For years there have been tales about the beef used by Taco Bell. Some rumors say the beef is “Grade F. Fit for consumption”. Others simply state that the beef is not beef at all … or at least most of it.
So we thought we would take a bite of this story and research it for our fellow townspeople.
In 2011, the Alabama law firm of Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles (did they leave anybody out?) filed a lawsuit on behalf of their client against “YUM Brands”, the parent company of Taco Bell, alleging that their “Seasoned Beef” was only 35% beef and the remaining 65% was mostly water, wheat oats, soy lecithin, maltodextrin, anti-dusting agent and modified corn starch. The suit sought no monitory damages but simply remanded that Taco Bell stop saying that they are selling beef.
The lawsuit didn’t get too far and in 2015 it was dropped. Taco Bell has demanded an apology which, after 7 years it still has yet to receive. But the damage was done, and Taco Bell has been dealing with a public relations disaster ever since.
Taco Bell President Greg Creed came out with a video in 2013 to come clean about the ingredients of their “Seasoned Beef”. Watch the video below.
The video did little to cleanse the pallet as people pointed out quickly that his claims that his beef is “100 USDA Inspected”, has little association with quality as ALL beef is required by law to be inspected. In the video he claims that his beef is “88% USDA Inspected beef … with the other 12% being spices and fillers for texture and flavor.” He was even nice enough to give the exact ingredients and percentages.
88% USDA Inspected Beef (as all beef for sale must be).
3% is water to keep the mixture moist.
4% is Mexican spices
5% is oats, caramelized sugar, citric acid and other ingredients.
But what exactly is that 88% USDA Inspected Beef? That is what we really want to know, right?
Digging into their pubic statements further, Taco Bell claims that their “Seasoned Beef” is 100% USDA Premium beef.
The problem, and probably the reason that Taco Bell continues to have such an issue with the public’s perception of the quality of their beef, is that there is no such thing as USDA Premium Beef. In fact, the word “Premium” can not be found anywhere in USDA documents.
The USDA has 8 grades for beef – “Prime”, “Choice”, “Select”, “Standard”, “Commercial”, “Utility”, “Cutter”, and “Canner”.
The first three, Prime, Choice, and Select are what you would see in the grocery store for that T-Bone, or any cut for that matter. The main differences are the amount of fat to be found in the meat. Prime has the most, Select has the least. (Fat is flavor, don’t you know?)
Standard and Commercial grades of beef are sold as ungraded or as store brand meat. Those specials that you see at the supermarket with labels such as Kroger, Tom Thumb, Albertsons etc., that’s what you get. It’s not that the meat is bad, it’s just a different grade based mostly on the fat content and the age of the beef. When it comes to ground beef that you buy in the store it will probably be from these grades.
Utility, Cutter, and Canner grades of beef are generally not sold at retail but are used instead to make ground beef and processed products. These are generally, bulk wholesale meats.
So, again the question is, what does “USDA Premium” mean when it doesn’t exist at the USDA?
Well, there’s a loophole.
There are “Independent Grading Companies”, which are licensed by the USDA to grade meat. They take into consideration other aspects of quality such as how the livestock is raised, what it’s fed, how sustainable it is etc. and they can give beef a “Premium” label if it meets a defined corporate standard of the purchaser.
These meats generally come from the “Choice” grade of beef. For example, Tyson foods have a program called their “Chairman’s Reserve® Certified Premium Beef”.
Unfortunately, Taco Bell is not doing themselves any favors by not being forthcoming about their specific “Premium” grading. As of publication, Taco Bell representatives have not returned our calls.
If we give them the benefit of doubt, then their “seasoned beef” would be a quality-checked, USDA Choice brand of ground beef. But why not just come out and say that?
So, the bottom line is that Fate residents can be assured that they are getting quality beef in their tacos & burritos. So, if you are having stomach issues it’s probably more likely that your body is reacting to the spices found in the meat, not the meat itself. For that, you should seek guidance from your friendly gastroenterologist.