Inflation and rising food costs have hit us all pretty hard these past few years, but fast food prices and portions have gotten particularly crazy. While prices seem to be going up every other month at most fast food joints, menu items appear to be shrinking, and in some parts of the world, people are finally taking a stand.
In China, the topic “McDonald’s hamburgers and macarons”(麥當勞漢堡馬卡龍) has been trending on social media, with many accusing the fast food giant of raising costs while shrinking its burgers. Photos of tiny burgers comparable to macarons have been doing the rounds online, attracting the ire of budget-conscious eaters.
This “McDonald’s hamburgers and macarons” topic originated from a post on social media by a mainland Chinese netizen who expressed dissatisfaction with the McDonald’s burger he bought, saying it was significantly smaller than expected, almost the size of a macaron. Since then, others have been showing off their own purchases, adding fuel to the fire.
Although one blogger conducted an actual test and found that the hamburger size had not changed recently, the trend is still going strong online. Some have called it a clear example of the Mandela Effect, a phenomenon where large groups of people share the same false memory about past events or details. A McDonald’s China spokesperson has also said that the size of the burger in the original photo that started the trend is nothing but an optical illusion.
Chinese consumer newspaper *Consumer Daily* and the Sina news agency have reported that many consumers have been posting photos showing that the McDonald’s double cheeseburger is only 8 centimeters in diameter, the grilled chicken burger patty is 30% thinner than it used to be, and the Big Mac patty is less than half as thick as before.
Adding fuel to the fire, McDonald’s China recently increased the prices of several menu items by up to 1 yuan.
