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Facing Lawsuit, Taco Bell Swears Meat Filling Is Beef
By
John Del Signore
Published Jan 25, 2011
Modified Jan 25, 2011
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By
John Del Signore
Published Jan 25, 2011
Modified Jan 25, 2011
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[UPDATE BELOW] We're not really sure whether to categorize this post "Food" or "Miscellaneous," but perhaps that's for the courts to decide. A class action lawsuit [pdf] filed against Taco Bell last week accuses the chain of false advertising, because their "taco meat filling" is only about 35% beef, with binders, preservatives, additives and other agents making up the other 65%. The law firm filing the lawsuit tells the Daily News they don't want money, they just want Taco Bell to "stop saying that they are selling beef."
However, a Taco Bell spokesman issued a statement defending the meat filing completely sidestepping the lawsuit's allegations: "Taco Bell prides itself on serving high quality Mexican inspired food with great value. We're happy that the millions of customers we serve every week agree." Millions of fast food consumers can't be wrong! But if Taco Bell is willing to describe their food as "Mexican inspired," why don't they just go all the way and admit that their fillings are "meat inspired"?
Update: Greg Creed, Taco Bell's President and Chief Concept Officer, has issued this statement: "At Taco Bell, we buy our beef from the same trusted brands you find in the supermarket, like Tyson Foods. We start with 100 percent USDA-inspected beef. Then we simmer it in our proprietary blend of seasonings and spices to give our seasoned beef its signature Taco Bell taste and texture. We are proud of the quality of our beef and identify all the seasoning and spice ingredients on our website. Unfortunately, the lawyers in this case elected to sue first and ask questions later—and got their 'facts' absolutely wrong. We plan to take legal action for the false statements being made about our food."
Tagged
ground beef
meat filling
taco bell
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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