October 31, 2026, 9:47 p.m. ET
A federal judge has denied McDonald’s request to dismiss a proposed class action alleging the fast food giant defrauded customers over meat used in its McRib sandwich.
U.S. District Judge April Perry rejected some claims but said in an opinion issued Oct. 30 that it was premature to accept the company’s argument that no reasonable consumer could expect the McRib to contain rib meat.
Four plaintiffs in the case, filed in U.S. District Court for Northern Illinois, argue that the McRib’s name, shape, marketing, limited availability and high price mislead reasonable consumers into believing the sandwich contains more expensive rib meat, according to the opinion.
The lawsuit alleges that McDonald’s uses substandard pork products, including shoulder, heart, tripe or stomach, and as a result consumers pay too much for the sandwich.
McDonald’s said it does not use heart, tripe or stomach in the McRib and has always been transparent about its ingredients, in a statement to Reuters. “This lawsuit misrepresents the facts and the allegations are baseless,” the statement said.
McDonald’s has sold the McRib periodically since 1981, and the sandwich is currently available in some U.S. markets. The company argued that distinctive product names do not mislead reasonable consumers and that plaintiffs’ preference for a certain cut of pork “does not transform McDonald’s truthful marketing into consumer fraud.”
McDonald’s website describes the sandwich only as containing pork, Perry said in his opinion, but “the Court cannot conclude that it would be unreasonable for a consumer to believe that the McRib contains rib meat.”
The judge also said advertisements highlighting the rib shape of the meat could support a claim of intent to defraud, although “further evidence was required”. “Plaintiffs’ understanding of ‘McRib’ is neither unreasonable nor fanciful,” Perry wrote.
Thiago Coelho, the plaintiffs’ lawyer, said his clients will continue to seek accountability for deceptive marketing.
Contributors: Saleen Martin, USA TODAY and Reuters.
Mike Snider is a national news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him in the discussions (mikegsnider), Blue sky (@mikegsnider.bsky.social),@mikesnider) and email him at msnider@usatoday.com.
Gn bussni
