Some Singaporeans have sworn off their Happy Meals after a stunning six-month photograph experiment by a New York City-based photographer.
Artist and photographer Sally Davies charted the week-by-week appearance of a meal she bought and left out in the open in her kitchen on photo-sharing website Flicker.
After six months, she discovered that the hamburger and french fries merely turned rock solid and showed no signs of decomposition or mould. Many Americans were shocked by the “indestructible” nature of the burger after the story was published last week.
Click image to see more photos of the unchanging Happy Meal
Over 330 Yahoo! Answers users responded to the question we posted, “Will you still eat at McDonald’s?” and many said the experiment had changed their view on the meals offered by the global fast-food chain.
Answers user, Angelfish, said, “This new experiment has definitely affected me and makes me hesitate to eat at Mac’s. Especially with children of my own, I also recognise that fast food is high in salt and carbo. So I also discourage my child from eating at Macs”.
Another user, Rosie, said, “I have stopped eating McDonald’s for 2 months now. After that experiment and the “Super Size Me” movie, nothing is so flattering about fast food anymore, and especially McDonalds.”
Snowbless even questioned if Singapore’s health authorities should step in.
“I wonder if it’s the same for burgers from other fast food chains. Should AVA be concerned with this matter?I am concerned that kids (including toddlers) and teenagers will be hard hit in terms of health hazards as these groups frequent the fast food chains more,” the user said referring to the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore.
The six-month experiment by Sally Davies revealed startling results. (courtesy of Flickr)
Others, however, felt the result from the experiment was blown out of proportion and said they would not be turned off from their Big Macs and french fries.
V. Raman said, “I am very sure the McDonald’s food recipes and the preparation method had been approved by the relevant authorities all over the world.”
Kris added, “I seldom go to the place but I shouldn’t give myself a complete ban from eating at McDonald’s. There’s other tasty treats such as their sundaes, apple pies, milkshakes. I don’t have to eat the burgers every time I visit it.”
A number of users also questioned the basis of the experiment, saying that no comparisons were made with food from other fast-food outlets.
Affected said, “I have been eating food from McDonald’s for over a decade. So why not conduct experiments on foods from other fast-food joints so that we can compare? You can’t jump into conclusion if you only have only one data or no comparisons.”
Another user, Esther said that the result might have been different if the experiment were to be conducted in Singapore due to the tropical climate.
“Someone should try the experiment in Singapore. I think that the six months experiment was conducted in a colder climate, where food is supposed to last longer. So if you place a burger out in the open in Singapore, it should be a totally different result,” she added.
McDonald’s declined an interview request with AFP but said in a statement that “menu items are freshly prepared in our restaurants”.
“It is not possible to provide a detailed explanation regarding these claims without knowing the conditions in which these food items were kept. That said, we strongly caution anyone from jumping to conclusions,” it said.
The global chain also added, ”Bacteria and mold only grow under certain conditions…. If food is/or becomes dry enough, it won’t grow mold or bacteria.”
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