OAK BROOK, Ill. — McDonald’s is changing its burger recipe.
Coincidently, Jamie Oliver blasted the chain’s use of ammonium hydroxide (“pink slime”) as filler in its burgers on his TV series, Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, asking why the U.S. Food and Drug Administration would allow the use of this additive. After months of campaigning, McDonald’s announced it would be removing the additive from its burgers.
Senior reps from McDonald’s U.S.A. say the recipe change was not influenced by Jamie Oliver’s campaign. “The decision to discontinue its use was not related to any particular event but rather a result of our efforts to align our standards for beef around the world,” Todd Bacon, senior director for Quality Systems for McDonald’s U.S.A. told the National Post in an email.
Canadian beef is not affected by this change, according to Karin Campbell, spokeswoman for McDonald’s Canada, who told the National Post, that Canadian beef is purchased from Cargill Beef Producers, a different company than the U.S. chain uses; it has no such additives.
McDonald’s joins the growing list of chains removing this additive from its recipe, including Burger King and Taco Bell.
