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The Korea Herald
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THE INVESTOR
March 29, 2024

Retail & Consumer

‘McDonald’s burgers can be undercooked’

  • PUBLISHED :July 11, 2017 - 15:58
  • UPDATED :July 11, 2017 - 16:36
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[THE INVESTOR] When the mother of a Korean child who was diagnosed with “hamburger disease” after eating at a McDonald’s outlet contacted the restaurant about the incident, it claimed it is impossible for burgers to be undercooked as the grills are mechanically operated.

However, several former employees have come forward to say that such an error is highly plausible, and that they have personally witnessed hamburger patties coming out undercooked while they worked at the restaurant.


An empty McDonald`s store in Seoul



Related:
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Mother files complaint against McDonald’s for ‘hamburger disease’
Prosecution to probe ‘hamburger disease’ case


“When I was working at McDonald’s, there were plenty of instances where the hamburger patties came out undercooked even when the grills were checked and marked as up to standards,” an ex-employee told Yonhap News Agency on July 11. 

The former employee, who had worked at McDonald’s for 10 years as a part-time worker and manager, also said the checklist alone cannot prove that the patties are cooked properly as there are many variables that leaves a margin for error. 

“The grill’s fluctuating temperature, misplaced hamburger patties on the grill, and employees marking the checklist without monitoring the machines properly can all result in undercooked patties.”

McDonald’s admits that there is room for error in their operation, but stressed that the actual probability of the undercooked hamburgers reaching the customers is very low as the restaurants’ employees are trained to discard the patties when they detect problems.

By Alex Lee (alexlee@heraldcorp.com)

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