Have you ever eaten a Big Mac or McChicken at a McDonald’s in Europe and wondered why it tastes better than in the US?
If so, you’re not alone.
Consumers have long wondered why beef patties, chicken and fries taste better in other countries, and we may have an answer.
Scientists say the differences in taste are partly due to the different sugars used in the US compared to Europe.
American chains use high fructose corn syrup, which is sweeter than cane sugar used mainly in Britain and Europe.
Scientists have revealed that McDonald’s tastes better in Europe than in the US thanks to fresher ingredients and fewer preservatives
This affects the taste of many essential items in a McDonald’s meal, such as the cola, hamburger sauces and condiments.
High fructose corn syrup is used in the US because it is subsidized by the government, making it cheaper than other sugars.
Nutritionist Dr Renee Exelbert told DailyMail.com that different laws in the US mean chains here use more ingredients, which affects taste and consistency.
“It’s probably because the United States allows additives and preservatives in our food that other countries don’t allow,” Dr. Exelbert said.
‘These substances ensure that the food tastes different.’
This includes ingredients such as artificial colors and food colorings and carrageenan, which is used to thicken foods but can mask the taste and require more seasoning to make up the difference.
“The reason they don’t want to remove some of these additives and preservatives in the US is because it actually improves the taste and companies count on that for their marketing,” Dr. Exelbert said.
McDonald’s in Europe is tapping into its international base by adding more flavorful items to the menu
For menu items such as fries, McDonald’s in Europe and Britain uses canola oil in frying, which gives the food a slightly smoky and nutty flavor.
This is compared to the US, where the franchise uses canola oil to fry the fries, making them taste slightly sweet.
Where the food comes from also affects its taste, just like McDonald’s burger meat in the US, which comes from more than two dozen global processing plants that ship ready-to-eat, frozen patties to locations across the country.
Because the patties change hands so often (about four to five times between farm and table), they could come from any of the 400,000 livestock farms that supply meat to McDonald’s.
In Europe and Britain, the ingredients are described as locally sourced, including the burgers which say they are ‘100 percent beef’, sourced from more than 20,000 British and Irish farmers – a 95 percent drop compared to the US.
The menu also states that only ‘whole potatoes’ are used for the fries, which are cooked in rapeseed oil and contain only three ingredients: oil, salt and potatoes in Europe, but to this is added dextrose – a type of sugar that comes from of corn or wheat. .
Former McDonald’s chef Mike Haracz said in 2022 TikTok video that the difference in taste could also be related to the reliability of international supply chains.
“More often than not, it’s a little easier to deal with the supply chain in other countries,” Haracz told me Daily meal.
If a supply chain cannot deliver food quickly and experiences delays in production, processing and communication, the quality of the food can suffer.
Because Europe has better relationships with supply chains, this means that overseas countries can deliver ingredients to McDonald’s more quickly, ultimately delivering fresher products that make food more flavorful.
“Getting the ingredients for a national launch in the United States is a lot more difficult than these local, regional products,” Haracz said.
McDonald’s also offers a wider range of flavors and seasonings to suit the tastes of its international consumer base.
This allows McDonald’s in Europe to add items not available in the US, including Smokey Chili Tomatoes McFlavor Fries in Belgium, topped with smoked chili sauce and fresh tomatoes.
McDonald’s also offers a baked pizza pocket called Panzerotti in Italy, McRaclette in Switzerland – a beef burger with Swiss raclette cheese and raclette sauce – and a Beyond Meat burger in France.