Does Taco Bell’s meat filling contain enough beef to be called “beef”?
That’s the question raised by a California woman who has hired an Alabama law firm to file a class-action lawsuit (this article contains a link to the PDF file) against the fast-food company. Her beef: The meat filling the chain uses in its tacos, burritos and other Mexican-inspired fare doesn’t contain a high enough percentage of actual beef to be legally labeled “beef” according to USDA standards.
The suit alleges that Taco Bell refers to that filling as “seasoned beef” or “seasoned ground beef” in its communications with the outside world but in internal dealings calls it “taco meat filling.” It claims that the filling contains very little beef, and the rest is made up of extenders. Taco Bell strongly denies the allegation, calling the suit “bogus.”