McDonald's burger sizes over the years: Have they really gotten smaller?

McDonald's is one of the largest fast-food franchises in the world which was started in 1940 in the US by Dick and Mac McDonald. Over the years, it has grown into a global giant with many new restaurants opening worldwide. The company claims that it has more than 38,000 locations in over 100 countries with thousands of new locations added each year.

The brand has stayed true to the original menu items and still sells things like beef burgers, hamburger and fries. Over the years, it added new items such as the top-rated Big Mac burger and chicken and fish burgers. These were rated so highly that they have gone on to be classic fan favourites.

The brand's restaurants are popular and well-rated all over the world because of its great deals, fast service and great store hours. Another crucial reason is also the seeming price value of its items. But over the years, there have been many fans who claim that not only are prices of McDonald's items increasing, its burgers have been shrinking over the years.

Read more: McDonald's: Here are most special menu items found around the world

Has size of McDonald's food altered compared to the original?

McDonald's came under fire last year when many fan alleged that its items are getting smaller. These include items such as  Filet-O-Fish, McChicken and beef burger.

As reported by Daily Mail, this all started when a disgruntled McDonald's customer took to a Facebook group to post about his thoughts on shrinking McDonald's Filet-O-Fish. His posts states,

Have Mc Donald Filet-O-Fish always been this small? I don't remember it being mini, kid-size like this?!

This post ignited a huge level of interest resulting in posts by other fans alleging that McDonald's food has indeed become smaller.

One member posts,

We had Big Macs last week. Not only have the buns shrunk but the meat patties were so thin we could see literally through them. Was as if they had sliced them in half.

Another shares,

Just like the quarter pounder, got its name as it was a quarter pound of beef, it's barely that now.

There were also posts who thought these claims were unfounded. One post reads,

It's the same size bun as the cheeseburger, it's always been small.

As per the report, this is not the first time something like this happened. A McDonald's customer in 2020 shared a photograph of a cheeseburger to show how the burger was barely bigger than his thumb generating another thread of customers' complaint.

Read also:McDonald's: This is how much a burger cost when the fast-food chain first started

McDonald's addresses claims of shrunk food

McDonald’s Australia responded to Yahoo News Australia and stated,

There have been no changes to the proportions of the burgers.

However, McDonald's admitted that its burger bun has undergone some change but not to a great extent. The brand clarified,

The overall weight of our burgers remains unchanged... The new bun is the same weight, with slightly different proportions.

We haven't changed the size of our beef patty since the first McDonalds restaurant opened in Australia in 1971

It remains to be seen if there will be new allegations by fans with photo or video evidence of shrinking patties or burger in the coming year.

'Shrinkflation' and price-increase

As per CNBC, companies use what has been called ‘shrinkflation’ in order to get customers to pay more for less. Basically, fast-food companies reduce the portion of its menu items, just serving smaller amount of food for the old price. This means that customers end up paying more for lesser food without realising. This has been observed in items by big chains such as Wendy's, Starbucks and McDonald's.

McDonald's has continued to deny such claims but next time if you eat a McDonald's Big Mac or Cheeseburger and feel its size has changed for the worse, you're apparently not the only one. While you cannot expect the price of McDonalds to come down any time soon, we can certainly hope that the amount you get for your money doesn't get scant over the years.

Sources used:

Mail Online: 'McDonald's is forced to defend the size of its burgers after shoppers claim they've shrunk: 'They're kid-size now''

CNBC: ‘Higher prices, skimpier portions and apps — how fast-food chains are changing value deals’

Yahoo News Australia: 'Macca’s denies claims burgers have shrunk'