Detox. McDonald’s no longer uses ammonia-treated meat in its burgers since 2012

Ammonia-washed meat at McDonald’s? According to some viral social media posts, the practice was common, until very recently in fast food kitchens. Consumers owe their salvation only to the intervention of Jamie Oliver, the famous British chef committed against junk food: he would have, according to these Facebook posts, won a “legal battle” against the franchise.

Except that the story, in addition to being old, is a bit exaggerated. Jamie Oliver, has denounced McDonald’s and its use of “pink slime” in burgers, this reconstituted beef, treated with ammonium hydroxide to destroy bacteria and make it edible. It was in 2011, on the set of his series Food revolution show. But not in court, since the media chef has never sued the American channel.

No “legal battle” therefore, but a victory nonetheless. Because in 2012, McDonald’s announced that it had stopped this practice. McDonald’s assures us, however, that this decision has absolutely nothing to do with Jamie Oliver’s show. In any case, in the process, the chains Taco Bell and Burger King, also abandon the process too.

Note that contrary to what French Facebook posts may suggest, this practice has in fact never been authorized in France. Nor elsewhere in Europe, where unlike the United States, regulations prohibit the addition of ammonium hydroxide in foodstuffs.

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