Lawsuit Alleges Deceptive Taco Bell Meat Claims

LOS ANGELESA class-action lawsuit was filed Jan. 21 in a California federal court alleging Taco Bell deceptively advertises its meat products, failing to tell customers the its "ground beef" or "seasoned ground beef" only contains about 35 percent of beef, with binders, extenders, preservatives, additives and other agents making up the other 65 percent.

The lawsuit was filed by Montgomery, Ala.-based law firm Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles on behalf of a California woman, Amanda Obney.

As reported by the New York Daily News, the lawsuit alleges Taco Bell's "seasoned beef" contains the forbidden additives is backed up by the restaurant's ingredients list on its website, which says the "seasoned beef" in a Beefy Crunch Burrito contains water, sodium phosphates, soy lecithin, modified corn starch, and anti-caking and anti-dusting agents, among others ingredients.

Taco Bells President and Chief Concept Officer Greg Creed responded to the lawsuit saying the lawyers elected to sue first and ask questions laterand got their facts" absolutely wrong. Taco Bell plans to take legal action for the false statements being made about its food.

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," Creed said.

Tyson Foods also issued a statement supporting Taco Bell: "We take great pride in the seasoned beef we provide Taco Bell. We begin with 100 percent USDA-inspected beef.  We combine this high-quality beef with Taco Bell's proprietary seasonings and spices; then we slowly cook it and package it for shipment to Taco Bell restaurants.

The company said the seasoned beef is prepared at three Tyson Foods plants that are USDA-inspected. In addition, our operations are also staffed by Tyson quality assurance professionals, who test the product daily to ensure it meets Taco Bell specifications as well as USDA requirements," the company said.