Ex McDonald's chef reveals how long it takes for a burger to go mouldy

You've all heard the rumours... McDonald's burgers never rot. But is that actually true? Now, a former Maccies chef has revealed all.

Yup, Mike Haracz, former Manager of Culinary Innovation over in the States, has revealed all.

Speaking on TikTok, he told followers: "When anyone talks about McDonald’s burgers never going bad that is false."

So, how do you explain those pictures of McDonald's in pristine condition after being left out, then?

Would you believe us if we said this was two months old? (Credit: Getty)

He explains: "A lot of times what is happening is that the bun or burger is becoming dehydrated. McDonald's does put [in] ingredients... mould inhibitors and things of that nature.

"[But] when they're properly held and stored in an enclosed environment to keep them moist, they will mould after, like, a week or two, like every other bun."

The former chef says people can test this themselves by putting a McDonald's burger in a ziplock bag, or something similar.

Although, to be honest, we'd rather just eat one!

The burgers dry out before going mouldy in open air conditions (Credit: Getty)

"Let that sit, and you are gonna see it go bad very, very quick," he says.

"When everyone talks about pulling out food... that's been there for a year or whatever, it's a combination of dehydration... the fact that McDonald's cooks their burgers and meats well done, so there's no raw protein – there's a lot less moisture and fat in there."

The chef also cites "the fact that they salt and season after it's cooked, so that salt is dropping the water activity, [because it] absorbs any free moisture.

"Free moisture is what microbes use to grow," he goes on. "So, you're basically making jerky and croutons if you're leaving that burger out in an open air environment! It will dry out before it goes bad."

You can watch the full video below:

Reacting to the video, a few other Golden Arches employees chimed in.

"As someone who’s worked for Mcds for 10 years I’ve never seen a moldy bun ever. Ppl don’t realize how much safety goes into their food (sic)," one wrote.

While another penned: "As a McDonald's employee for 20 years our buns are timed. We have 48-36 hrs if they are not used in that time they are thrown out (sic)."

So, there you have it, McDonald's buns do go mouldy, and if yours hasn't it's probably just dried out!

Featured image: TikTok/Getty