False Claims About Human Meat in McDonald’s Factories

CLAIM: Human meat has been allegedly found in the freezers of a meat factory in Oklahoma City and in about 90% of other McDonald’s meat factories inspected.

AP’S ASSESSMENT: The claim is false and originates from satire. Human remains have never been discovered in McDonald’s factories. This is an old hoax that first appeared on the satirical blog Huzlers.com in 2014.

THE FACTS:

On August 23, a Facebook page known for promoting conspiracy theories shared a new, unfounded rumor. This rumor claimed that human meat had been found at a McDonald’s meat factory.

The post, which reached over 51,000 Facebook users, read: “First Horse meat, then the mysterious ‘Pink slime’, Now Human meat?” It further alleged that human remains were from children and that health inspectors discovered human meat in about 90% of inspected factories.

The Facebook page, The Hidden Truth, presented the information as true. However, it included a link that directed users to Huzlers.com, a blog known for satire. The original story on Huzlers.com lacked official sources or evidence and was first published in March 2014, as verified through internet archives.

According to McDonald’s, their patties consist of 100% beef. The company’s website clearly states this fact.

This effort is part of the Associated Press’s ongoing verification of misinformation spread online. Through collaboration with Facebook, AP works to identify and minimize the distribution of false news on the platform.

More details on Facebook’s fact-checking program can be found at: Facebook’s fact-checking program