McDonald's Burgers Don't Rot! Preservatives or Moisture Loss?

The video of Aly Sherb showing off her grandma's unrotten burger and fries purchased from McDonald's in 1996 went viral on TikTok. Unsurprisingly, the food items look exactly the same as 24 years ago. McDonald's burger even inspired Artist Sally Davies' to initiate the Happy Meal Project in 2008. As a result, many people started to question whether some carcinogenic preservatives are added to McDonald's buns and beef patties, concerned with consumer rights and personal health. However, a home-based experiment conducted by popular food blogger and chef J. Kenji López-Alt proved otherwise. His home-grind beef patties did not rotten after 25 days in a typical environment, neither. But the concern remains because 25 days cannot compare to decades.