Taco Bell: Yes, It Is Beef … Sort Of, Anyway.

Just in case you weren’t completely sure, you are, in fact, getting what you pay for when you pull up to a Taco Bell and order a 99-cent “beefy” burrito. An Alabama law firm filed a suit against Taco Bell last week, charging that the taco chain’s use of the words “seasoned beef” or “seasoned ground beef” is false advertising. The claim: Taco Bell’s meat mixture contains less than 35 percent beef—5 percent below the FDA’s 40-percent standard for  “meat taco filling.”

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

While the 40-percent stat should be enough to keep any reasonable person from pulling through the drive-thru, Taco Bell says that they do, in fact, meet FDA’s standards, and the Tex-Mex chain plans to fire back with a lawsuit of its own.

Taco Bell, a Yum Brands Inc subsidiary, said Tuesday that it plans to take legal action against the “false statements” being made about its food. The chain operates, manages or franchises more than 5,600 locations in the United States, according to the lawsuit.

Taco Bell’s tacos, burritos and other Mexican menu items advertised with beef actually contain a filling of mostly non-meat substances like “isolated oat product,” according to the lawsuit filed last week in a California federal court.
“The ‘chicken’ and ‘carne asada steak’ served by Taco Bell is, in fact, chicken or carne asada steak,” the lawsuit says. “The ‘seasoned beef,’ however, is not beef.”

Regardless of who wins the beefy battle, I am happy to say that I never joined in on those late-night, college-era TB runs with my friends. Regardless of the 5-percent margin going one way or the other, “meat taco filling” is still gross. If you’re going to splurge on Mexican food, at least go to one of Philly’s best Tex-Mex spots.