Video shows “FBI finds human remains at a McDonald’s meat supplier.”
Stand up for the facts!
Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy.
We need your help.
I would like to contribute
A McDonald's Quarter Pounder, left, and Double Quarter Pound burger is shown with fresh beef in Atlanta on March 6, 2018. (AP)
That burger is safe to eat: Human remains were not found at McDonald’s meat supplier
If Your Time is short
-
The video in the post shows a 2013 news report about a police investigation at International Biological Inc., a Detroit business.
-
International Biological’s owner, Arthur Rathburn, was sentenced in 2018 to nine years in prison for selling diseased body parts for use in medical and dental training.
-
Neither investigators nor prosecutors made any connection between International Biological and McDonald’s. The fast-food company was not mentioned in court documents about the case.
McDonald’s has been serving fries and burgers for more than 70 years. But a viral video put would-be customers on alert about what sounded like a frightening fast-food development.
"FBI finds human remains at a McDonald’s meat supplier," read text over several Instagram videos shared Sept. 27 and Sept. 29 that show a television news reporter appearing to break news about the FBI recovering evidence of human remains from a Detroit business.
(Screenshot from Instagram)
The posts were flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads.)
Sign up for PolitiFact texts
The video clip is real, but it does not show a reporter at a McDonald’s meat supplier. It’s from Dec. 13, 2013, and shows a reporter from metro Detroit’s ABC News affiliate WXYZ-TV discussing the FBI’s investigation into International Biological Inc., a business the reporter described as a "medical educational service provider."
Arthur Rathburn, who owned the business, was sentenced to nine years in prison for selling diseased body parts for use in medical and dental training.
Featured Fact-check
We found no mention of McDonald’s in news reports or court documents involving the case.
PolitiFact previously debunked claims that human remains were found in a McDonald’s meat factory.
So eat your Big Mac in peace. The claim that this video shows the "FBI finds human remains at a McDonald’s meat supplier" is Pants on Fire!
Our Sources
Instagram post (archived), Sept. 29, 2024
YouTube, FBI finds remains of many people, Dec. 13, 2013
Detroit Free Press, Feds: Grosse Pointe businessman made $13M selling diseased body parts, May 11, 2018
The Washington Post, The horrifying case of the husband-and-wife cadaver dealers, March 26, 2016
Reuters, In a warehouse of horrors, body broker allegedly kept human heads stacked on his shelves, Oct. 31, 2017
U.S. Department of Justice, Case 2:16-cr-20043, Jan. 19, 2016
Justia, United States v. Arthur Rathburn, May 8, 2019
U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of Michigan, Grosse Pointe Park Man Sentenced on Fraud Scheme Involving Distribution of Infectious Human Remains, May 22, 2018
PolitiFact, Fake news: Human remains were not found in McDonald’s hamburgers, Sept. 28, 2017
Browse the Truth-O-Meter
More by Sofia Ahmed
That burger is safe to eat: Human remains were not found at McDonald’s meat supplier
Support independent fact-checking.
Become a member!
In a world of wild talk and fake news, help us stand up for the facts.