There are numerous "rumors" and "urban legends" related to fast food restaurants. Are there any grounds for those "urban legends"? And why was the urban legend born?

The US media Business Insider is testing the US fast food urban legend. Here, I would like to introduce some of them.

◆ Kentucky Fried Chicken doesn't really use chicken

Kentucky Fried Chicken changed its name to KFC in 1991. This change of company name has caused various speculations, one of which was "The chicken used by Kentucky is no longer called chicken. Therefore, the company name was changed to KFC." The chicken that KFC makes fried chicken has no beak, no legs, no wings.


Of course, this rumor is a lie. The company name change was aimed at appealing to young people by shortening the name.

◆ McDonald's hamburger minced meat contains all parts of beef

This is an urban legend that comes from McDonald's burgers claiming to use "100% beef." It seems that some people thought that 100% beef contained everything, including internal organs, hooves, and ears.

This rumor is over. McDonald's burgers use only meat from common parts such as shoulders, shoulder loin, and rib loin.

◆ Drinking water from a plastic bottle causes cancer

This rumor has been flowing through chain mail for the past 10 years. When you drink water in a PET bottle, you get cancer due to a chemical substance called "DEHA" that dissolves in the water from the PET bottle.


According to chain mail, if a PET bottle is left in a hot car in the summer, the heat will dissolve DEHA in the water, increasing the possibility of cancer.

But this rumor is a lie. DEHA is not included in PET bottles. According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, DEHA has not been found to be carcinogenic.

◆ McDonald's burgers do not rot

Dr. Keith Warriner of the University of Guelph, Canada, explained the matter as follows.

"McDonald's burgers are said to not spoil because they are soaked in chemicals. In fact, McDonald's burgers, french fries, and chicken spoil like any other food under certain conditions. ..

Microorganisms that cause spoilage require water, nutrients, proper temperature, and time for reproduction. If one or two of these factors are removed, the microbes will not be able to reproduce and the food will not be spoiled.

In the McDonald's burger example, Patty lost water during the cooking process. Not to mention the buns, it was originally bread. However, because it was toasted, it lost its water. In other words, the hamburger was quite dry during cooking. ≪Omitted≫ Because of the lack of water, the hamburger did not rot, but dried. "

A severed finger was found in Wendy's Chile

In 2005, a woman named Anna Ayala found her finger in Chile, which she ordered from Wendy's in San Jose, California.


However, the incident later turned out to be a kyogen by Ayala. Ayala was arrested. Ayala said he put his finger in Chile for compensation. Therefore, this rumor is a lie.