(Slideshow) The Free Market Argument for Not Buying Fast Food?
Much has been made about the government trying to “encourage” (or nudge, or mandate) the public to eat healthy. But what if the free market took care of people’s food choices?
A recent photo experiment might just take care of that.
Gawker brings us the story of Sally Davies. Sally bought a McDonald’s Happy Meal on April 26, 2010. Sally then placed it on her coffee table, uncovered. Sally then took photos of that happy meal every day for six months. Below are the results:
Photo 1 of 11
Photo 2 of 11
Photo 3 of 11
Photo 4 of 11
Photo 5 of 11
Photo 6 of 11
Photo 7 of 11
Photo 8 of 11
Photo 9 of 11
Photo 10 of 11
Photo 11 of 11
Popular Stories
Paper Details Obama Admin’s Alleged Secret Note Sent to Iran: If Israel Attacks, We Won’t Get Involved 587 Comments
‘Made Up Religion’: TV Historian Enrages Muslims, Receives Threats After Producing UK Documentary Questioning Islam’s Beginnings 414 Comments
This Is the Creationists‘ Response to Scientist Bill Nye’s Viral Pro-Evolution Video Claiming They Harm Children 413 Comments
President Obama Issues Major ‘Green Energy’ Executive Order 376 Comments
Roseanne Barr: Most Billionaires ‘Violent Pedophiles’ & ‘Heartless’ Cocaine Addicts 375 Comments
Faith
- This Is the Creationists‘ Response to Scientist Bill Nye’s Viral Pro-Evolution Video Claiming They Harm Children 413 Comments
Pakistani Muslim Cleric Accused of Framing Disabled Christian Girl in Koran-Burning Case Read More- ‘Made Up Religion’: TV Historian Enrages Muslims, Receives Threats After Producing UK Documentary Questioning Islam’s Beginnings 414 Comments
Meet the Controversial German Imam Accused of Brutally Beating His Wife & Pushing Sharia Law Read More
‘Self-Proclaimed Messiah’ & Unification Church Leader the Rev. Sun Myung Moon Has Died — Here’s His Life Story Read More
Business
- President Obama Issues Major ‘Green Energy’ Executive Order 376 Comments
- Germany’s Upcoming Court Ruling Will be Huge for the EU Read More
Ford Looks to Beat Toyota for Best-Selling Car in 2012 With This Model 151 Comments
Bernanke & QE3: Here’s What You Need to Know Read More- ‘Extortion’: Why Did the Labor Department ‘Drop the Hammer’ on Oregon Farmers? 303 Comments
Technology
- This Is the Creationists‘ Response to Scientist Bill Nye’s Viral Pro-Evolution Video Claiming They Harm Children 413 Comments
‘TaserDrone’: Hackers Weaponize Quadcopter With Actual ‘Shocking’ Technology Read More
Ever Heard of the Wild ‘Burning Man’ Festival in the Middle of the Nev. Desert? Here’s Your Primer Read More
Stanford Develops Technology ‘Better Than Steroids’ for Athlete Recovery Read More
Have You Pretended to Know What ‘the Cloud’ Is? You’re Not Alone Read More
Submitting your tip... please wait!
Comments (149)
ZaphodsPlanet
Posted on October 13, 2010 at 1:03pmWhy bother with the expensive freeze dried food for long term storage….. just buy 1000 happy meals per person and you’ll have a years food supply for each person. Now what I want to know, was Sally brave enough to taste it after 6 months…..LOL
Report Post »THX-1138
Posted on October 13, 2010 at 1:02pmSo Sally lives in a steril environment. Surprise, surprise.
Report Post »EqualJustice
Posted on October 13, 2010 at 12:58pmI so DO NOT beleive this. I have found old McDonald‘s bags of food in the back of my daughter’s car and trust me, IT SMELLS!
Report Post »Rowgue
Posted on October 13, 2010 at 12:57pmLame repeat of a bogus “experiment”. Not that McDonalds hamburgers and fries are the healthiest of foods, but this is completely fake. Not only is it a phony representation of an experiment, but she tried passing off something she copied as her own inspiration and revelation.
Report Post »1BECK HAPPY WARRIOR
Posted on October 13, 2010 at 12:52pmOK now I am hungry so I‘m off to McD’s for burgers and fries, make it a double.
Report Post »CapitalistforGod
Posted on October 13, 2010 at 12:56pmI wish the old Micky Ds would make a Quad burger topped with chilli cheese fries and grilled onions!
Report Post »mike_trivisonno
Posted on October 13, 2010 at 12:51pmWow. The completely baseless attacks on McDonald’s are disturbing. Here is a company that has provided delicious hot meals and created millions of jobs for young Americans and people all up and down the supply chain. It is sad that we find it necessary to drag them through the mud for no reason. McDonald’s never forced anyone to do anything. Ever. They sell burgers.
McDonald’s is pure Americana. Give me a cheeseburger, a small fries, and a Diet Coke. Yum.
I promise not force the cheeseburger to perform in questionable film projects.
Report Post »BoatFix
Posted on October 14, 2010 at 10:52amIn high school 67-70′, one of my school mates (poor and black) got a job slicing potatoes into french fries. Yes, back then the fries were fresh cut.
Report Post »But, my post is not about the fries. It is about my buddy who went from cutting fries to owning two McDonald’s Restaurants of his own by age 35.
They are the two in the nice areas of Oakland Calif. We grew up in Vallejo.
justin2
Posted on October 13, 2010 at 12:41pmI would be interested to know what this means scientifically, if anything. Seems like it’s only purpose is shock value.
Report Post »CapitalistforGod
Posted on October 13, 2010 at 12:48pmThe only shock value that can be had here is if after the six months the First Lady Eats it!!!
Report Post »CapitalistforGod
Posted on October 13, 2010 at 12:40pmI remember taking over and re-opening a Sonic Drive-In after it had been closed for over a year, Everything was left in it when it closed down, all the food and everything. And to my surprize all the foot long hot dogs still looked edible! May all the processed foods live long and prosper!
Report Post »AngryTexanFromAmarillo
Posted on October 13, 2010 at 12:38pmI would love to hear ABC‘s explanation as to why it didn’t mold or rot…I‘m sure its either bush’s fault or the republicans fault it didn’t mold.
Report Post »nukegm
Posted on October 13, 2010 at 12:38pmisnt that why salt has always been used as a preservative?
Report Post »Prospero
Posted on October 13, 2010 at 2:06pmAnd sugar, too. My grammy used to preserve all manner of stuff. Jams and jellies with sugar, meats with salt, she even made sugared citrus pieces that were just like candy but would last forever.
Report Post »BrerRabbit
Posted on October 13, 2010 at 12:37pmForget the dried beans. I’m stocking up on Happy Meals in prep for Armageddon.
Report Post »LadyLiberty
Posted on October 13, 2010 at 12:53pmdon’t forget the twinkies…shelf-life of plutonium.
Report Post »Pairodimes
Posted on October 13, 2010 at 2:00pmUm… Neither Twinkies or Plutonium last very long in a viable state.
Report Post »MrButcher
Posted on October 13, 2010 at 12:37pmi think what they were trying to say is; even worms, bugs, maggots and the physics of general decay won’t touch this stuff so why would you?
i prefer wendy’s to mcdonalds anyway.
Report Post »Prospero
Posted on October 13, 2010 at 1:52pmThere are no worms, flies, or maggots inside my home on my coffee table either. Now, take the same “experiment” only lay everything outside under the rose bushes….
Report Post »Skwerl E. Muckenfutch
Posted on October 13, 2010 at 3:34pmWhite Castle > Wendy’s > McDonalds
Report Post »BurntHills
Posted on October 13, 2010 at 12:36pmhey actually that looks pretty good about now.. oh, lunchtime!
Report Post »Kisha Majors
Posted on October 13, 2010 at 12:35pmOh god, not another one of these morons… Very unscientific means to prove something that she deems scientific. Cook anything with salt or sugar, and the results will be the same. Dry anything in a drying machine, and the results will be the same.
Air drying has been used to preserve fruits and vegetables for so many years! Yet she thinks that because it does not mold that it is bad for you. Well food that lacks any moisture does not mold. Notice there is no ketchup on this burger?
Really? I mean do these morons think were that stupid???
Report Post »Kisha Majors
Posted on October 13, 2010 at 12:45pm**shakes her fists** WHY GOD do we have to endure this ridiculousness??? WHY??? lol Do I have to learn tolerance for the ignorant??? WHY!? lol =0)
Sugar and Salt are natural preservatives that we’ve used on this earth for countless years!
Air drying food has been used as a preservative for many variety’s of food, including fruits and vegetables.
Am I repeating myself again? Yep… Cuz I just don’t think these idiots get it!
Report Post »Kisha Majors
Posted on October 13, 2010 at 1:52pmBeef jerky! Dried meats! Bread Crumbs! Dried Breads! You can keep a bag of Dried Bread Crumbs and Beef jerky in your pantry for a very long time! Even possible to have the bag open and exposed to the air for a very long time. Assuming there is little to no moisture in the air from climate or use of swamp coolers in the house. Most homes are very dry as they use central air heating and cooling systems which promote a dry atmosphere.
Dried fruits, vegatables, spices and herbs! The list goes on and on! Dried seeds! Dried Banana’s! Dried apricots! Dried DATES!
I’d like to see this experiment done in a moist climate!
Report Post »ME
Posted on October 13, 2010 at 12:35pmThink I will get me a Happy Meal to day:)
Not sure what the point is but to show that flies, bugs and mold don’t like it much. But they sure do like Pooh and I would not eat that:) So are they saying I should only eat things that smell and bugs/flies and mold like? This is news? At least its facts but what was the question that needed to be answered?
Report Post »untameable-kate
Posted on October 13, 2010 at 1:19pmIs that Winney the Pooh?
Report Post »Flagwaver
Posted on October 13, 2010 at 12:34pmI’m sorry, but I cry fowl. There was “no smell, no worms, no bugs, and no mold” for six months… Apparently, there was also no dust, no pets, no heat, and no air. I have seen a similar example from school tests of decay in a vacuum or in the refridgerator.
Look at photo 3, 4, and 5. 3 has the unbroken top bun. 4 has the top bun that is broken on the right side. 5 has the bun that is broken on the back. Not to mention the fries were moved several times in the pictures. The hamburger is moved in almost every picture in relation to the fry bag.
She points out in the final slide that no mold formed. Again, I must cry fowl. The test is not done in a natural environment. Mold forms on bread naturally because of the yeast in its formation. I have found a McDs burger bun in my backseat a week after having been to McDs and it was covered in mold and was not completely dried out.
This seems like a fake, and a big one. I mean, everyone who has ever had children knows the smell of french fries when a couple are lost in the back seat of a car for a week. Not to mention, the claim is that it is a happy meal. She doesn’t seem to realize that the happy meal is a hamburger and small fries. If she had actually placed the happy meal there, where is the soda?
Report Post »pajamash
Posted on October 13, 2010 at 1:14pmVery true flagwaver. Very true!
Report Post »MelivinginMichigan
Posted on October 14, 2010 at 11:47amI agree with you regarding finding those fries and some half eaten hamburger left in the back of the van. They can crawl away. I also noticed that the “burger” is extremely dark. Get’s smaller than larger around the edges. It’s been tampered. Sally better watch for a possible law suit!
Report Post »NoName22
Posted on October 13, 2010 at 12:34pmPretty disgusting, but what‘s worse is who doesn’t put cheese on it?
Report Post »biggreenboo
Posted on October 13, 2010 at 2:34pmDamn straight!!!!!
Report Post »Freelancer
Posted on October 13, 2010 at 12:31pmWhy is Mack and Don’s House of Fine Foods always under attack? I don’t eat that crap but a LOT of people do. LET IT GO!!!!
Report Post »RightWingKookTank
Posted on October 13, 2010 at 7:51pmNumber one is always the first on the “hit-list”.
Report Post »Prospero
Posted on October 13, 2010 at 12:30pmSally really needs to get a life…..
Report Post »Lorijellybean
Posted on October 13, 2010 at 12:29pmPlastic degrades very differently than regular food.
Report Post »Sick twisted Freak
Posted on October 13, 2010 at 12:29pmI think if have been served a hamburger at McD that has sat around for six months. LOL
Report Post »untameable-kate
Posted on October 13, 2010 at 1:16pmSo you were saved by the foods‘ inability to mold Obama should add this to the list of things we’re allowed to eat, No spoilage=no ptomaine. Right?
Report Post »LadyLiberty
Posted on October 13, 2010 at 12:29pmAmusing and nothing new. Someone did this years ago…along with what soda does to teeth by putting a cow tooth in a glass of coke for a month.
Report Post »mike_trivisonno
Posted on October 13, 2010 at 12:33pmSoda, once in the stomach, becomes neutralized and processed.
Report Post »Soda, once in a glass, does nothing.
The “experiment” is bogus.
LadyLiberty
Posted on October 13, 2010 at 12:49pmYes, I know. That was my point. :)
Report Post »Rapunzel
Posted on October 13, 2010 at 12:54pm@Mike – How is it bogus? Your teeth are not in your stomach!
Report Post »pajamash
Posted on October 13, 2010 at 1:11pmrapunzal – How often do you hold a mouthful of soda in your mouth for a month. I take a sip and swallow it.
Report Post »Joseff
Posted on October 13, 2010 at 4:44pmThey tried the tooth in the cola experiment on “Mythbusters”, all it did was turn brown….
Report Post »mike_trivisonno
Posted on October 13, 2010 at 12:28pmTotally stupid.
One is supposed to eat the food not film it over time. It proves nothing.
Report Post »BurntHills
Posted on October 13, 2010 at 12:38pmjust think of the poor folks RIGHT HERE IN AMERICA who would do anything for a fresh MEAL like this one she wasted.
ENDOFSANITY
Posted on October 13, 2010 at 7:38pmMegga D egos Mike! This proves that if we get nuked at least we can ransack the MckyD’s when we come out of our bomb shelter. I’m just sayin.
Report Post »AngryTexanFromAmarillo
Posted on October 13, 2010 at 12:28pmso it slowly dehydrated? try this experiment and leave the ketchup,mustard,pickles on it and see what happens, and any fried potato is going to do that, some foods don’t mold and with the bread being toasted that will stop mold from forming on the bread also, simple high school science
Report Post »pajamash
Posted on October 13, 2010 at 1:01pmSorry antrytexanfromamarillo but I‘ve seen Mickey D’s fries, burgers and buns turn green and have mold grow on them over time.
Report Post »untameable-kate
Posted on October 13, 2010 at 1:12pmIf she had it on her kitchen counter it would have probably just dried out. Ever go camping and somebody leaves a sandwich sitting out? Hard as a rock in an hour. It just dried out, that’s all. Leave it in a damp, dark area and lets see what it does.
Report Post »AngryTexanFromAmarillo
Posted on October 13, 2010 at 2:33pm@pajamash I have to but when you take away moisture it does just as it did in the pictures, they have a dry bun and dry meat no ketchup or any other source of moisture and with those removed from the equation you will get the same results you see in the pictures.
Report Post »MrsAmericanCrusader
Posted on October 13, 2010 at 3:48pmThank you, my dear Texan, for being a small voice of sanity and logic, in a foolish, and unrelenting world.
Report Post »jazman1960
Posted on October 14, 2010 at 12:14pmput it in a bag so moisture can build you will have mold. leave it in the open air you get croutons. nothing strange about this at all.
Report Post »1USPatriot
Posted on October 21, 2010 at 2:24pmI don’t eat McDonalds. AND This (yawn) is OLD NEWS that the Main Street media is already catching up to. In 2007 Narutal News dot com did a story on this and the reason is the over 40 chemicals added to the food. Also there is a YouTube video showing burgers from 1989. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYyDXH1amic
Report Post ») This story is as old as the twinky that will be left after nuclear war.
BurntHills
Posted on October 13, 2010 at 12:26pmfunny, but day 8 and 20 doesn’t match, maybe the family dog walked by and ate it.
a new unopened bottle of Sierra Mist sat on our machine shop windowsill in Chicago for over a year, thru winter when we had -15 temps, and it NEVER FROZE while other fluids out in the shop froze into solid ice.
pajamash
Posted on October 13, 2010 at 12:56pmI’m skeptical as well Burnthills. There seems to be differences in the bun between photo 8 and photos 9-11. If this was just left out why is the food moved around so much from one picture to the next and multiple times from photo 1 thru 11.
Report Post »Rothbardian_in_the_Cleve
Posted on October 13, 2010 at 1:21pmIt is odd isn’t it that for a meal that has simply just sat on a shelf that the fries and buns keep moving around. Methinks it might actually be a pic of Frylock and Meatwad. I think Sally knows Carl.
Report Post »The Contrarian
Posted on October 13, 2010 at 2:29pmIt’s ironic that the fries only taste good for the 1st 5 minutes out of the fryer.
Report Post »krevello
Posted on October 13, 2010 at 2:35pmi might buy the burger not molding, but bread is bread and it certainly would mold, all together this is very suspicious
Report Post »Areyoukiddingme
Posted on October 13, 2010 at 3:09pmThis is great to know. Now when thinking of stocking up on food reserves i will buy happy meals. Looks like they last forever. i would still eat that yummy. :)
Report Post »Areyoukiddingme
Posted on October 13, 2010 at 3:09pmThis is great to know. Now when thinking of stocking up on food reserves i will buy happy meals. Looks like they last forever. i would still eat that yummy. :)
Report Post »Petire
Posted on October 13, 2010 at 4:04pmThis is probably fake. If anyone has seen the movie Supersize Me, they showed that after a week the burgers were covered with mold.
Report Post »LowIQGenius
Posted on October 13, 2010 at 4:18pmThere’s no way the bun was switched out. Just look at the wrinkles; they’re exactly the same. As for the mold, bread enriched with sunflower seed oil (vitamin E) will resist mold/decay for several months. I’m sure the crack nutritionists at McDonalds have an additive or two for that.
I know it’s difficult to grasp, but this isn‘t the first time someone’s tested McDonald’s food like this. Try it for yourself; get a few glass containers and fill them with burgers from Wendy’s, Burger King, etc. There are some serious differences. I think the biggest issue should be how we should react to the results. Germ/mold free or chemically untouched?
Report Post »Bad Kitty
Posted on October 13, 2010 at 8:08pmThat slide show was funny, but day 49 looks like a piece of the bun was snipped off.
Report Post »JJ Coolay
Posted on October 14, 2010 at 7:25amYeah…I’m not buying this.
Report Post »Too much variation in the fries and the bun.
Picture 4 has a weird hole/cut out of the bun on the far right (bottom half) that is not in any of the other pics.
The fries are always in a different place as well.
This is not a true series of pictures. And I there would be some strong evidence of mold on the bread after a few days of exposure to the air.
Jackson
Posted on October 14, 2010 at 3:09pmI’m really suspicious! I’ve had the pleasure of finding “lost” McDonalds food. Or my true calling is to grow mold!
Report Post »Libertyluvnmomma
Posted on October 14, 2010 at 6:22pmI might think if this was on my coffee table, guests might pick up the bun. Out of curiosity. Might exlpain the movement. I wish the all photos were from the same angle
Report Post »