could I get listeria from a Mcdonalds cheeseburger?

[lauren_s]

I ate a cheeseburger from Mcdonald's tonight, I thought it would be safe as it was late at night and it was prepared while I waited but then a friend told me that McDonald's meat was a huge listeria risk. Should I be worried?? Did many people eat McDonald's cheeseburgers when they were pregnant?

[Junglemum]

I ate them. They are so loaded with preservatives and crap I'm sure bacteria would never survive! given it is made fresh I figured it was a safe-ish take away option. Although avoiding the salad is something I do.

I don't think you should worry.

[LimeSlice]

McDonald's meat is no more a "huge risk" than any other meat.

No, I don't think you should be worried.

[WeeMansMummy]

I have never heard that and I was quite cautious when preggo, I just avoided the burgers with the salad.

[tracyh]

iF it was a burger thats fine, however DONT touch their SHAKES OR SUNDAES

[Dragonbub]

Not sure if this is an urban myth, but apparently some children kept a cheeseburger in their class for 6 months as an experiment. 6 months later it still looked as good as new! Even if that is a falsey, I am sure there is some truth to the amount of sugars, salts and fats that act act preservatives, not to mention the chemical preservatives as well. I have never heard of anyone getting listeria, or even food poisoning for that matter, from a Maccas Cheeseburger. They are cooked fresh right then. I ate them all throughout my last pg and this one, and am fine. I just did what you did, made sure they make it fresh Don't stress hun, you will be fine.

[onthefly]

It's true Dragonbub. Those things do not decompose. Very scary.

[*Belle*]

I dont see how as they make the burgers now to order. However like the girls say I wouldnt touch the milkshakes or Sundaes

[LimeSlice]

Just wanted to point out the semantic but important difference between "making" something to order and "cooking" something to order. It is this difference which allows McD's to make the claim your burger is fresh MADE to order. They do not cook the meat while you wait. It is pre-cooked. The burger is simply assembled (made) while you wait.

[feeb]

I ate cheeseburgers thru both my pregnancys with no issues as others have said avoid shakes and sundaes

[~*Niadalla*~]

I would have eaten them before the stores became 'made for you'. Back then, we cooked the meat at the same time the burger bun was cooked and assembled and the entire burger sat in a warmer that was quite hot. Now a days, I'd probably reheat it before consuming.
I also wouldn't be that concerned about the shake and sundaes. The turnover is so high the mixture wouldn't sit there long enough. Pick your times. If you go to maccas when it's busy, you'll get fresh food even if you do have to wait.

[mellybelly81]

I wouldn't worry about the burgers, the meat is cooked recently (those places have time limits to maintain their food saftety and quaility) so it will be fine.

Niadella - you are right that the mixture would turn over quite quickly, but it's more about the machine than the mixture where the listeria risk lies. So I would still steer clear, but that's just me.

[misty]

cooking kills listeria.

[kristi14]

I wouldnt stress too much about it.

My SIL works for maccas and she said they have such high quality and safety standards there she was really surprised just how vigilant they are. She assured me that everything is fresh there and would not have been hanging around for hours.

As has been said, just avoid the salads and anything with soft serve icecream in it, but that goes for any food establishment, not just maccas.

And yes, as has also been said, heat kills bacteria.

[Lolpigs]

Yeah anytime I go to Maccas, KFC or subway, (subway I get them to microwave and toast) I still bring it home and nuke it for a minute or 2 till really hot.

[~*Niadalla*~]

Well, I used to clean the machines, so I trusted them. They go through 2 heat treat cycles a night and ours was totally cleaned out weekly. Took me 4 hours a week to clean it from top to bottom. I would trust it more than I would trust anything that sits in the UHC... but that's just me

[Harriet]

Yeah anytime I go to Maccas, KFC or subway, (subway I get them to microwave and toast) I still bring it home and nuke it for a minute or 2 till really hot.

I do this too!!
I occasionally eat the burgers with lettuce in them.... I do end up pulling most of it out though, it goes limp and yuck after being in the microwave.

Still don't trust the soft serve machines though...!

[Lolpigs]

TBH I don't worry too much about salad. The biggest risk I feel is going to be from the meat rather than the veges, but that's just me

I don't trust soft serve machines either. I just have a freezer full of magnums instead LOL