'39-year-old' McDonald's honey found in home divides internet: 'I'll eat it'
A woman's photo of a small container of McDonald's honey that she found in her brother's new home has sparked debate over whether the sweet treat is still edible.
The hair colourist from North Carolina, who posted a snap of the small tub of honey in a Facebook group dedicated to unusual discoveries, told members that she would eat it if the post received 5,000 likes.
"My brother and sister-in-law just bought a home and found this tucked away from 1983. 5K likes and I'll eat it," the women wrote.
Facebook reacts
The woman's post quickly garnered over 10,000 reactions and reached nearly a thousand comments within hours of it being on Facebook, with many debating the edibility of the Macca's honey.
"Back in school, 35 years ago, I used to eat 25-year-old honey my friend's grandfather gathered. It was dark brown and had a deeper more caramel like taste. I never had a bad stomach from that and I am still rather healthy," someone commented. "Go for it! No problem if it was stored right."
"If it's truly pure honey, it never truly goes bad. It just gets crystallised," another person commented.
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Other group members suggested that the honey in itself should be safe to eat, if not for the plastic packaging.
"Fine to eat. I'd be more worried about the plastic leeching chemicals into the honey than about the honey itself," another member chimed in.
"They found honey in tombs that's still edible. Now, 'does it taste like the plastic it's stored in' is a different question," one woman added.
Really from 1983?
Some Facebook users questioned whether the product is indeed from 1983, noting that McDonald's had used the same packaging for years.
"I don't think it's from 1983. That’s just the copyright date for the logo. They used the same packaging for years. That being said I'd like to see if it's still good," someone wrote.
A retired graphic designer also agreed that the packaging was used for many years and the date on the logo was just the image copyright.
What the experts say
"Generally, it would be ok to eat," said Gary Kennedy, Managing Director for Correct Food Systems, an independent food safety consultancy company that offers food technology and auditing services in the agrifood industry across Australia.
Speaking to Yahoo News Australia, Mr Kennedy explained that unless there are contaminants such as asbestos from the walls or lead from paint, the honey in itself would be safe to eat.
"Honey is about 85 per cent sugar. The rest is water and stuff that come from bees," Kennedy said. "It has an incredibly long shelf life."
He noted that honey found in the tombs of Egypt were found to be unspoiled, and added that Indigenous Australians have also been harvesting it for many of years in the past.
"Honey has natural anti-microbial properties," Kennedy explained, further stating that it is because of this that there are very limited food issues attached to honey. He added that beeswax also exhibits antibacterial activity.
"It lasts for decades. The reason it has a 'best before' date is because the texture changes," he clarified.
When asked if he thinks the Macca's honey would be safe to eat, Kennedy said if there is a problem, it would be with the location it was found in, not the honey itself.
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