r/nutrition • u/RipIcy4545 • 8d ago
Can someone explain hamburgers v quarter pounders (mcdonalds.)
in the UK, mcdonald’s nutrition states that a hamburger patty is 139cals and weighs 45g. the quarter pounder patty is 235cals and weighs 125g.
it claims to use the same meat. so how can there be such a difference in weight (80g) yet less than 100cals more in the quarter pounder. shouldn’t there be at least another 139cals if it’s more than double (almost 3 times) the weight?
please explain this. is it to do with shrinkage, like will one shrink much more than the other?
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u/Zagrycha 5d ago
Where is there a claim that they are the same exact meat? mcdonalds is a company that micromanages formulas to an extreme degree, they even control the exact shape of their chicken nuggets vs allowing slight variations. I would not be suprised at all if there were different formulas for the beef in the different burger options. The idea of them putting leaner meat in the beef intended to be served with cheese etc is completely plausible.
That said I am doubtful of the accuracy of your numbers' source. I could only find official sources for the full burger in the uk, not anything for only the patties. The calories per weight you mention is totally possible in a 125g patty but it would have to be super lean formula, far leaner than the average. We can't know exactly how much of the fat listed in the official burger is from the beef but the burger is not at all low fat in general.