McDonald's McRib Is Misleading Customers, According To A New Lawsuit

The McRib is under attack. A class action lawsuit, filed on December 23, 2025, in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, claims that the name of the McDonald's sandwich itself is misleading, insinuating that customers are about to bite into pork rib meat. However, the complaint alleges that what consumers are actually getting is restructured pork, which is essentially other cuts of pork (not rib meat) pressed together to form that rib-shaped patty we know. According to McDonald's, the patty is dunked in barbecue sauce, topped with pickles and onions, and tucked into a sub-shaped bun. While chef and TV host Andrew Zimmern isn't a fan of the famous sandwich, millions have been sold over the years.

According to the lawsuit filed by four individuals, "The name 'McRib' is a deliberate sleight of hand. By including the word 'Rib' in the name of the sandwich, McDonald's knowingly markets the sandwich in a way that deceives reasonable consumers, who reasonably (but mistakenly) believe that a product named the 'McRib' will include at least some meaningful quantity of actual pork rib meat, which commands a premium price on the market." The lawsuit also alleges that due to not knowing exactly what cuts go into the restructured pork, a customer could unknowingly be eating things such as "pork shoulder, heart, tripe, and scalded stomach."

McDonald's, of course, refuses to sit idly by and allow the name of its gourmet McRib sandwich to be besmirched. The company said in a statement to CBS News that many of the claims brought forth by the lawsuit are inaccurate, including the use of pork hearts, tripe, and scalded stomach. "Food quality and safety are at the heart of everything we do — that's why we're committed to using real, quality ingredients across our entire menu. Our fan-favorite McRib sandwich is made with 100% pork sourced from farmers and suppliers across the U.S. We've always been transparent about our ingredients so guests can make the right choice for them."

This is all reminiscent of the tuna lawsuit against Subway, which claimed that the meat in the tuna fish sandwich wasn't, in fact, tuna (the case was eventually dismissed), since fast food chains have to defend themselves against claims like this seemingly every year. I mean, I think we all know that there's a big wink and nod we engage in when we bite into a McRib; the patty is molded into fake bones, shouldn't that say something? And last time I checked, there aren't any actual shamrocks in Shamrock Shakes, either. I have a feeling this lawsuit's going to be discarded, but I'm biased — I'm a McRib fan, and no, I've never deluded myself into believing that I'm eating juicy fall-off-the-bone pork ribs when biting into one.