Hello Mark:
Thank you for contacting McDonald’s and for sharing your concerns. I appreciate the opportunity to share the following information with you.
Please know that McDonald’s food safety and quality assurance standards are among the highest in the industry. With extensive food safety measures in place throughout the entire supply chain process, McDonald’s standards meet or exceed government requirements. McDonald’s uses only 100 percent USDA-inspected ground beef in their hamburger patties.
Be assured that we do not add ammonia to our hamburger patties. In fact, ammonia is only used by our suppliers as a processing aid to kill harmful bacteria. This process is approved by the USDA and ensures safe, quality food.
Additionally, ammonia is a basic building block of protein and occurs naturally in beef, both raw and cooked. It is a key component of the flavor of cooked beef. Ammonia is a naturally occurring compound in meats and fish – (fish and shellfish have more than beef). Ammonia is a nitrogen containing compound and so are proteins.
As you may not know, lean beef trimmings are approved by the USDA and are a widely used and well-established industry practice. They are subject to the same stringent standards, and inspection and testing practices, required for all beef used in the production of our hamburger patties.
McDonald’s continues to work with its suppliers, local, state and federal agencies, our industry and others, to ensure these standards are rigorously maintained. And, more importantly, that we serve safe, high quality products to every customer, every time they visit our restaurants.
Again, thank you for taking the time to contact McDonald’s.
Lisa
McDonald’s Customer Response Center
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