Colin Atagi

The Desert Sun

A Riverside County man claims the mozzarella sticks he purchased from a Rancho Mirage McDonald's restaurant did not include real cheese, according to a lawsuit filed in U.S. Federal Court.

Chris Howe, whose city of residence wasn't identified, says in his lawsuit that the mozzarella sticks are "adulterated and misbranded," according to the lawsuit.

It states the cheese sticks use "starch as a cheap substitute and filler. Due to starch's ability to hold moisture, a small amount can be introduced into a mixture to add bulk and weight at a fraction of the cost of real cheese."

Howe purchased them on Dec. 24 from the McDonald's restaurant at 34-101 Monterey Ave. in Rancho Mirage. The lawsuit, which was filed on behalf of California residents who purchased the sticks, says Howe wouldn't have bought them if he knew they did not contain real cheese.

The lawsuit, however, doesn't specify how the plaintiff was able to determine the quality of the mozzarella sticks' ingredients.

The Desert Sun tried to reach out to Howe, but a listed phone number led to a full voicemail box.

McDonald's officials denied the accusations in a statement, which said “Our mozzarella cheese sticks are made with 100% low moisture part skim mozzarella cheese. We intend to defend ourselves vigorously against these allegations.”

The Rancho Mirage location is one of several owned by local businessman Dick Shalhoub. He did not immediately return a call for comment.

On Wednesday, customers weren't fazed by the claims and several said the lawsuit was unnecessary.

"It's cheap fast food. What do you think we're supposed to get?" Palm Desert resident Sam Barnes, 21, said outside the Rancho Mirage eatery. "Maybe I'd be upset if I was paying more for what I get."

McDonald's charges $1.39 for three mozzarella sticks, although an order could be paired with other items under the restaurant's "two items for $2 deal."

If the mozzarella sticks had a better quality of cheese, an order would probably cost $2.50, Palm Desert resident Tim Ollom, 57, said at the restaurant Wednesday.

He last ordered the mozzarella sticks about a month ago and said they weren't bad.

"I don't know what kind of cheese is in them, but they're really good," Ollom said."I'd order them again, no problem."

The lawsuit follows other controversy involving the mozzarella sticks, which became available last year.

Recently, customers took to social media to report their mozzarella sticks were hollow.

McDonald's officials acknowledged the missing cheese.

“In these instances, we believe the cheese melted out during the baking process in our kitchens and shouldn’t have been served," they said in a statement. "We apologize to any customers who may have been affected. We are working to fix this in our restaurants.”

A lawsuit filed in 2011 against Taco Bell by an Alabama-based law firm claimed that restaurant chain wasn't using real beef.

The lawsuit was filed in January that year before being withdrawn four months later. No money was exchanged between the parties.

The Associated Press and USA Today contributed to this story.