People point out 'dark truth' as man unveils 20-year-old McDonald's hamburger

We've all rooted through an old coat and found a fiver - and some lucky buggers have found even more than that.

But there's probably only a handful of people in the world who have found a McDonald's hamburger in the pocket of a long-forgotten jacket.

And this bloke is one of them, as David Whipple ended up making the bizarre discovery 14 years after he purchased the item of fast food.

On 7 July 1999, the dad made a stop at his local McDonald's in Logan, Utah, to grab a few bits - and among his order was a humble hamburger, costing just 79 cents.

For the next month, he decided to keep the snack on his person as he decided he could conduct an amateur experiment with it.

Speaking to KUTV 2 News, David explained that he wanted to 'show people about how things deteriorate' and he thought this Maccies burger would be the perfect subject.

David Whipple kept the hamburger for a whopping two decades (YouTube/KUTV 2 News)

"I carried it around for about a month, had a couple of demonstrations," he said. "Then, it got stuck in a coat pocket."

It's a unique dilemma, that's for sure - but as David kept the hamburger in a large hamburger-style tin, it was probably an inevitable problem.

But rather than wrestling it out of his pocket, he instead hurled his coat in the back of his van and forgot about it.

"And I guess it just got hung up on our closet in Logan," he said. "Subsequently we moved from Logan to St. George, Utah, and it stayed there for a couple years. I think my wife was giving the coat away or something and found it."

Thankfully, David and his hamburger were reunited in 2013 - but after inspecting it, the hamburger was then returned to its tin.

The US man then decided he may as well wait another six years until it hit the two decade mark to see what state it would be in by then, given he'd already waited 14 years.

And, worryingly, the hamburger - which David dubbed the 'world's oldest' a few years ago - looked good as new after 20 years.

He suspected it might have 'turned to dust' after all that time, however, he said it 'scarily' remained intact when talking to KUTV 2 News in 2020. He even had the original packaging and receipt for the purchase, which David remarked had both 'disintegrated more than the hamburger has'.

The hamburger looked strangely edible despite the lapse in time (YouTube/KUTV 2 News)

Peeling the burger apart, he told the camera: "There it is! Oh my gosh - it hasn't changed. The pickle is the only thing that has disintegrated."

He also said it had a faint smell of 'cardboard', while his daughter added: "It's just crazy, I mean it looks like you could just heat this up in the microwave and eat it. I mean, you'd probably die."

Viewers were left stunned by David's hamburger, as people just couldn't believe how well it looked after such a long time.

"That burger is older than me and yet it looks more intact than me," one joked.

Another said: "Why am I more freaked out that it hasn’t moulded more?...No more McDonald’s hamburgers for me."

A third laughed: "The weirdest part of this is that he put a McDonald's burger in his coat pocket."

While a fourth chimed in: "This portrays the dark truth of fast food industry. So many preservatives that it lasted more than the bill."

A representative from McDonald's offered up an explanation about the hamburger's lack of deterioration at the time, telling 2News: "In the right environment, our burgers, like most other foods, could decompose.

"As the story alludes to - in order to decompose, you need certain conditions - specifically moisture.

"Without sufficient moisture - either in the food itself or the environment - bacteria and mold may not grow and therefore, decomposition is unlikely.

"So if food is or becomes dry enough, it is unlikely to grow mold or bacteria or decompose. Food prepared at home that is left to dehydrate could see similar results.

"Similarly, this particular burger is likely dried out and dehydrated, and by no means the same as the day it was purchased.

"The reality is our burgers are made with 100% USDA inspected beef. There are no preservatives or fillers in our patties and the only thing every added is a touch of salt and pepper on the grill."

The fast food giant also insists that its burgers do not 'contain artificial preservatives, artificial flavours or added colours from artificial sources, besides the pickle', on its website.

But still...it's certainly some food for thought.