UPDATE 1/25/11- KnightNews.com was just sent the following statement from Taco Bell President and Chief Concept Officer Greg Creed, concerning the lawsuit being filed against them:
“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.”
One of the most popular late night restaurants for college students is lying about what’s in its tacos, according to a lawsuit filed against Taco Bell.
The lawsuit contends Taco Bell’s beef tacos have so little beef, it’s false advertising to call them beef tacos, according to a report in the Sentinel.
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The lawsuit reportedly objects to Taco Bell claiming it serves “seasoned ground beef or seasoned beef, when in fact a substantial amount of the filling contains substances other than beef.”
So what’s in Taco Bell’s “beef” tacos?
Things like water, isolated oat product, wheat oats, soy lecithin, maltodextrin, anti-dusting agent, autolyzed yeast extract, modified corn starch and sodium phosphate, as well as some beef and seasonings, the suit states.
The paper reported that attorney W. Daniel “Dee” Miles III, who filed the lawsuit, claimed just 35 percent of the taco filling was a solid, and just 15 percent overall was protein.
The USDA defines beef as “the flesh of cattle.”
“You can’t call it beef by definition,” Miles is quoted as saying. “It’s junk. I wouldn’t eat it.” The suit does not ask for money, instead, it wants Taco Bell’s alleged false advertising to stop.
Taco Bell has told media it denies it’s doing anything wrong, and plans to vigorously defend itself against the suit.
KnightNews.com Facebook fans sounded off immediately after hearing the news.
“Is anyone really surprised by this?” Amanda Leezer asked. “Seriously?”
“Who cares?” asked Noel Calzolano. “I’m sure anyone that eats it, isn’t too worried about what it technically is or isn’t. Taco bell is delicious nevertheless.”
Feel free to share your thoughts in our comments section below.
