by kippertoo October 13, 2010 3:17 PM EDT
God, that's disgusting.
Reply to this comment
by Itshottoday October 13, 2010 1:06 PM EDT
Scary!!!!
Reply to this comment
by myopinionpal October 13, 2010 11:08 AM EDT
I guess its fair to say that we have living mummyfied people walking around thanks to the over use of preservatives.
Reply to this comment
by tsigili October 13, 2010 10:34 AM EDT
Anyone who is not aware of the extensive use of preservatives in many, many foods, is not well informed.

Look into baked goods designed for vending machines. You just might be surprised at those, as well.
Reply to this comment
by kellierae October 13, 2010 10:18 AM EDT
If the bugs won't eat it, neither should we.
Reply to this comment
by zippiez October 13, 2010 7:43 AM EDT
This proves that our children and grand children will live forever!
Reply to this comment
by jmiller186 October 13, 2010 6:25 AM EDT
Let's get serious here, look at that picture, how many parents out there have bought happy meals with picture perfect burgers, like shown above. My oldest child is 21 and I have bought many happy meals. Never did one that I bought look like the one above. Show the real pictures if there are any.
Reply to this comment
by zippiez October 13, 2010 7:41 AM EDT
I agree. Looks like a nice photo-shop job. I've never seen a set of perfect buns or perky fries like those in the picture. The buns are usually crushed and at least 50% of the fries are wilted and both suffer from the severe sags.
by kippertoo October 13, 2010 3:22 PM EDT
Zippiez...you ARE talking about Happy Meals, aren't you?
by tmittelstaed October 13, 2010 2:46 AM EDT
This is really stupid. Most food if you leave them out will not mold, only food with a high water content - and the ability to retain the water content - will mold. Mold needs moisture. As for the happy meal, the cheese itself IS mold, and bread will dry out, cooked meat will also dry out, what do you think jerkey is?

100 years ago most people would think the photographer was a fool, because many people still farmed and did their own food preserving and drying food was well understood as a preservative. Nowadays people only do food preserving as a hobby and most people don't understand food preservation any longer.
Reply to this comment
by xerofob October 14, 2010 3:20 AM EDT
Correct.....the food will just dry up. It will not rot. The bread will not mold because it will lose its water content to quickly. The meat is cooked,and will just dry out. The veggies will also dry up as will any condiments. It has no outside moisture source to promote decomposition . Any such food will do this,even if you cook it at home. Just a stunt.
by rwsmith29456 October 13, 2010 12:58 AM EDT
I suppose it's still edible except for being cold and dried out. It's probably the same as snack cakes. Made of minerals with no food whatsoever.
Reply to this comment
See all 16 Comments
.

Follow HealthPop

Scroll Left
Scroll Right More »
Better Information. Better Health.
CBS News on Facebook
  • Building You a Better Morning

  • CBS This Morning

    "CBS This Morning," anchored by Charlie Rose, Gayle King and Erica Hill, airs weekdays from 7 to 9 a.m. ET and at the same time in other time zones.
    Learn more...