Related to poor US Public Health – Taco Bell Beef Below USDA Minimum of 40%

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USA Today and others are reporting of a lawsuit against Taco Bell for the meat in their Tacos. The suit claims that the taco meat at Taco Bell is only 36% beef, which is less than the USDA minimum of 40% for taco meat filling. The suit seeks to have Taco Bell either rename their products or add more beef. Besides the fact that Taco Bell could be below the 40% standard, there is also the aspect that most people are not aware of the USDA labeling definitions for meat filling being only 40% meat. People are also unaware that Taco Bells labels their Taco meat as beef filling. Although I think most people know that fast food is not good quality food. However, Taco Bell is going below already low standards to qualify for the “Where’s the beef ?” lawsuit. (classic Wendy’s hamburger commercial asking Where’s the beef?)

I think Taco Bell would be wise to follow the lead of Dominos Pizza and relaunch with real ingredients and disavow their old product.

This relates to recent medical statistic reports that the USA is lagging other developed nations in life expectancy gains because too many Americans are fat, sedentary and smoking

Taco Bell’s ads claiming some of its products contain “seasoned ground beef” or “seasoned beef” are “false and misleading” because the beef is in fact “taco meat filling.”

“Taco beef filling” and “ground beef” are two very different things in the eyes of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, says USDA’s Neil Gaffney.

Ground beef must be at least 70% beef (no more than 30% fat) and not include added water, phosphates, extenders or binders, though seasoning may be an ingredient.

Taco beef filling must contain at least 40% fresh meat, and the label must show the true product name, such as “Taco Filling with Meat,” “Beef Taco Filling,” or “Taco Meat Filling.”

Update the other 64%

The other 64% is mostly tasteless fibers, various industrial additives and some flavoring and coloring. Everything is processed into a mass that actually looks like beef, and packed into big containers labeled as “taco meat filling.”

The list of ingredients :

Beef, water, isolated oat product, salt, chili pepper, onion powder, tomato powder, oats (wheat), soy lecithin, sugar, spices, maltodextrin (a polysaccharide that is absorbed as glucose), soybean oil (anti-dusting agent), garlic powder, autolyzed yeast extract, citric acid, caramel color, cocoa powder, silicon dioxide (anti-caking agent), natural flavors, yeast, modified corn starch, natural smoke flavor, salt, sodium phosphate, less than 2% of beef broth, potassium phosphate, and potassium lactate.

RELATED

Previously we covered the fact that MacDonalds Chicken nuggets are 56% corn and the “chicken” part is deep fried meat slurry.

USDA food labeling A-E

USDA food labeling F-M

USDA food labeling N-Y

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