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False Advertising Lawsuit Against Taco Bell Dropped
By
John Del Signore
Published Apr 19, 2011
Modified Apr 19, 2011
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By
John Del Signore
Published Apr 19, 2011
Modified Apr 19, 2011
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A California woman who filed a class action lawsuit against Taco Bell accusing the wildly successful fast food chain of false advertising has withdrawn her lawsuit, which alleged that Taco Bell's "taco meat filling" is only about 35% beef, with binders, preservatives, additives and other agents making up the other 65%. And hence, calling it beef was balderdash. But Taco Bell pushed back hard against the lawsuit, spending between $3 million and $4 million on an ad campaign defending its beef. The company also threatened to countersue the plaintiff, who has now quietly dropped the lawsuit.
An attorney for Amanda Obney, the woman suing Taco Bell, tells Reuters his firm withdrew the lawsuit after Taco Bell made "changes in marketing and product disclosure." But Taco Bell insists it did not change its products, ingredients or advertising. "We gave them the facts, which we could have given them three months ago before this was filed, and when they saw the facts they withdrew the lawsuit," Taco Bell's CEO Greg Creed says. "It's that simple."
For the record, here's what's in Taco Bell's seasoned beef, which Taco Bell says "contains 88% quality USDA-inspected beef and 12% seasonings, spices, water and other ingredients that provide taste, texture and moisture." Back in January, Obney's lawyers defiantly hit back at Taco Bell's multi-million dollar propaganda campaign, saying, "Food additives such as isolated oat product, wheat oats, soy lecithin, maltodrextrin, anti-dusting agents, autolyzed yeast extract, modified corn starch and sodium phosphate are neither beef nor spices."
We're not sure what changed between then and now (a lifetime supply of Crunchy Tacos offer he couldn't refuse?) but this is surely good news for Taco Bell customers like the one who told ABC, "I'm a poor person. If it was 20% [beef] I would still eat Taco Bell. It feeds a lot of poor people, and it's a really great place." New slogan pitch for Taco Bell: Think Anybody Gives A Shit?
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taco bell
taco bell lawsuit
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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