# Taco Bell's Ground Beef Is Less Than 35% Actual Meat **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 25, 2011, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bells-ground-beef-is-less-than-35-actual-meat/568875 "2011-01-25T03:09:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bells-ground-beef-is-less-than-35-actual-meat/568875/61 "2011-01-25T16:59:36Z")
Won’t change a thing for my Taco Bell Mondays. I always order everything without meat, substituting beans even in my tacos. ---
**Author:** ![RedSwinglineOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a9adbd/32.png) [@RedSwinglineOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedSwinglineOne)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bells-ground-beef-is-less-than-35-actual-meat/568875/62 "2011-01-25T17:00:31Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally Posted by Czarcasm > Riight. On their website the listing for “Seasoned Beef” reads: “Beef, Water, Seasoning [Isolated Oat Product, Salt, Chili Pepper, Onion Powder, Tomato Powder, Oats (Wheat), Soy Lecithin, Sugar, Spices, Maltodextrin, Soybean Oil (Anti-dusting Agent), Garlic Powder, Autolyzed Yeast Extract, Citric Acid, Caramel Color, Cocoa Powder (Processed With Alkali), Silicon Dioxide, Natural Flavors, Yeast, Modified Corn Starch, Natural Smoke Flavor], Salt, Sodium Phosphates. CONTAINS SOYBEAN, WHEAT” > Notice that the beef-to-filler proportion isn’t listed. > [@DCnDC](#): > > Where on _any_ ingredient list are the proportions \*\*ever \*\*listed? While the proportions are not specifically listed, the ingredients are supposed to be listed in order by amount. It appears they purposely chose to list soybean and wheat separately to avoid having beef appear as the third ingredient in their ‘seasoned beef’. Someone looking at that list of ingredients would think their “seasoned beef” is mostly beef and it is not. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bells-ground-beef-is-less-than-35-actual-meat/568875/63 "2011-01-25T17:00:33Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > Thats what you get when you ban trans fats. I don’t know if you’re joking here or not. Do you think that trans fat enhances the taste of anything? The only thing you should fry in is olive oil, butter, tallow, or lard. Tallow’s best for french fries, although lard has its adherants. Olive oil and butter have too low a smoke point to work for fries. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bells-ground-beef-is-less-than-35-actual-meat/568875/64 "2011-01-25T17:06:31Z")
> [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](#): > > Will any of you stop patronizing Taco Bell over this? No, because whatever is in it, it’s tasty. And I would offer them praise for being able to make soy protein taste good. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bells-ground-beef-is-less-than-35-actual-meat/568875/65 "2011-01-25T17:26:54Z")
> [@RedSwinglineOne](#): > > While the proportions are not specifically listed, the ingredients are supposed to be listed in order by amount. It appears they purposely chose to list soybean and wheat separately to avoid having beef appear as the third ingredient in their ‘seasoned beef’. > Someone looking at that list of ingredients would think their “seasoned beef” is mostly beef and it is not. But they _are_ listed by amount. It _has_ to be-- it’s the law. Compared to any other single ingredient, there is more beef in it than anything else, therefore it _is_ mostly beef. Let’s also consider that the 35% figure has not been legally proven, we have to take the lawyer’s word for it. We don’t know who did the testing, we don’t know where their sample came from, we don’t know anything except what the plaintiff’s lawyer has released in a statement to the press, it could easily be total bullshit. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bells-ground-beef-is-less-than-35-actual-meat/568875/66 "2011-01-25T17:30:08Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > How much more forthright do they need to be? Should they tattoo it on all their employees foreheads? Would that satisfy you? I would expect them to list the ingredients in the order of their proportion, not bury “Oats (Wheat), Soy lecithin” in “Seasoning” behind onion powder and salt. Unless they really use more salt than oats or soy. In which case they should list the seasonings _before_ the beef. Oh, and I had to search that page more than once to find the beef listing, since it was under “Seasoned Ground Beef”. I looked for “Beef”, “Ground Beef”, and “Meat” and couldn’t find it scrolling the list. > [@DCnDC](#): > > Where on _any_ ingredient list are the proportions \*\*ever \*\*listed? Typically proportions are by sequence, so the more of something, the earlier in the list it is. “Seasoned Ground Beef: Soybeans, Oats (Wheat), beef, water, seasonings […]” That might be more honest. And I still don’t know why Wheat is in parenthesis behind Oats. Is that to indicate they could use either oats or wheat? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bells-ground-beef-is-less-than-35-actual-meat/568875/67 "2011-01-25T17:56:04Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > “Seasoned Ground Beef: Soybeans, Oats (Wheat), beef, water, seasonings […]” > > That might be more honest. It _might_, but I assume the ingredients are in the correct order, with the beef comprising the plurality of ingredients, thus being listed first. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bells-ground-beef-is-less-than-35-actual-meat/568875/68 "2011-01-25T17:59:09Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > And I still don’t know why Wheat is in parenthesis behind Oats. Is that to indicate they could use either oats or wheat? My WAG is that it might also be a flag for those with gluten intolerance - wheat, oats, barley, and rye are the usual suspects there. I swear I’ve seen that sort of subdivision before - the Seasoning Mix (sub-ingredients here) thing - but I thought that had to mean that there was less of that in total than anything listed before it. So to be legal, there would have to have more beef than water, more water than Seasoning Mix (or whatever they were calling it), etc. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bells-ground-beef-is-less-than-35-actual-meat/568875/69 "2011-01-25T18:07:30Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > Whoa, whoa, wait a minute…where can I get tacos for 49 cents?!? > mmm I heard the Taco Mat is having a special – 100 tacos for $100. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bells-ground-beef-is-less-than-35-actual-meat/568875/70 "2011-01-25T18:15:35Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > But they _are_ listed by amount. It _has_ to be-- it’s the law. Compared to any other single ingredient, there is more beef in it than anything else, therefore it _is_ mostly beef. > > Let’s also consider that the 35% figure has not been legally proven, we have to take the lawyer’s word for it. We don’t know who did the testing, we don’t know where their sample came from, we don’t know anything except what the plaintiff’s lawyer has released in a statement to the press, it could easily be total bullshit. Right. Taco Barf (I mean that affectionately) has said they stand by the quality of their ingredients and are more than happy to vigorously fight this in court. They didn’t say “well, technically, our lawyers assured us 35% is okay because…” Let’s see what it really is. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bells-ground-beef-is-less-than-35-actual-meat/568875/71 "2011-01-25T18:16:33Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > How would you feel if someone told you that the sauce in your lasagna was soy, but it turned out to be 65% beef byproducts? Well, since I am not militantly vegan/peta, it wouldn’t bother me one bit, I happily eat cow. I am a serious carnivore who also likes vegan cooking. If I was representing it as soy, and the product I bought as TVP wasn’t actually TVP I would be a bit upset at buying the wrong product. But this is apples and oranges, I am pretty sure that Taco Bell is paying for a 65% beef product, and had it planned that way. I am pretty sure they were not expecting to open the bags of taco mix and finding 100% beef. By the way, when I was working for US Foodservice, we managed logistics for the local Taco Bells, and the ground beef product came in cases of bagged frozen precooked and flavored glop, tear open, pour into the steamtable and heat. It isn’t like the individual franchise holders have a choice in the matter… ---
**Author:** ![RedSwinglineOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a9adbd/32.png) [@RedSwinglineOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedSwinglineOne)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bells-ground-beef-is-less-than-35-actual-meat/568875/72 "2011-01-25T18:17:55Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > But they _are_ listed by amount. It _has_ to be-- it’s the law. Compared to any other single ingredient, there is more beef in it than anything else, therefore it _is_ mostly beef. But they’re not. The other ingredients are listed in order. Then, in all caps they add “CONTAINS SOYBEAN, WHEAT.” Soybean and wheat are not listed at the end because they are smallest in volume. There must be more soybean and wheat than ‘natural smoke flavor’ and salt. They seem to be trying to make it into a separate list. Every type of meat on their website uses the same pattern. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bells-ground-beef-is-less-than-35-actual-meat/568875/73 "2011-01-25T18:21:08Z")
> [@RedSwinglineOne](#): > > But they’re not. The other ingredients are listed in order. Then, in all caps they add “CONTAINS SOYBEAN, WHEAT.” Soybean and wheat are not listed at the end because they are smallest in volume. There must be more soybean and wheat than ‘natural smoke flavor’ and salt. They seem to be trying to make it into a separate list. > Every type of meat on their website uses the same pattern. The all-caps part is the allergen warning, and not part of the ingredients list. You’ll see similar on packages of food in stores. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bells-ground-beef-is-less-than-35-actual-meat/568875/74 "2011-01-25T18:23:30Z")
There are five ingredients on that list: Beef, Water, Seasoning, Salt, and Sodium Phosphates. The seasoning is made up of: Isolated Oat Product, Salt, Chili Pepper, Onion Powder, Tomato Powder, Oats (_Wheat_), _Soy_ Lecithin, Sugar, Spices, Maltodextrin, _Soybean_ Oil (Anti-dusting Agent), Garlic Powder, Autolyzed Yeast Extract, Citric Acid, Caramel Color, Cocoa Powder (Processed With Alkali), Silicon Dioxide, Natural Flavors, Yeast, Modified Corn Starch, Natural Smoke Flavor The note “CONTAINS SOYBEAN, WHEAT” is merely there to draw attention to the presence of soybean and wheat among the ingredients in the seasoning. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bells-ground-beef-is-less-than-35-actual-meat/568875/75 "2011-01-25T18:32:14Z")
And if you have a look at the taco seasoning made by Old El Paso it looks pretty much the same. Anyone who is worried about Taco Bell is … ah, I can’t say that here. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bells-ground-beef-is-less-than-35-actual-meat/568875/76 "2011-01-25T18:35:42Z")
It’s surprising to me that people are even a little annoyed at this. Their ingredient list is readily available in more than one place and follows the applicable laws. What’s the problem? This may be a California rather than a Federal thing but all fast food restaurants around here have full nutritional information handouts right at the counter. If people really cared, and I doubt that most regular TB patrons do, the info is easy to come by. If someone has allergies, it’s on them to do their own research. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bells-ground-beef-is-less-than-35-actual-meat/568875/77 "2011-01-25T18:49:28Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > I don’t care if I eat a mix of TVP and beef. What I care about is having a place tell or imply that they’re using 100% beef, rather than a mix of beef and TVP. I’m not allergic to soy, but some people are, and restaurants are supposed to be truthful about what they are serving. I’m gluten intolerant. I’m not picky and I’m not “so gluten intolerant my health is at immediate risk” - I get gassy - so I don’t pay THAT much attention. But being gluten intolerant, even I know that you ALWAYS check ingredients if there is something you can’t eat. You cannot assume that french fries are simply potatos that are fried in canola and sprinkled in salt - McDonalds fries have been at times both gluten-containing and non-vegetarian - and some other places fry in peanut oil. Soy, wheat, milk, eggs, peanuts, corn…they all have a bad tendency to show up where you don’t expect them - and people with allergies need to be responsible on their own - not just ASSUME. No one can take care of a person with food allergies needs other that that person (or the responsible adult if that person is a young child). Fast food restaurants will always hand you an ingredient list if you ask. For me, Taco Hell - with its TVP and oats, in a corn tortilla, is way better than the amount of gluten I’d get from MOST fast food meals (unless you think a fast food salad counts as food - yuck). I avoid fast food for that reason, but if I need something quick, a Taco Hell is what I look to. [Quote=Irishman] And I still don’t know why Wheat is in parenthesis behind Oats. Is that to indicate they could use either oats or wheat? [/quote] No. Oats themselves are gluten free, but usually processed in a plant that also processes wheat. People who have real wheat allergies or have very low tolerances to gluten (celiacs), will often react to oats (some do, some don’t). The oat protein string is very close to gluten - and some people will react to that even when their oats are from a facility that doesn’t process wheat. Its a little like “made in a facility that processes peanuts.” This product itself doesn’t contain peanuts by intention, but we can’t guarantee the product didn’t get cross contaminated in production ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bells-ground-beef-is-less-than-35-actual-meat/568875/78 "2011-01-25T19:02:46Z")
> [@Suburban\_Plankton](#): > > …and they haven’t killed me yet. Maybe it was just a slow news day. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bells-ground-beef-is-less-than-35-actual-meat/568875/79 "2011-01-25T19:12:46Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > Oh, and I had to search that page more than once to find the beef listing, since it was under “Seasoned Ground Beef”. I looked for “Beef”, “Ground Beef”, and “Meat” and couldn’t find it scrolling the list. It’s a conspiracy! You’re not supposed to check the S’s! ---
**Author:** ![cgg419](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cgg419/32/2847_2.png) [@cgg419](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cgg419)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bells-ground-beef-is-less-than-35-actual-meat/568875/80 "2011-01-25T19:20:44Z")
> [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](#): > > I heard the Taco Mat is having a special – 100 tacos for $100. I could sure go for 100 tacos right about now ☹ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bells-ground-beef-is-less-than-35-actual-meat/568875.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bells-ground-beef-is-less-than-35-actual-meat/568875.md?page=5)