The Time 1950s McDonald's Fries Were Found In The Wall Of A Home
Serving 68 million hungry customers per day with annual revenue of 27 billion dollars, McDonald's has been dominating the fast food landscape since 1955 (per Fiscal Times). With that being said, it's objectively true that the franchise has stood the test of time. Even through times of war, recession, and political uprising, the golden arches remained unscathed. But it's not just the business itself that has endured generation after generation. Apparently, so has the food.
Over the years, there have been multiple DIY studies where McDonald's patrons let their food sit out for days, weeks, or even months at a time to observe the decomposition rate. Just before McDonald's closed its stores across Iceland in 2009, a Scandinavian customer purchased a burger with fries and has successfully preserved it for over 10 years and counting — not a spot of mold in sight (per NDTV). A bewildering phenomenon, one Chicagoland family unearthed a perfectly intact, 70-year-old McDonald's fry inside the walls of their home during a renovation.
The discovery prompts concern over preservatives in McDonald's food
When the Jones family discovered the vestiges of a McDonald's meal inside their walls, their initial instincts were morbid. The remnants were wrapped in a towel, leading the family to believe they may have stumbled upon evidence. However, what they found was far more obscure. Inside the towel were two empty hamburger wrappers and a side of McDonald's fries that were still intact. While the family was relieved they weren't poised to become the subject of a true crime podcast, they were certainly thrown for a loop. Rob Jones told the Northwest Herald that while the fries smelled of "old must," he added that they were still in unscathed condition.
The branding on the packaging featured the vintage McDonald's mascot, Speedee, which leads experts to believe the meal must have been purchased around 1959 — only four years after McDonald's was founded (per Mental Floss). It's widely known that fresh food decomposes quickly while highly-preserved and processed foods stand the test of time (per The Guardian). Knowing now that McDonald's food lasts at least half a century, it evokes a warranted concern regarding the safety of consuming fast food.
McDonald's has confronted the issue in the past by stating "In the right environment, our burgers, like most other foods, could decompose. 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." However, that doesn't address the fries situation.