The impressive difference between McDonald's in the UK and the US (2024)

At first sight,McDonald's menu'sin Great Britain andOperating systemare quite similar - both have the same iconichamburgers, McNuggets, fries and shakes.

But upon closer inspection, you soon start to realize that there are some major differences between the two that will make your jaw drop.

The calorie content plus the amount of salt, sugar and saturated fat in the classic products varies dramatically from one side of the Atlantic to the other.

Take the iconic for exampleBig Mac– in Britain the epic burger has 493 calories, 9.4g sugar, 8.8g saturated fat and 2.2g salt.

But in the US, the same burger contains almost 100 more calories, 590. It also contains 9 grams of sugar, 11 grams of saturated fat and 2.6 grams of salt.

McSpicy that is getting an upgrade thanks to Macciesnew collaboration with Frank's RedHot, has 437 calories in the UK, while the equivalent Spicy McCrispy in the US has 530 calories (a regular McCrispy in the UK has 484 calories, compared to 470 for a McCrispy in the US.)

Interestingly, a medium portion of chips contains 337 calories in Britain, compared to 320 in the US.

Similarly, our Chicken McNuggets (6 pieces) in the UK also have more calories: 261. The same product in the US has 250 calories.

On the breakfast menu the Hash Brown also looks very different with 127 UK calories, 0.64g salt, 0.2g sugar and 0.7g saturated fat. The American has 140 calories, 0.77 g salt, 0 g sugar and 1 g saturated fat.

But it's not just the food that varies; also the nutritional informationdrinksis also very different.

However, it's worth noting that the drink differences are partly due to the difference in cup sizes, as a small in the UK is 250ml, while a small in the US is around 16oz, which is almost double the 454ml size .

That said, a small vanilla milkshake in Britain contains 192 calories, while the same drink in America contains 480 calories.

The large milkshake also compares strongly at 469 calories in the UK and 780 calories in the US. You can enjoy a Big Mac and a small milkshake here for much less!

The large American milkshake also contains double the amount of saturated fat (12 g versus 6.3 g).

According toBritish Heart FoundationMen should have less than 30 g of saturated fat per day, while women should have less than 20 g of saturated fat in their diet. Too much saturated fat in your diet can increase your risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

Of the 22 menu items compared, McDonald's in the US consistently had more calories, while in Britain only five items had a higher calorie count.

These were fries (337 vs. 320), a hamburger (251 vs. 250), McCrispy (484 vs. 470), a six-piece Chicken McNuggets (261 vs. 250) and apple pie (243 vs. 230).

The American menu also has a higher salt content. The NHS warns that adults should eat no more than 6 grams of salt per day, which is about a teaspoon.

And when it comes to sugar, most products are pretty much on par with each other, with a few notable exceptions: the McCrispy has 6.9 grams of sugar in the UK, but 9 grams in the US, Chicken Nuggets and French Fries do not contain sugar in the US. but has in the US Britain, while an Oreo McFlurry contains 32 grams of sugar in the UK and almost double that in the US at 60 grams.

In case you're wondering, yes, the McFlurry is above your daily recommended sugar intake, which is 30 grams.

This comes after a TikToker from the US flew thousands of miles to Britain to set up the pairMcDonald's menus on trial, trying to figure out which one was the best.

Michael's video starts with him eating Chicken Nuggets, a Filet-O-Fish and aBig Macfrom one of the touchscreen kiosks. He waits four minutes for his food to arrive and then digs in.

"I've never been a big fan of McDonald's," he admits, before giving it a paltry 4.2. After biting into the fish burger, he says, "It's not tasty," before giving it an embarrassing 2.7.

However, Michael enjoys the Big Mac and calls it an "American favorite."

After a trip to Great Britain, the differences between the two restaurants are immediately noticeable.

“I've never seen a two-story McDonald's,” he said. 'Plus, I've never seen a McDonald's so busy and the menu was confusing - I didn't even know what to order.'

After waiting "just over 10 minutes" for the food to arrive, he sits down to eat his Chicken Selects, Philly Cheesestack and a Big Mac.

Despite the American Big Mac apparently being much tastier than our homegrown version (with an impressive score of 7.5 compared to a British score of 6.9), Britain scores higher overall, according to Michael.

For the Chicken Selects, Michael gave them a top score of 8.3, which is huge compared to the American nuggets (4.2).

And if fans in the US are disappointed by this verdict, they can always turn to McDonald's newly opened spin-off,CosMc's.

Ofdrive-in restaurant, named after the chainstrangermascot from the 80s and 90s, has been described by Maccie bosses as a 'small format concept with all the McDonald's DNA but its own unique personality.'

The brand new CosMc's, located in Bolingbrook, Illinois, has amenuwhich some believe will compete with those who doStarbucks, thanks to tasty sounddrinksmet Churro Frappe, Sour Cherry Energy Burst, Popping Pear Slush en S'mores Cold Brew.

Next to anget McDonald's classics(McMuffins and McFlurries), the menu also has some nice additions, including a Spicy Queso Sandwich, a Creamy Avocado Tomatillo Sandwich, McPops, which are small donuts, as well as Pretzel Bites and Hash Brown Bites.

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