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That's right. One of the most notoriously unhealthy fast food chains once owned a 90% stake in one of the most health- and socially-conscious brands before selling it back in 2006, citing the Mexican restaurant as a "distraction." The Big Mac chain invested in Chipotle back in 1998 when it only had 14 locations and helped it grow to 460 locations by the time it jumped ship.

Supposedly, McDonald's wanted Chipotle to add drive-thrus to its restaurants, but in the end, Chipotle's COO Gretchen Selfridge, told Bloomberg, "Bless their hearts, McDonald's had a lot of great suggestions, and we were always polite about it. They really wanted us to do drive-thrus. They really wanted us to do breakfast. But we just really didn't do any of that."

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April 10, 2010 was day one of New York photographer Sally Davies' "Happy Meal Project," which documented what happens to fast food if left unrefrigerated under a glass case. Five months into the experiment, the Mickey D's meal still looked edible while KFC fries bought and stored on the same day were white and furry with mold. As of January 2016, the hamburger and fries didn't noticeably disintegrate.

Marion Nestle, chair of NYU's food studies program, told Salon that McDonald's would have to use "a lot of sodium propionate to prevent bacterial or mold growth." Dr. Keith Warriner, a Canadian food scientist, explained that another reason might be due to the lack of moisture in the patty and bun during the steaming and toasting preparation. Without moisture or high humidity - ideal conditions for microbe growth - the burger dries out rather than rots. Even with a scientific explanation, it sounds so icky just thinking about it that we want a 7-day tea cleanse, stat!

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Using YouGov, a tool that pulls data on the typical customers of different companies, a survey examined what the average profile of a customer at McDonald's looks like. The survey found that Mickey D's customers tend to be females between the ages of 25 and 39 and have a discretionary income of at least $155 a month, as reported by Business Insider.

When it comes to what they do with their free time, McDonald's customers' favorite pastimes include sleeping, watching movies at home, playing video games, and "sitting around doing as little as possible." They work in the wholesale and retail industries, law, and consumer goods. When it comes to describing themselves, McDonald's customers say they're motherly, loving, and bighearted. Oh, and most of them likely own a pet fish.

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Don't let nostalgia for this childhood favorite blind you from the cold facts: McDonald's shake is blended with vanilla reduced fat ice cream (made with corn syrup solids), shake syrup (main ingredient: high fructose corn syrup), and topped with whipped cream and a cherry. While the small shake has 65 grams of sugar, the large packs in a whopping 113 grams! We think you should shake it off.

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Shocking, right? By saying sayonara to mayo and fries, and choosing the lower-calorie options (such as the McDouble), you can still enjoy McDonald's guilt-free. Just make sure to guzzle down water, steer clear of empty-calorie added sugars in salad dressings, and check out What Diet Experts Eat at McDonald's.

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Our president loves the joint's Double Quarter Pounder with cheese so much that he asks White House chefs to whip up 'em up. And we can't say we'd recreate his go-to cheeseburger at home, too - the 'wich clocks in at 770 calories and 45 grams of fat! If you thought that meal isn't nutritionally ideal, find out What's in Trump's 2,400-Calorie McDonald's Order.

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McDonald's posted a video back in 2012 that uncovered the makings behind why their food looks so different in the advertising than what you get from the restaurant. Director of Marketing Hope Bagozzi photographed a side-by-side comparison of a "fresh" quarter pounder with cheese to a burger prepared by a stylist using the same lighting. We were surprised to find out the ingredients used to make the picture perfect burgers are actually real, and they're exactly the same as the ones on your plate.

The only difference? The stylist and Photoshop team spend several hours crafting the burger on the screen compared to the minute it takes to make the burger in your hand. Each pickle is hand-picked, ketchup is applied with a syringe, the cheese is sculpted using a heated palette knife, and all the colors are enhanced and imperfections are removed. As for the size difference? Supposedly, the box each burger comes in keeps the sandwich warm, creating a steam effect that makes the bun shrink.

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According to Nielsen's Global Health & Wellness Survey, about 50% of respondents are trying to lose weight and 75% of those people are planning to do so by changing their diets and focusing on more natural, fresh foods. In response to the world growing more health-conscious (in addition to sales declines), McDonald's solution seems to be "McDonald's Next."

Instead of the iconic contrasting red and yellow decor and fluorescent lighting, one Mickey D's location in Hong Kong was transformed into an eatery that features a silver interior, soft lighting, and an unexpected bonus: a salad bar. The seemingly misplaced offering is stocked with 19 ingredients including leafy greens, cheese, sauces, and the millennial favorite, quinoa. On top of that, McDonald's Next offers free Wi-Fi, phone-charging stations, self-service kiosks, table service after 6 p.m., and premium coffee.

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The Happy Meal isn't just for kids anymore. According to a study in the "Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied," when a small incentive is offered with a meal, as is the case with the toys found in McDonald's Happy Meals, people are motivated to limit their portion size. As it turns out, the combination of a half-sized portion and a non-food gift stimulates the same part of the brain - the area responsible for reward, desire, and motivation - as the full-sized portion alone.

The study also discovered that, regardless of hunger, most people will choose a half-sized portion of food if it's paired with a toy or monetary prize rather than a full-sized portion at the same price. Even though they ate less, people who chose the incentivized option didn't consume more calories later in the day. So, if you're looking to shed some pounds, opt for the Happy Meal: you'll get to keep your skinny jeans and have a new toy!

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McDonald's three-tiered plan made it clear that it'll cut unnecessary antibiotic use in its poultry in U.S. markets by January 2018 and in all global markets by January 2027. But, the restaurant chain failed to give specific deadlines for pork and beef. "We remain committed to making meaningful reductions in the use of antibiotics in beef and pork and will share our progress on beef in 2018," Marion Gross, senior vice president for McDonald's North America supply chain, said in a statement.

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There's no denying it: people are lovin' McDonald's breakfast. And now they're offering options such as McGriddles, McMuffins, Hotcakes and Sausage, and Fruit & Maple Oatmeal 24/7. Great news if you want a warm bowl of oats in the middle of the afternoon, right? Nope. McDonald's Fruit & Maple Oatmeal packs in 33 grams of sugar - more than you get in a bag of M&Ms! Unfortunately, this healthy-sounding breakfast food will start your day with a sugar high and a certain crash.

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McDonald's has vowed to switch to cage-free eggs in its U.S. and Canada locations by 2025 in an effort to meet consumer demands. And with the All-Day Breakfast in full gear, that's going to be a lot of eggs!

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For all of you drive-thru junkies, ordering a cheap meal just got a lot thriftier. The beloved Dollar Menu, which was discontinued in 2013, is returning on January 4, 2018 to replace the current McPick 2 value menu. Despite the discounted menu's name, you'll need to shell out two or three bucks for some of the items. Take a Look at McDonald's New Dollar Menu to find out the new price points of your favorite cheeseburgers and McCafe drinks.

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Back in May 2015, the Golden Arches tested breakfast bowls at nine locations in Southern California, one of which included kale, as well as offered a whole wheat Kale & Feta "More-Ning McWrap" with baby kale, tomato, feta, and scrambled eggs. More recently, they debuted the Signature Sriracha 1/4 lb. Burger, which is packed with baby spinach and baby kale. Despite the nutritious addition of leafy greens, the spicy burger boasts a walloping 670 calories, 35 grams of fat, and 1,1010 milligrams of sodium.

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Despite the name of the back-by-popular-demand sandwich, there's no actual rib in the McRib. Instead, the pork is pressed into the rib-like shape via a mold, just like Jell-O and slathered with sugary sauce, briny pickle slices, and onions. That sweet-and-salty combo makes for an irresistibly delicious sandwich - and a terribly fattening one. Just one sammich boasts 480 calories and 22 grams of fat!

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While they're still leaving the pizza to Pizza Hut, McDonald's offers mozzarella sticks made with "100% real mozzarella." According to their website, the three cheesy sticks pack in 190 calories and come with a tomato-based marinara sauce that we can guess contributes to the finger food's 460 milligrams of sodium. Salt can hide in the sneakiest places, like in these 20 restaurant desserts with more salt than a bag of pretzels.

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Build Your Own Burger, that is. in efforts to meet consumer demands and expectations, the Golden Arches is launching its "Experience of the Future" restaurant design, which will feature kiosk ordering, table service, mobile app functionality, curbside delivery, and a modernized interior design. The concept launched in 2015 and after a successful trial, made its way over to the U.S. The home of the Big Mac plans to implement this new design in most of its U.S.-based free-standing restaurants by 2020.

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Ronald debuted his first organic burger - the "McB" - in Germany in 2015. While its patty was sourced entirely from organic beef, the toppings weren't. Offered for a limited time only, the chain stopped selling the sandwich in early 2016.

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Chicken McNuggets are constantly under fire in the media, whether it's because of pink slime claims, having more than 40 ingredients, or because they, uh, melt ? Former McDonald's employee and Reddit user DFunkatron explained, "I accidentally left a whole bag of about 100 chicken nuggets out on a counter for way too long. They melted. Into a pool of liquid."

Wondering why? It could be because the finely-ground chicken meat is combined with a water-based marinade of sodium phosphates, food starches, dextrose, citric acid, autolyzed yeast extract, and natural flavoring just to keep it bound together. No wonder pre-fry, defrosted nuggets melt - other than chicken, they're mostly made up of additive water.

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Although you could've sworn you've seen your drunk friends getting served a meal via walking by the drive-thru, McDonald's has a strict rule against that. "We have a policy that forbids us from serving people who are not in a 'motorized vehicle' in [the] drive-thru because it can be unsafe," one employee admitted on Reddit. "Bicycles, electric scooters, and pedestrians cannot be served."

SEE ALSO:11 things you should never order at McDonald's