Top 10 Gross Facts About Fast Food Restaurants

Also known as “pink goo”, lean finely textured beef or “LFTB” is a meat by-product that’s gotten a lot of unfavorable publicity. Then again, when the FDA approves a product for “limited human consumption”, it doesn’t exactly inspire confidence. Pink slime is a paste made by removing low grade, leftover beef trimmings and removing the fat. Because pink slime is more at-risk for E. coli and salmonella, it’s commonly treated with ammonia - leading to bans in Canada and the European Union. Tasty, right? Despite the uproar that kicked off around 2011, pink slime is still widely used as filler, including at many fast food joints. In fact, in 2018, it was reclassified in the US as simply “ground beef”.

Fast food is usually pretty inexpensive by definition, but those meals add up to massive profits. When a business operates on the scale of McDonald’s or Burger King, a comparably massive budget is allocated to marketing, including consumer psychology. Now take a look at all these logos. Notice anything? They all employ similar color schemes, with red being the most dominant color. Studies have shown that red is stimulating. As to whether this translates to hunger, that remains up for debate. Regardless, major fast food chains seem to have bought into the idea. Diving deeper, red seems most effective when paired with yellow, which is said to promote feelings of comfort and happiness. The principle is referred to as the "Ketchup and Mustard Theory.”

Consumers have a morbid curiosity when it comes to gross flavors. Just look at the success of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans made by Jelly Belly. Or how about when Nathan Fielder used poop-flavored frozen yoghurt to promote a local business? Sadly, the poop soda that we’re referring to is not an intentional marketing ploy — it’s contamination. That’s right, soda fountains are serving up more than a combination of fizzy water and sugary flavored syrup. A 2010 study conducted in Virginia found fecal matter in nearly half of all samples taken. And before you blame the customers, this was true of both self-serve fountains and the ones behind the counter. Based on similar studies, this isn’t an isolated incidence.

Lubricant has many worthy applications, like keeping our cars running. But while oil is a type of lubricant, and olive or vegetable oil is a common ingredient in salad dressing… we still don’t want lube in our salad! When you make the “healthy” choice at a fast food joint, those leafy greens may be topped with propylene glycol. Don’t remember seeing that product on the shelves of your local grocery store? Us neither. Propylene glycol is used in antifreeze and personal sexual lubricants. It also works as a moisture preserver and an anti-caking agent. It’s been deemed safe for consumption, but that doesn’t necessarily make it appetizing. Oh, and it’s used in more than just the salads - including Big Mac sauce.

McDonald’s is constantly having to reassert that its burgers are made from 100% real beef with “no fillers, additives or preservatives.” Taco Bell, on the other hand, would probably rather not talk about it. Ground beef made from 88% beef just doesn’t have the same ring to it! 12% is an abysmal grade on a test, but, when it represents the other mysterious ingredients in your taco beef, it feels VERY high. Taco Bell was hit with a class action lawsuit back in 2011, prompting the fast food chain to describe the 12% as “seasonings, spices, water and other ingredients that provide taste, texture and moisture”. The defense starts strong, but it's the “other ingredients” (like sodium phosphates and potassium chloride) that are less persuasive.

Well… that’s certainly a mouthful. We’re surprised it’s not in the Taco Bell ground beef! An anti-foaming agent, dimethylpolysiloxane or PDSM is used in fast food joints around the world. If there’s a deep fryer, chances are that PDSM is on the ingredients list. Its purpose is to stop the vats of hot oil from foaming up when the food goes in. We can appreciate the value of such an additive, especially from a safety perspective; anyone who’s deep fried at home knows all too well the stress of the pot bubbling over. The thing is that dimethylpolysiloxane is a type of silicone that is also used in various cosmetics and silly putty - none of which we want to put in our mouths.

This is obviously a pretty damning accusation, so we’d like to preface this entry by saying that we’re just stating what’s been reported by other outlets, such as the New York Times. According to Eater Los Angeles, there would perhaps be no Taco Bell had it not been for Mitla Cafe in San Bernardino. This local favorite, owned and operated by Lucia and Salvador Rodriguez, sold 10 cent hardshell tacos dorados that people couldn’t get enough of. Taco Bell founder Glenn Bell - then in the business of hot dogs and hamburgers - apparently befriended the couple and earned their trust to the point that he was allowed into the kitchen. Armed with the Rodriguez recipe, he launched his taco empire, giving no credit to Mitla Cafe.

Subway is an empire built on the promise of providing healthy choices. But few people want those choices to include consuming a chemical also found in yoga mats and other foamed plastics. Subway’s use of the chemical azodicarbonamide in bread came under fire in 2014, in response to an online petition from Food Babe blogger Vani Hari. Hari has been widely criticized for peddling pseudoscience on her blog, but there is debate about the compound, which has been banned as a food additive in Australia and the EU. Under pressure, Subway removed it from their ingredients. But you probably still eat it - because it’s used in many breads, pastries, pizzas, and other doughy foods.

The history of fast food and consumer protection is rife with wild and crazy legal battles. But there’s perhaps no case more infamous than this one. As many people have said, you shouldn’t have to warn customers that coffee is hot. What’s next, labelling water as “wet”? The thing is, people rarely get into specifics of the incident. When 79 year old Stella Liebeck spilled McDonald’s coffee on herself in 1992, her injuries were horrific. They resulted in third-degree burns, eight days of hospitalization, skin grafts and two years of follow-up medical treatments. The issue wasn’t that the coffee hadn’t been labelled as “hot,” but rather that it was served to her at somewhere between 180 and 190 degrees fahrenheit!

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

There’s a Lot More in That Cheese Than Dairy
The “Cheese” at Most Fast Food Restaurants is Heavily Processed

Burgers That Won’t Rot
This Has Been Chalked Up to a Lack of Moisture, But It’s Still Unnerving.

Ammonium Sulfate
It’s Commonly Used in Fertilizer & Some Fast Food Hamburger Buns & Breads!

Yummy Sand
Silicon Dioxide, a Component of Sand, Is Used as a Fast Food Anti-Caking Agent.

Your Fries Might Not Rot Either!
McDonald’s French Fries, in Particular, Show Little Change Over Time.

This fast food chain has got a great selection of items on their menu. The Smokehouse Brisket? Divine. And don’t even get us started on their mouth watering roast beef sandwiches. From chicken and beef to their sliders, loaded fries and other tasty sides, Arby’s knows what their customers want. But they should really leave the human meat to Dr. Lecter. Back in 2012, Michigan native Ryan Hart was more than halfway through his junior roast beef sandwich when he found a part of an employee's finger - with his teeth. Sadly, this wasn’t the company’s first offense. In 2004, an Ohio man found a nearly inch-long piece of skin in his sandwich. Apparently there had been an incident while shredding lettuce. Barf.