When you think of McDonald’s and other fast food restaurants, “healthy” and “sanitary” are probably not two of the first words that pop into your head. Just as you probably aren’t eating a Big Mac for your heart health, you likely don’t expect the restaurant to be completely spotless. However, it’s still enlightening to hear about the sanitation process from employees. Some of the things that go on behind the scenes may surprise you.
To learn more, we asked Sandra Blair, CEO of CoffeeShan, who told us that employees have warned her about one particular condiment you might want to be wary of. There’s one reason you may want to cut McDonald’s ketchup out of your diet if you prioritize cleanliness.
Beware of the ketchup
If, like most of us, you enjoy your cheeseburgers, chicken nuggets, and crispy McDonald's French fries with a delicious side of ketchup, you're not alone. However, when it comes to dining in at McDonald's, there's one thing you might want to know about. We're sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but those dispensers may not contain the freshest ketchup, according to fast food employees.
"I would recommend not eating the ketchup from the ketchup dispensers," Blair told us, sharing that her friend who worked in McDonald's gave her the inside scoop on the cleaning process.
"A friend of mine has worked in McDonald's for 6 months and she told me that the ketchup in the dispensers is not changed as frequently as it should be,” she warns. It's not that these dispensers are never cleaned, or that fresh ketchup is never distributed. The method just isn't exactly the most sanitary. "The employees do clean the dispenser by taking the ketchup out but they put the old ketchup back in after cleaning," she reveals. Wait... so how old is some of that ketchup we're dipping our fries in? Guess there's no way to know.
Of course, there's not an endless supply of ketchup in those things, so a new supply will get transferred over eventually. "The new ketchup only gets put in after the old one gets used up," Blair explains. Given that we don't know how long a tub of ketchup lasts at McDonald's, we're not sure exactly how long it sits there for, but Blair believes this process is "extremely unhygienic."
It's likely that McDonald's isn't the only establishment at which this method takes place. "I believe it applies to most food chain restaurants, too," Blair says.
We're not saying you should never eat McDonald's ketchup again—that's completely up to you. In fact, we may take the risk ourselves from time to time. It just depends on your health standards and your personal preferences. At the end of the day, if you're really concerned, you can stick to the ketchup packets—or, hey, just bring your own bottle!
