A new class action lawsuit is coming after McDonald’s for seemingly not being truthful about what the McRib actually is.
The class action lawsuit was filed on Dec. 23 in Illinois federal court, alleging that the world-famous fast food chain has purposefully misled customers with the shape and name of the McRib.
In it, the four plaintiffs claim that the sandwich is shaped to look like a rack of pork ribs, even though McDonald’s knows “the sandwich in fact does not contain any meaningful quantity of actual pork rib meat — indeed, none at all.”
“The name ‘McRib’ is a deliberate sleight of hand,” the lawsuit reads. “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 class action lawsuit goes further than just attacking the marketing of the McRib — it also defines what “actual pork rib meat” is, going so far as to say the McRib is just a “reconstructed meat product.”
Pork rib meat, according to the suit, refers to either the spare ribs or the baby back ribs. The four plaintiffs claim that the McRib uses ground-up portions of “pork shoulder, heart, tripe, and scalded stomach,” which are considered to be lower-grade pork products.
McDonald's has already responded to the lawsuit and called its claims “meritless.”
“Our fan-favorite McRib sandwich is made with 100% pork sourced from farmers and suppliers across the U.S.—there are no hearts, tripe, or scalded stomach used in the McRib patty as falsely alleged in this lawsuit,” the statement to Fast Company reads. “We’ve always been transparent about our ingredients so guests can make the right choice for themselves.”
The lawyers for the four plaintiffs want class members to receive damages, attorney fees, and interest, and for McDonald's to “desist from further deceptive naming, marketing and advertising practices with respect to the McRib.”