Cop-Out Wednesday: Taco Bell Fights Back

(I changed the name of the post, because the whole 'public doesn't care' bit sounded like the public was furious. When actually, they are still happily ingesting Taco Bell's lousy fare. Sorry if your RSS feed doesn't pick up the change.)

I took a very interesting class my last year in college. It was all about the Boxer Rebellion, which you may or may not know was an uprising in China by Nationalist leaning Chinese against both Western politics and Western spheres of influence but also against Westerners living in China at the time. But the class wasn't just about the history of the Boxer Rebellion. It was really about how to study the Boxer Rebellion. It was a close look at the reports of how different newspapers across the globe covered one incident. We studied the difference between primary and secondary sources. It was a fascinating class. I don't remember a ton about the Boxer Rebellion, but I started to understand what a respectable source of news was and how to read through the lines in what to believe. I like to think that the sources that I bring to this blog are those that are trustworthy and largely unbiased. You can't believe everything on the Internet. But I also believe that some mainstream sources of news are slanted to the conventional thinking, both politically and nutritionally. Because you know I am concerned about food. So in answering my myriad questions, I must wade through alot of information to get an unbiased story that is also full of facts.

That being said, I have read several different reports about this Taco Bell Scandal. Some more opinion based blogs I read were outraged because the lawsuit seemed frivolous. Other blogs (like mine) were outraged because they felt that the lack of beef in the beef was disgusting, a nutritional outrage. But major newspapers stuck to the fact in the original story, however in this second wave, the story is really about Taco Bell and how it has come out shining by drowning the marketplace in ads. I have seen them everywhere on the television. These stories sound to me like they were almost planted by the company itself. And it is likely that the Yum Industries PR team has been working 18 hour days for the last 10 days or so.

Taco Bell alleges that it's ground beef is 88% beef, and that the remaining 12% is water, spices, and some filler like oats and wheat. That is actually more in line with what I assumed, since I haven't eaten the stuff in 10 years or so. Still, I have to point out that neither the Alabama law firm nor Taco Bell itself have published proof of whether the ground beef is 35% beef or 88% beef. And this Mama does not go by word of mouth. I may not be from Missouri, but my Dad is-so I need proof. Show me.

I guess we will just have to wait to read about the court case. In the meantime, eat real food. It tastes better.

Taco Bell's Official Statement: Of Course We Use Real Beef

Taco Bell's Website: Taco Bell Official Ingredient List Apparently The 'Oats and Wheat" contribute to the seasoning part of the 'Seasoned Ground Beef', who knew? It sounds more like filler to me. Also, check out how many ingredients 'Steak" has.

New York Post: Taco Bell Fights Back on Beef Lawsuit With Ad Push


USA Today: Taco Bell Fights Beef Charges With Truth Ads, May Countersue This was one of the few articles I read that mentioned that the brand might file a suit of it's own.

Squidoo.com: Got a Beef with Taco Bell's 'Beef' Taco Filling?

Gizmodo.com: This is What Really Hides Inside Taco Bell's Beef This site gives the USDA definition of Ground Beef