McDonald's Will Use Fresh Beef On Some Hamburgers, And Wendy's Isn't Having It

McDonalds announced Thursday it will start using fresh beef instead of frozen patties in Quarter Pounder burgers next year at most locations, but they didnt get to enjoy the applause long.

Other burger purveyors like Wendys and Shake Shack already use fresh beef in their products, and McDonalds still plans to use frozen patties in Big Macs and other burgers. Wendys wasnt about to let McDonalds bask in the news unchallenged:

Today we've announced that by mid-2018, all Quarter Pounder burgers at the majority of our restaurants will be cooked with fresh beef. pic.twitter.com/Bdf99ALlxw

McDonald's (@McDonalds) March 30, 2017","type":"rich","meta":{"author":"McDonald's","author_url":"https://twitter.com/McDonalds","cache_age":86400,"description":"Today we've announced that by mid-2018, all Quarter Pounder burgers at the majority of our restaurants will be cooked with fresh beef. pic.twitter.com/Bdf99ALlxw— McDonald's (@McDonalds) March 30, 2017\n","provider_name":"Twitter","title":"McDonald's on 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Today we've announced that by mid-2018, all Quarter Pounder burgers at the majority of our restaurants will be cooked with fresh beef. pic.twitter.com/Bdf99ALlxw
McDonald's (@McDonalds) March 30, 2017

.@McDonalds So youll still use frozen beef in MOST of your burgers in ALL of your restaurants? Asking for a friend.

Wendy's (@Wendys) March 30, 2017","type":"rich","meta":{"author":"Wendy's","author_url":"https://twitter.com/Wendys","cache_age":86400,"description":".@McDonalds So youll still use frozen beef in MOST of your burgers in ALL of your restaurants? 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.@McDonalds So youll still use frozen beef in MOST of your burgers in ALL of your restaurants? Asking for a friend.
Wendy's (@Wendys) March 30, 2017

Ouch. Like many other fast-food chains , McDonalds has recently made a whole host of menu changes designed to boost its reputation among ingredient-conscious diners, including switching to cage-free eggs (a decade-long process) and swapping the corn syrup in its buns for sugar (which isnt any better for your body).

The chain, which is the worlds largest purchaser of beef , has been testing fresh patties in select markets since 2015. The change to Quarter Pounders will roll out nationwide by the middle of next year , according to a press release.

Freezing meat does not affect its nutritional value, food safety expert CiCi Williamson told The Washington Post in 2013. Frozen meat should also look and taste the same as fresh meat and possibly better, since freezing stalls the aging process but chefs and consumers tend to prefer fresh meat anyway , according to the USDA-backed Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education program.

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