Five Disturbing Facts About the McRib - Nutrition Facts, Ingredients and Animal Cruelty

The McDonald's McRib is back! These words are shouted out by fans of the McRib sandwich every year when it makes its much lauded and often controversial return to the McDonald's menu. Many people actively look forward to seeing the McRib return, but how much do they really know about their beloved fast food sandwich?

The more you look into the story of what the McRib sandwich is made of and what exactly goes into getting it to you, the less delicious it becomes.

Hope we don't spoil your appetite. But if we do, don't shoot the messenger.

Five Disturbing Facts About the McDonald's McRib Sandwich

1. McRib Nutrition Facts Make You Want a McSalad

The McRib nutrition facts are downright frightening. According to McDonald's own website, not only does the sandwich contain a whopping 500 calories - meaning you are getting one fourth of your daily calories in one sandwich if you're on a standard 2000 calorie a day diet - it also has 240 calories from fat, 26 grams of fat (40% of your daily value), 10 grams of saturated fat (almost half your daily value), 70 mg of cholesterol (23% daily value), 980 mg of sodium (41% daily value), and 11 grams of sugar.

Sure. you knew it wasn't good for you, but before you read those McRib nutrition facts were you aware of just how bad for you it really is?

2. McRib Ingredients are Far from Top of the Line

McDonald's admits that their McRib sandwich is not made from rib meat, in spite of its name. How this doesn't fall under false advertising and labeling we're not sure, but somehow they get away with it.

McDonald's claims the McRib is composed primarily of shoulder meat. Turns out, the truth is much less appetizing. Chicago Magazine broke the story that the McRib ingredients actually consist of restructured meat products like heart, tripe and scalded stomach.

The McHeart, McTripe and McScaldedStomach just didn't have the same ring, do they? Unfortunately, all three of those names would be more accurate than "the McRib."

3. McRib Ingredients Also Wind Up in Some Weird Places, Like in Yoga Mats and Shoes

If you thought tripe, scalded stomach and heart sounded bad, wait until you hear about some of the other McRib ingredients.

The McRib has around 70 different ingredients, and one in particular is particularly worrisome. That ingredient is a food additive called azodicarbonamide - so that means the McAzodicarbonamide is also a more accurate name than the McRib.

Azodicarbonamide is a flour bleaching agent which, when not finding itself in McRib buns, inhabits gym and yoga mats, and the soles of shoes. Yum!

Azodicarbonamide is banned in Australia and Europe, and is considered by England's Health and Safety Executive to be a respiratory sensitizer, possibly contributing to asthma through occupational exposure.

The McRib sandwich also contains ammonium sulfate and polysorbate 80.

4. Your McRib May Have Another, Hidden Ingredient: Animal Cruelty

The tripe, stomach and heart meat for the McRib come from a supplier called Smithfield Foods. Smithfield Foods is the world's largest pork producer and processor. Unfortunately, they also have some more dubious credits to their name, like a horrible environmental and animal welfare track record.

The Humane Society of the United States has filed a complaint with the Security and Exchange Commission over the treatment of their animals, claiming they made false claims about their animal welfare initiatives, as well as their environmental initiatives.

The allegations include keeping breeding sows in gestation crates (which restricts movement for the animal's entire life), as well as subjecting animals to tooth extraction, castration, and tail trimming without painkillers.

5. The McRib is Available Year Round in Germany

Finally, here's one for those of you who aren't put off by poor McRib nutrition facts, gross McRib ingredients and the inhumane treatment of animals, and still say, "Give me a McRib before they disappear from the McDonald's menu again!"

If you lived in Germany, you wouldn't have to worry about getting a McRib before they are all gone. That's because in Germany, where the sandwich is even more popular than in the United States, they are served year round.

Still Hungry?

So, is anyone still hungry or have I killed your appetite? Do you now think the McRib gross, or did you always find the McRib gross and not worth eating?

Or perhaps all the McRib nutrition facts, animal cruelty and weird McRib ingredients didn't phase you.

Let me know which you are in the poll below, and sound off about the McRib facts detailed above in the comments section below.