While there is a lot of buzz about fast food brands embracing alternative proteins these days, Dairy Queen has confirmed that it absolutely does not use one particularly unconventional meat in its burgers: human flesh. The brand even took to Twitter on Friday to dispel any rumors that it was, in fact, selling people burgers:
Hi Matthew! At DAIRY QUEEN, we are very proud of our 100% beef hamburgers. We serve a high-quality hamburger with no additives or fillers.
— Dairy Queen (@DairyQueen) August 23, 2019
This tweet is referencing a bogus conspiracy theory inspired by a raid of one location of the chain in Greenwood, South Carolina last week. Federal agents did indeed swarm the restaurant, as well as a nearby convenience store and home, on Wednesday. The manager of that Dairy Queen, Saif Momin, told local newspaper the Index-Journal that a corporate inspector had informed him of a complaint involving, “human meat being inside a burger.” But as it turns out, the FBI raid actually had to do with an investigation into an unlicensed money transferring business, where one of the alleged fraudsters was purportedly using an unlocked safe in the back of the Dairy Queen to store his cash.
Although the raid ultimately had nothing to do with a cannibal burger, Moomin’s comment about the rumor prompted the Index-Journal to interview a local coroner who told the paper, “There’s little to no chance of anything like that ever being able to happen.” And even though this rumor was dispelled by the authorities, that didn’t stop Twitter conspiracy theorists from probing Dairy Queen about this outlandish plot, to which the brand’s social media manager replied that it serves “100% beef hamburgers.”
While Dairy Queen appears to be done addressing the bogus human meat rumor, the company is still looking into how this store might be connected to the criminal activity that prompted the FBI raid. Moomin, meanwhile, does not face any criminal charges, but his name is mentioned in a probable-cause affidavit that was filed after the raid. And when asked about the people-burger conspiracy, the restaurateur told the Index-Journal, “If that was the case, they already would have shut me down.”
• Dairy Queen burgers are not made of human flesh, a county coroner is forced to confirm [WaPo]
• Officials: DQ burgers aren’t made out of people [IJ]
• DQ manager: ‘No illegal activities’ at store day after federal raid [IJ]
