Natural News— When times get tough, many people cope by flocking to their favorite “comfort” foods that make them feel good, and that are perceived as being affordable. And this appears to be precisely why fast food giant McDonald’s has posted record revenues for this past year, according to a recent report by the UK’s Telegraph.

McDonald’s raked in a record $27 billion this past year, which is good news for the chain as it prepares to open 1,300 new stores around the world this year. Reports indicate that McDonald’s profits have been steadily increasing since the 1990s, in fact, and particularly during times of economic crisis when many families are cutting back on expenditures.

Though McDonald’s food is not actually as inexpensive as it seems — paying five-to-seven dollars for a meal with such poor nutritional value can hardly be considered a bargain — many people perceive it as such. And as a result, sales of favorites like Big Macs, French fries, and now lattes and espressos at many of its McCafe stores, have continued to rise.

McDonald’s has come a long way in modernizing its menus and revamping its look to appear healthier and more trendy. And yet its chicken McNuggets, for instance, are still made with “mechanically separated chicken,” which is a disgusting meat paste that almost looks like a type of pink soft serve dessert (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/04/mechanically-separated-meat-chicken-mcnugget-photo_n_749893.html).

Many of the restaurant’s other menu items are loaded with various forms of monosodium glutamate, a brain “excitotoxin,” hydrogenated vegetable oils, most of which have been genetically modified, and synthetic preservatives and anti-foaming agents like TBHQ and dimethylpolysiloxane (http://www.naturalnews.com/032820_Chicken_McNuggets_ingredients.html).

Yet most McDonald’s customers appear little concerned with these facts, as they continue to swarm the chain’s drive-thru lines day in and day out in cities and towns around the world to get their fix. And based on the company’s continuing rise in profits, this does not appear to be changing any time soon.

To be fair, a lot has changed for the better at McDonald’s over the years, as the world’s most popular fast food chain has responded, at least in small ways, to increased customer demand for healthier products. More fruits and vegetables are now on the menu, for instance, and the chain introduced trans-fat-free cooking oil several years ago.