McDonald’s Makes a Big Change to Their 7 Classic Burgers
Updated: Dec. 15, 2023
It's a pretty big deal!
If you’ve been staying on top of food news lately, you’re probably aware of the large amount of recalls announced so far this year. Between ground beef recalls, chicken recalls, and even beef jerky recalls, it’s been one heck of a year for meat. Customers and businesses are now paying more attention to the health of the products they are consuming, including McDonald’s. So in an effort to make things healthier at this popular chain, McDonald’s has switched around the ingredients in their seven classic burgers.
Don’t worry, the specific ingredient list will stay the same. Onions, pickles, cheese, ground beef, and that signature sesame bun, are all still staples for this classic McDonald’s grub. But what’s inside these products will be switched around for good, all in an effort to make an even more authentic burger.
McDonald’s is ditching artificial sources.
McDonald’s Corporation has announced the elimination of artificial preservatives, flavors and added colors from artificial sources in their seven classic burgers. All of the ingredients (except for a small artificial preservative in the pickle) will be made from natural ingredients.
The seven burgers with these changes include:
- hamburger
- cheeseburger
- double cheeseburger
- McDouble
- Quarter Pounder with Cheese
- Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese
- Big Mac
These changes will take place in all 14,000 restaurants across the United States.
Inspired By: Eggnog Shake
Enjoy the flavors of Christmas all-year-round with this McDonald's Eggnog Shake recipe. Simply add eggnog, vanilla ice cream, rum extract and nutmeg to a blender and blend it all together for that perfect milkshake. Don't forget the cherry on top! —Taste of Home Test KitchenThe new ingredient list
Let’s take a closer look at the products that will now be used in these seven burgers:
- The American cheese is made with a blend of cheddar and Colby cheese. It includes salt, cream and color, but no oil, starch, or fillers. The cheese will no longer have artificial sources, sorbic acid, or artificial preservatives.
- Big Mac Special Sauce will be removing artificial preservatives such as potassium sorbate, sodium benzoate and calcium disodium EDTA. (Make Big Mac Sauce at home!)
- The buns will be free of calcium propionate, which is found in the regular, Quarter Pounder and Big Mac buns.
- The beef patties are now made with 100-percent pure beef! This means no more additives, preservatives or fillers in the mix. The beef is seasoned with salt and pepper.
The burgers aren’t the only product to make the switch.
McDonald’s has been making quite the effort to take a natural approach with all of their food products. They are transitioning to cage-free eggs in the U.S. and Canada by 2025 (and yes, this specific McDonald’s breakfast sandwich uses real eggs), removing artificial preservatives in the Chicken McNuggets, and even plan on sustainably sourcing all McCafé coffee by 2020.
“This development demonstrates our commitment to leading with the customer and building a better McDonald’s,” said Chris Kempczinski, McDonald’s USA President, in a press release. “We know quality choices are important to our customers. From switching to 100 percent fresh beef in our quarter-pound burgers, cooked right when ordered in a majority of our restaurants, to removing artificial preservatives in our Chicken McNuggets, we’ve made significant strides in evolving the quality of our food—and this latest positive change to our classic burgers is an exciting part of that story.”
Now if only they would bring back some of these surprising McDonald’s menu items you won’t find today! We would really be lovin’ it.
Originally Published: October 02, 2018
