It’s all a bunch of tripe — at least, that’s what a federal class action lawsuit accuses McDonald’s McRib sandwich of. Only available for a limited time each year, the eagerly anticipated fan favorite has risen to cult status among its devoted devourers. However, the suit’s plaintiffs claim that the fast-food chain’s marketing for the sandwich would lead any reasonable consumer to believe that it’s made with actual pork rib meat, which they allege is not the case.
McDonald’s issued a statement denying the allegations made by the lawsuit, which was filed in the Northern District of Illinois U.S. District Court on December 23, 2025. The fast food giant insisted that the McRib uses only “100% pork” and refuted claims in the lawsuit that the sandwich contains lower-quality pork products, such as pork shoulder, stomach, and heart. The suit charges McDonald’s with misrepresentation, false advertising, fraud, and much more in the sixteen counts listed. Seeking injunctive relief and compensatory, punitive, and exemplary damages, the lawsuit threatens to give the Golden Arches a super-sized headache.
Who Ordered the UnHappy Meal?
The McRib made its debut in 1981, but by 1985, it had been removed from the McDonald’s menu. The voices of those who loved the sandwich cried out in protest, making enough of a racket to convince McDonald’s to bring it back for a few weeks each year. For some, it’s an annual occurrence that carries more excitement than Thanksgiving, the Fourth of July, and Memorial Day all rolled into one.
The McRib is sporadically available once a year (or so) in either limited regional or nationwide release before disappearing from the McDonald’s menu once again. The boneless pork sandwich has had several “farewell tours” in the United States, which continue to end up being only temporary. Those unfamiliar with McDonald’s menu items might wonder what a McRib is and why it’s at the center of the pending lawsuit.
According to McDonald’s website, the McRib Pork Sandwich contains five components: pickle slices; onions; McRib sauce (a.k.a. BBQ sauce), a toasted homestyle bun, and a McRib pork patty. It’s the latter that’s drawn the focus of the lawsuit. Best described as “restructured pork,” the patty consists of meat pressed and formed into a shape that includes a representation of ribs. Pork, water, salt, dextrose, and rosemary extract. Questions about whether the McRib uses actual pork have long dogged McDonald’s, which went so far as to have one of its food processing plants visited by a vocal critic and a former member of Mythbusters. While this provided proof that McDonald’s was indeed using pork for the McRib’s pork patty, the new lawsuit claims there’s a good deal of advertising sleight of hand being used when specifying exactly what part (or parts) of the pig that it was coming from.
Ay, There’s the Rib
The lawsuit’s plaintiffs (Dorien Baker, Darrick Wilson, Charles Lynch, and Peter Le), are seeking class certification for the complaint against McDonald’s. They assert that the McRib’s name implies that it was made from high-quality pork taken from spareribs or baby back ribs. These demand a premium price as a higher-grade cut of meat. While on the menu, the McRib is often the most expensive sandwich available, with a cost ranging from $5.50 to almost $8.
The suit accuses McDonald’s of violating consumer protection laws by using cuts below the grade of actual rib meat in the sandwich. It alleges that the ground pork consists of lesser pork products, such as shoulder, tripe (intestines), scalded stomach, and heart. While those are all considered pork, the suit claims that McDonald’s is deceiving their customers, who either wouldn’t pay the McRib’s premium price or skip the item entirely if they knew it was constructed from lower-grade parts of the pig.
The plaintiffs, who reside in New York, Chicago, California, and Washington, D.C., all claim that they were misled by McDonald’s marketing into believing their McRib sandwiches contained actual rib meat, and that they would not have purchased them had they been aware of the fraudulent and negligent misrepresentation that constitutes a breach of contract. In addition to demands that McDonald’s cease their marketing and change the McRib’s name, the suit seeks various types of financial relief. Make no bones about it, McDonald’s will not be lovin’ it if this case doesn’t go their way.
Related Resources
- Breach of Contract: What To Do and When To Do It (FindLaw’s Law and Daily Life)
- The McDonald’s Hot Coffee Case: Separating Fact From Fiction (FindLaw’s Product Liability Law)
- McDonald’s Broken Ice Cream Machines Lead to “Right To Repair” Lawsuit (FindLaw’s Federal Courts)
