Video: McDonald's Canada Debunks Pink Slime Myth

[Photograph: mcdonalds.com]

If you've ever wondered what goes into a McDonald's Chicken McNugget, you'd hardly be alone—the "pink goop" legend has been circulating for years, thanks in part to videos like this one. In a new ad, McDonald's Canada sets out to debunk the myth with a behind-the-scenes look at their production line.

[Screenshots: McDonald's Canada on YouTube]

Supply chain manager Nicoletta Stefou leads the tour. Spoiler alert: Yes, there's processed chicken, but it's far from the mechanically separated, chemically treated variety you may have feared. First, the breasts are separated out from the rest of the chicken*. The meat is then ground and mixed with a "natural" proportion of skin and seasonings. From there, it gets shaped into the four McNugget shapes: the ball, the bell, the boot, and the bow tie (now that I know what they're called, I'm totally going to request only boots next time). After that, they receive two coatings of batter and a quick par-fry before they're frozen, packaged, and shipped to McDonald's locations throughout Canada, where they're defrosted and cooked through on-site.

*Last I checked, McDonald's only features breast and wing meat on its menu, so what they do with the rest, who knows. But I really hope they're saving it up to make the world's biggest batch of Chicken McConsomme.

Watch the Video

[Video: Youtube.com]

So is it "good" for you? Huffington Post Canada's not convinced. As for McDonald's USA, we'll just have to wait and see if they follow suit with a video of their own.

Does this ad change the way you view the McNugget? Let us know in the comments.

Related

• Video: How McDonald's Canada Makes French Fries
• Video: Inside McDonald's Beef Processing Plant in Canada
• Video: Behind the Scenes at a McDonald's Burger Shoot

This post may contain links to Amazon or other partners; your purchases via these links can benefit Serious Eats. Read more about our affiliate linking policy.