A class-action lawsuit against McDonald’s boldly asks: Is the McRib really rib?

McDonald’s limited-time McRib sandwich is a cultural icon. And like any item of its ilk, it’s divisive. On the one hand, the saucy, vaguely rib-esque boneless pork sandwich has a fan base so dedicated that it’s inspired its own Reddit megathread, merch, and a website called the McRib Locator.

But on the other, the McRib has long been critiqued for its off-putting form factor and dubious ingredients. Now, a new class action lawsuit is asking the question that’s always plagued the sandwich: Is the McRib actually rib?

The lawsuit, which was filed on December 23, 2025, in the Northern District of Illinois, alleges that McDonald’s has purposefully been misleading customers with the name and shape of the McRib. The four plaintiffs who jointly filed the suit claim that the sandwich is advertised to resemble a rack of pork ribs, which McDonald’s does “despite knowing that the sandwich in fact does not contain any meaningful quantity of actual pork rib meat—indeed, none at all.”

Ultimately, this lawsuit is all about marketing—and how we define deceptive marketing practices. Does a rib-shaped “seasoned boneless pork patty,” as McDonald’s describes it, a rib make? Or is the McRib a mere imitation of a true rib sandwich, masquerading as the real thing to allow McDonald’s to jack up its prices? 

While most Americans probably have their own knee-jerk reaction to these questions, the official answer will be left up to the court. For now, here are the facts. 

“The name McRib is a deliberate sleight of hand”

The crux of the new lawsuit rests on proving whether the McRib can definitionally be called “rib”—and, as it turns out, that’s easier said than done.

According to the filing, McDonald’s has cultivated a scarcity mindset around the McRib by only releasing it for a brief time each year since its 1981 debut, using annual anticipation to drive sales. Its authors suggest that the term “rib” refers to a more “premium” cut of meat—generating an expectation of quality that allows McDonald’s to price the sandwich at up to $7.89 in some regions, making it “among the most expensive single-item options on the menu.” 

Further, they argue, McDonald’s purposefully misleads customers by calling the sandwich a “McRib” and shaping it to resemble “a rack of pork ribs.” This mislabeling rests at the core of their claim that the McRib’s status as a fleeting hero of McDonald’s menus nationwide rests on an inherently deceptive premise.

“The name ‘McRib’ is a deliberate sleight of hand,” the suit 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.” Instead, it adds, they’re actually eating a “reconstructed meat product.”

Yikes.

To rib, or not to rib?

To understand the difference between a pork rib and a “reconstructed meat product,” the filing dives into its definition of “actual pork rib meat.” It says pork rib meat refers either to spare ribs, a cut at the bottom of the rib cage, or baby back ribs, located at the top of the rib cage. Both cuts, it explains, are consistently priced higher than lower-quality cuts like “loin” or “butt.” 

Compare that definition to the McRib’s contents, and things get a little dicey. Per the filing, the McRib’s meat patty is constructed using ground-up portions of lower-grade pork products, such as “pork shoulder, heart, tripe, and scalded stomach.” 

In an email to Fast Company, McDonald’s wrote that the lawsuit “distorts the facts” with “meritless claims,” adding, “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. We’ve always been transparent about our ingredients so guests can make the right choice for them.”

Already, an army of McRib fans are rising to defend the sandwich’s honor on Reddit. “Do people have nothing better to do or have no shame?” one commenter wrote. “Who really really thought the McRib was meat from ribs?”

Another added, “Dumb. . . . Imagine all the ‘there was a bone in my McRib’ post if it was actually ribs.”

Whether you believed McDonald’s nebulous meat slab was made of real ribs or not, it remains to be seen whether this case will impact the McRib’s future. Regardless, it’s a good day to be a vegetarian.