Are you a fan of Taco Bell’s ground beef? Yes? Well, you might want to take a look at the above photo, because that shows you what it looks like when it arrives at stores.
See all those ingredients? Only 88 percent of Taco Bell’s “Taco Meat Filling” is ground beef; the other 12 percent is made up of “seasonings, spices, water, and other ingredients.” But what exactly are those other ingredients? And you even really want to know?
Last April, the chain launched a page on their website to attempt to clear up the controversy after being sued in a class-action lawsuit alleging that its ground beef mixture contains only 35 percent beef. Taco Bell does a pretty good job of explaining their beef (and we’re inclined to believe then when they say it’s 88 percent beef), but it still doesn’t make it sound delicious, exactly. The ground beef contains oats to help it stay moist, cellulose and soy lecithin to help water and oil bind, trehalose and maltodextrin for sweetness, potassium chloride as a salt substitute, torula yeast, lactic acid, and citric acid as flavor enhancers, sodium phosphate for texture, caramel and cocoa powder for color, and, interestingly, artificial “black pepper flavor” as a substitute for real pepper.
So there you have it! 88 percent beef, 12 percent all that other stuff. Enjoy!