Judge Lets Mcrib Lawsuit Over Rib Meat Move Forward

WHO:

Fox Business - U.S. District Judge April Perry ruled on a proposed class action against McDonald’s.

Fox Business - Four consumers filed the lawsuit.

Fox Business - McDonald’s denied the allegations. A company representative did not immediately respond to Fox Business’ request for comment.

NY Post - The lawsuit alleges McDonald’s designed the McRib patty to look like a rack of pork ribs despite containing no actual rib meat.

WHAT:

Fox Business - Perry rejected McDonald’s bid to dismiss the lawsuit in its entirety. Consumer deception, fraud and unjust enrichment claims may proceed; five other claims were dismissed without prejudice.

Fox Business - The ruling did not establish that McDonald’s engaged in deceptive advertising.

Fox Business - Plaintiffs allege the sandwich’s name, appearance and marketing lead customers to believe they are buying a more expensive cut of pork.

Fox Business - One survey found that 72% of respondents expected the McRib to contain rib meat; another found that 67% considered rib meat important or very important to their purchasing decision.

Fox Business - The lawsuit alleges the McRib contains lower-grade pork products, including pork shoulder, heart, tripe and stomach, rather than rib meat.

Fox Business - McDonald’s says the sandwich contains 100% pork sourced from U.S. farmers and suppliers. The company previously told Fox Business it does not use heart, tripe or scalded stomach in the patty.

Fox Business - McDonald’s argued that the name does not mislead reasonable consumers and that its publicly available ingredient list identifies pork as the primary ingredient.

Fox Business - Perry rejected the argument that the McRib’s trademarked name shields McDonald’s from deceptive-marketing claims, noting that McChicken and Egg McMuffin names also describe ingredients.

Fox Business - The McRib is a boneless pork patty covered in barbecue sauce and topped with onions and pickles.

WHERE:

Fox Business - Judge Perry ruled in Chicago. McDonald’s has nearly 14,000 restaurants in the U.S. and more than 45,000 worldwide.

WHEN:

Fox Business - The McRib was introduced in 1981 and returns to McDonald’s menus periodically as a limited-time offering.

WHY:

Fox Business - Perry said it was too early to conclude consumers could not reasonably expect the sandwich to contain rib meat, citing allegations about its marketing and consumer surveys submitted by plaintiffs.

HOW:

Fox Business - The lawsuit seeks class-action treatment and alleges consumer deception, fraud and unjust enrichment based on the sandwich’s name, appearance and marketing.

(UPDATED October 31, 2026 07:58 UTC)

A judge let key consumer deception claims proceed against McDonald’s over its McRib sandwich. The lawsuit alleges its name and appearance suggest rib meat, though McDonald’s denies wrongdoing. The ruling dismissed five other claims without prejudice and did not find deceptive advertising.