Burger King: Yum, Our Whoppers Get Moldy

New ad touts lack of artificial preservatives
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 19, 2020 11:25 AM CST

McDonald's hamburgers are famous for apparently never getting moldy, and Burger King is playing off that fact in a new—and pretty gross—ad. The commercial shows a Whopper going from day one to day 34, at which point it is nearly covered in mold, and ends with the line, "The beauty of no artificial preservatives." "We believe that real food tastes better. That's why we are working hard to remove preservatives, colors and flavors from artificial sources from the food we serve in all countries around the world," a rep for the fast food chain's parent company says, per CNN. AdWeek calls the spot "truly bizarre," while AdAge goes with "nasty" to describe the burger itself, but BK believes increasingly health-minded consumers will love it.

Burger Kings in Europe have already mostly done away with artificial additives, and the president of Burger King's Americas division says preservative-free Whoppers are available in more than 400 stores across the US. The chain has already done away with MSG and high-fructose corn syrup entirely, and more than 90% of its ingredients in the US have no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. That number will be 100% by the end of the year, CNBC reports. McDonald's ceased its use of artificial additives in seven of its burgers in 2018. (But one expert says it's the fat, not preservatives, keeping McDonald's meals looking so fresh.)

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