Here's why you should avoid sauce dispensers at fast-food restaurants

When it comes to fast-food, sauces can make or break the dish. Being such an underrated but important part of the dish, items such as McDonald's signature sauces from ranch to Big Mac special are now considered iconic, with millions of people craving them with every kind of fast-food imaginable.

But like everything we eat, we need to pose and reconsider that most of us don't even know the ingredient in our sauces. For example, McDonald's fans were shocked to find out that its famous Sweet 'N Sour Sauce is made with an unexpected ingredient. Also, as one shocked mum found out, McDonald's ketchup dispenser itself might not be the safest way to enjoy it.

Read on to find out why fast-food restaurant's sauce dispenser could turn unappetising and downright gross very easily, and what the McDonald's customer found in the ketchup dispenser.

Questionable hygiene at restaurants

Fast-food sauce dispensers are very easy and convenient to use, but these could also become a hotbed for sanitation and hygiene violations in any restaurant.

As reported by Mashed, a study by Ryerson University found that 50% of condiment bottles in Toronto restaurants were contaminated with bacteria above levels that are considered safe.

Seems that because sauces are so popular, everyone seeks them out, implying that sauce dispensers are touched and pressed by numerous people even in the course of a single evening. So, by default, sauce dispensers are a hot bed of potential infections.

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McDonald's customer left horrified after discovery in the sauce dispenser

However, many restaurants might also be falling short on the upkeep of ketchup dispensers. Not only do they need to be sanitised, but also emptied and cleaned out thoroughly. But some restaurants might actually not be following basic cleanliness protocols, and just topping these up until these dispensers give way to truly horrific scenarios like the one below.

A McDonald's customer found many maggots writhing inside sauce dispensers at a McDonald's in the UK. The customer was extremely grossed out, and decided to film it. Not only did she raise a complaint, but also uploaded the video on Facebook, captioning her video,

Don’t use the sauce pumps in McDonald high street Cheltenham

McDonald's apologised for the incident, highlighting that the company's policy is to have all their dispensers cleaned regularly. They were unable to pinpoint what exactly went wrong in that franchise, but the company's statement read,

Food safety and hygiene is of the utmost importance to us. We're extremely disappointed to see that we have fallen short on this occasion.

Needless to say, the video disgusted and outraged McDonald's fans in equal measure.

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⋙ Pet owners shocked to find out many common household foods including grapes, are toxic to dogs

Sources used:

Mashed: 'The Gross Reason You Should Skip The Sauce Dispensers At Restaurants'