Recently, claims have been circulating online suggesting that human meat has been discovered in the freezers of a McDonald’s meat factory in Oklahoma City. Similar allegations have appeared involving about 90% of other McDonald’s factories inspected. The Associated Press (AP) has confirmed that these claims are entirely false and satirical.
The origin of this hoax can be traced back to a satirical blog called Huzlers.com, which first published this misleading story in 2014. On August 23, a Facebook page known for spreading conspiracy theories revived the rumor. The post misleadingly stated, “First Horse meat, then the mysterious ‘Pink slime’, Now Human meat?” and it was viewed by more than 51,000 users.
The baseless post also falsely claimed that the remains were from children and alleged that health inspectors discovered human meat in a significant number of factories. Despite these sensational claims, no evidence supports these accusations, and they are indeed a fabrication.
The Facebook page, named The Hidden Truth, disseminated the claim as though it were factual but included a link redirecting users to the original Huzlers.com article, clearly marked as satire. A review of internet archives shows that the story was first posted by the blog in March 2014 without any supporting sources.
For reassurance, McDonald’s has specified on their website that their patties are made entirely of beef without any additives or fillers. The dissemination of such misinformation is part of a larger trend being monitored and addressed by partnerships such as that between AP and Facebook. This collaboration works to identify, fact-check, and lessen the distribution of false stories online. Further details on Facebook’s fact-checking efforts can be found here.
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