News

Taco Bell responds to lawsuit; threatens countersuit

January 24, 2011

Irvine,Calif.-based Taco Bell Corp. has responded to a lawsuit brought forth this week by Alabama law firm Beasley Allen claiming that the company misleads consumers with advertisements touting its ground beef menu items.

The suit, made on "behalf of all consumers," challenges Taco Bell's practices of marketing its "seasoned ground beef" or "seasoned beef" filling, instead of the majority of non-meat substances that are used.

In response, Greg Creed, president and chief concept officer of Taco Bell Corp., released the following statement:

"At Taco Bell, we buy our beef from the same trusted brands you find in the supermarket, like Tyson Foods. We start with 100 percent USDA-inspected beef. Then we simmer it in our proprietary blend of seasonings and spices to give our seasoned beef its signature Taco Bell taste and texture. We are proud of the quality of our beef and identify all the seasoning and spice ingredients on our website. Unfortunately, the lawyers in this case elected to sue first and ask questions later -- and got their 'facts' absolutely wrong. We plan to take legal action for the false statements being made about our food."

Photo provided by quinn.anya.