The Center for Science in the Public Interest today published an analysis by Lindsay Moyer and Marlena Koch that takes a closer look at McDonald’s new Big Arch Burger and finds that despite the “premium” marketing, it’s simply the chain’s most unhealthy burger yet.
On March 3, McDonald’s announced the Big Arch Burger as “a premium flavor experience that delivers BIG with every bite.” But what’s actually in it, and just how big does it go on unhealthy fat, salt, and calories?
What’s in a Big Arch Burger
The Big Arch packs as much beef as a Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese, but adds three slices of processed white cheddar (instead of two), plus lettuce, onion, pickles, “Big Arch Sauce,” fried onions, and a white-flour bun. Unsurprisingly, it surpasses every other McDonald’s burger in saturated fat, sodium, added sugars, and calories, including 10 grams of added sugar from the sauce and bun alone.
A single Big Arch Burger delivers:
- 1,020 calories
- 25 grams of saturated fat (exceeding a full day’s recommended maximum)
- 1,760 milligrams of sodium (three-quarters of a day’s max)
- 10 grams of added sugars (20 percent of a day’s max)
| Calories | Saturated fat | Sodium | Added Sugar | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Arch Burger | 1,020 | 25 g | 1,760 mg | 10 g |
| Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese | 740 | 20 g | 1,360 mg | 8 g |
| Big Mac | 580 | 11 g | 1,060 mg | 5 g |
To put it simply: the Big Arch has nearly twice the calories (and more than twice the saturated fat) of a Big Mac. Calorie-wise, it’s the equivalent of four McDonald’s hamburgers stacked together. Order it as part of the “Big Arch Meal” (with medium fries and a medium Coke) and you’re looking at 1,610 calories, 27 grams of saturated fat, 2,085 mg of sodium, and a staggering 80 grams of added sugars.
Why is the Big Arch Burger going viral?
If you’ve heard about the Big Arch, it may not be due to its size. McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski went viral after a video showed him taking what the New York Times described as a “tentative, almost prim” bite, earning headlines for its “hostage-like quality” rather than any enthusiasm for the product.
McDonald’s calls the Big Arch ‘premium.’ But is it?
McDonald’s markets the Big Arch as “a love letter to fans” and a “premium flavor experience.” The reality tells a different story. The three slices of “melty white cheddar cheese” are, per the fine print, pasteurized processed white cheddar, identical in ingredients to the yellow processed cheese in other McDonald’s burgers, except for added coloring. Processed cheese also tends to be high in sodium; those three slices alone contribute 560 milligrams.
The bun is standard white flour, dressed up with a sprinkle of poppy seeds. And the “game-changing” Big Arch Sauce? It’s largely water, oil, tomato paste, vinegar, sugar, egg yolk, and salt, with a few added spices and stabilizers.
Yet another example of the modern lanscape of our food system. They go bigger, but certainly not better.
Source: Lindsay Moyer, MS, RDN and Marlena Koch, Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). “McDonald’s Big Arch is the Unhealthiest Burger on Menu.” CSPI, March 2025.