A class-action lawsuit was filed in California disputing how much meat is actually in the “meat” Taco Bell uses. Taco Bell, considering themselves a food company, is justifiably a bit upset at what this could do to their business. So now they’re fighting back with this print ad, which ran in the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and others.
There seems to be certain ambiguities in the ad…for example, USDA inspected beef only has to have a certain percentage of beef, so there’s already some dilution there. And then they’re taking 88% of that USDA inspected beef and diluting it further. Is it only 35% beef like the lawsuit is claiming? Doubtful. But it’s not exactly like biting into the flesh of a live cow either.
Either way, some analysts are speculating that the results could be “humongously detrimental” to the Taco Bell brand. I find that hard to believe. Despite all of its efforts to advertise some of its “healthier” options, it’s still always going to be perceived as Taco Bell..the overly processed bit of deliciousness it’s always been. Should you eat Taco Bell every day? Probably not. Is it surprisingly not terrible for you, as long as you’re eating a reasonable amount and not one of those “OMG NOTHING PROCESSED” types? Yes, Taco Bell is perfectly acceptable…infinitely moreso than some of the dive-y Mexican places you’ll find across the country.
Case closed. For this defense of their brand, I recommend Taco Bell send me a coupon for 100 free tacos and a vat of fire sauce, please.
