Woman keeps a McDonald’s hamburger and fries in her closet for 24 YEARS

An American woman who held onto a hamburger and fries from McDonald’s for 24 years has revealed that the fast food items still look as good as new, after more than two decades being kept in her closet.

TikTok user @aly.sherb is going viral after sharing a video of her grandmother showing off the McDonald’s meal she has kept wrapped up in a shoebox for two and a half decades.

In the clip, Aly’s grandma proudly shows off the science experiment, pointing to the 1996 Nascar packaging, the lack of mold, and the fact that the burger is still ‘completely intact’ after all this time.

Aly’s grandmother didn’t explain what compelled her to put the food away before Aly was even born, but she said that ‘it lives in a box in my closet.’

In a viral video with nearly four million views, she opens up the shoe box to reveal an brown paper McDonald’s bag inside.

She points out the NASCAR race advertisement with the year 1996, which she kept along with the food.

‘The French fries look like they maybe could’ve fallen under your seat a month or so ago that never rotted or decayed,’ she says, holding up the small fry package.

‘The hamburger itself — the bread has never molded, the meat has never rotted, and it has never even broken. It’s completely intact,’ she says, opening up the wrapper and showing the burger inside.

It probably helped that the burger was completely plain, with none of the ketchup, mustard, or pickles often found on a McDonald’s burger. 

McDonald’s food is notorious for not showing signs of decay, and several customers have gone viral over the years for holding onto very old meals. 

As recently as January, David Whipple from Utah was showing off his 20-year-old burger, which he said looks like it was just purchased.

He told KUTV that he bought it on July 7, 1999, and hadn’t actually set out to save it. At first, he stuck the burger in a pocket and forgot about it, leaving it there as the coat hung in his closet for two years.

When he saw that it still looked the same after so long, he kept the experiment going. However, as he pointed out recently, decay can be seen on the inside of the bun when it’s lifted up.

Back in 2016, a Reddit user, believed to be from the US, posted a photo of a McDonald’s burger and fries that were 10 years old but looked brand new. 

McDonald’s has responded to what it calls a ‘myth’ that its burgers don’t decompose. 

‘In the right environment, our burgers, like most other foods, could decompose,’ the statement reads. 

‘But, in order to decompose, you need certain conditions — specifically moisture. Without sufficient moisture — either in the food itself or the environment — bacteria and mold may not grow and therefore, decomposition is unlikely.  

‘So if food is or becomes dry enough, it is unlikely to grow mold 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.’ 

Still, some customers are skeptical.

In February, Burger King announced that it removed artificial preservatives from the Whopper sandwich in over 400 restaurants in the US. 

To spread the news, it launched a campaign showing that its Whopper does get moldy over time, with images of the burger looking completely unappetizing, with fuzzy green and white mold spreading over the meat, lettuce, and bun. 

‘At Burger King restaurants, we believe that real food tastes better,’ Fernando Machado, Restaurant Brands International Global Chief Marketing Officer, said in a press release.

‘That’s why we are working hard to remove preservatives, colors and flavors from artificial sources from the food we serve in all countries around the world.’