Fact Check: No Evidence Epstein Files Show McDonald's Used Human Meat

February 25, 2026 | 11:35 am

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Several contents circulating on Threads [archive], Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok claim that the Epstein Files exposed McDonald's use of human meat in all of its restaurants.

The content alleges that, due to a shortage of beef, McDonald's uses human meat to supply the 5 million burgers it serves daily. The narrative also links the use of human meat to the 600,000 people who go missing in the United States every year.

“McDonald's sells nearly five million burgers a day. That requires at least two million cows. However, there aren't enough slaughterhouses to accommodate that many cows,” wrote several accounts.

Is it true that the Epstein Files claimed McDonald's committed cannibalism by selling products made from human meat?

FACT CHECK

Tempo verified the information by examining the Epstein Files, comparing them with credible sources, and interviewing public health experts. The findings indicate that the files contain no records of McDonald's use of human meat.

The Epstein Files did not reveal McDonald's use of human meat

The Epstein Files summarizes the criminal history of Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted child sex offender and human trafficker who died in a New York prison on August 10, 2019.

Authorities made more than 3.5 million pages of documents publicly accessible on December 19. This massive collection includes flight records, phone books, and digital forensic analyses of hundreds of thousands of photos and videos, as well as Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) records and court transcripts.

Tempo searched the 418 files on the U.S. Department of Justice website using the keyword "McDonald's." The verification results showed that none of the documents discussed the use of human meat in the food chain. In the files, the word "McDonald" mostly refers to people with the last name McDonald, such as John McDonald and Randal McDonald, or to the law firm McDonald Hopkins LLC. "McDonald's" only appeared in credit card transaction records as proof of payment for meals at the restaurant.

McDonald's partners with cattle farmers to source raw materials

McDonald's operates approximately 43,000 restaurants worldwide and has a total beef demand of 23,400 tons. As a key part of its global supply chain, McDonald's has partnered with several intensive cattle farms in Australia to ensure this supply.

JBS Australia is a large-scale livestock operator that supplies 65 to 70 percent of McDonald's outlets worldwide with beef. McDonald's also sources beef from South Africa, where one supplier is The Fourie Vennootskap.

Missing persons in the United States not linked to McDonald's

According to Statista, the number of missing persons in the United States reached hundreds of thousands, based on FBI data. However, this number has been declining since 2020, dropping below 600,000 annually. Most of those reported missing are found safe, though a small number are found dead without clear identification.

Grace Wangge, a public health expert from Monash University Indonesia, called the issue of McDonald's using human meat an unreasonable narrative due to the strict monitoring mechanisms of the animal protein supply chain.

The United States and Indonesian governments regularly evaluate restaurant hygiene by assigning labels ranging from C to A. In Indonesia, halal certification standards require thorough monitoring of food ingredient origin and distribution to ensure product quality for consumers.

The origins of the disinformation about McDonald's use of human meat

Associated Press reported that the false claim that McDonald's uses human meat first appeared on the satirical blog Huzlers.com in 2014. The website published a story without providing evidence. The hoax article circulated again in 2020 on a Facebook page known for spreading conspiracy theories.

The page claimed that human meat had been found at a McDonald's processing plant in Oklahoma. In 2021, Reuters found similar content being shared again. The fact-checking organization Snopes published an article debunking the claim in 2014, yet the misleading narrative persists.

CONCLUSION

Tempo's investigation concluded that the claim that the Epstein Files revealed McDonald's use of human meat in their burgers is false.

TEMPO FACT-CHECK TEAM

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