(Supplied photo)

A Colorado woman recently celebrated the the first birthday of a burger and fries she's been keeping on her office bookshelf.

I bought a Happy Meal and then placed it on my office shelf, right behind me and my computer. It sat on my shelf for a year as a silent witness to our fast food industry, wrote Joann Bruso on her blog, BabyBites.info.

Bruso is the author of the book Baby Bites: Transforming a Picky Eater into a Healthy Eater.

She said the Happy Meal, despite being left out for an entire year, hasn't decomposed one bit.

My husband worried that when the food began to decompose, there would be a terrible odour in our home. He also worried the food would attract ants and mice. He questioned my sanity, she wrote.

But the food never got smelly or mouldy at all, she wrote.

The hamburger has shrunk a bit and still resembles a hockey puck. Yet, the French fries look yummy enough to eat. I never had an odour problem, after a couple of weeks, I couldnt even smell the fries.

Bruso, who dedicates her time to convincing parents not to feed junk food to their picky children, said this experiment proves that Happy Meals aren't a healthy snack for kids.

The next time youre tempted to purchase a Happy Meal for your child, think about these photos, she said.

Food is broken down into its essential nutrients in our bodies and turned into fuel. Our children grow strong bodies, when they eat real food. Flies ignore a Happy Meal and microbes dont decompose it, then your childs body cant properly metabolize it either.

A spokesperson for McDonald's Restaurants of Canada said that the blog post should not be taken too seriously, though.

"This blog appears to be nothing more than another urban legend."

"McDonald's hamburger patties are made with 100% pure beef," she added. "Our hamburger buns are made from North American-grown wheat flour and baked locally to ensure quality and freshness."