McDonald's McRib sandwich was first introduced in 1981 and has been reintroduced and discontinued numerous times since. Recently, it’s been introduced for smaller portions of the year. The sandwich is enveloped in curiosity because it’s hard to know what it actually contains. But one thing is for sure, it’s pretty gross. Recently, we took a closer look at the McRib so this mystery meat would be a mystery no more.
1. Nutritionally speaking the McRib is problematic.
According to McDonald’s nutritional facts, the McRib is a problem before you even uncover what’s in it. It has 520 calories, 28 grams of fats, and 890 mg of sodium. That’s one fourth of your daily allowance of calories for a sandwich that amounts to little more than a saucy cardboard slab on a bun.
2. It contains 70 ingredients.
The ingredient list is like a novel consisting of 70 different characters. It also contains mono- and diglycerides, or hidden trans-fats. According to the CDC, consuming trans-fats increases low-density lipoprotein or "bad cholesterol," which contributes to an increased risk of coronary heart disease. Trans-fats also decrease high-density lipoprotein or "good cholesterol". Cutting out trans-fats could prevent 10,000-20,000 heart attacks and 3,000-7,000 coronary heart disease deaths each year in the U.S.
3. It’s far from rib meat.
I think that’s probably obvious, but just in case, the McRib is made with pork without the ribs. So it could be from any part of the animal.
4. The animal conditions are deplorable.
Animal rights groups sued Smithfield Foods, the supplier of McDonald’s McRib meat, over the inhumane treatment of pigs after an undercover video showed horrific scenes of mistreatment.
5. It’s a mystery meat.
The restructured meat product is shaped into what looks like a rack of ribs even though it has no rib bones or rib meat. The process takes about 45 minutes. You can also ensure that this Grade F meat contains loads of hormones, antibiotics, and residual pesticides from the genetically modified grains fed to the pigs.
Image: Ruocaled
