Taco Bell Reponds: 88% Defensiveness and 12% Self Pity

By on January 29, 2011 in News 25

In addition to threatening to countersue the lawyers of the class action lawsuit against them, Taco Bell has embarked on a media counter-offensive.  George Stephanopoulos reports for ABC:

‘Thank You For Suing Us’

That’s the headline on full-page ads Taco Bell is taking out in newspapers across the country today, and this morning Taco Bell’s president gave us an exclusive interview on “GMA” to press his case.

“I think when someone sullies your reputation you have to be swift and you have to be decisive. And we think our reputation has been sullied and we wanted to put out a headline that certainly drew attention and enables us to tell the story about our beef which is…88% USDA inspected, and not the 35% that’s being claimed,” Greg Creed told me. “And I think there is a huge difference between 88 and 35 and I think our customers, our employees and everyone else needs to know that.”

Taco Bell is retaining outside council, Creed said, and they will take whatever legal action is available to them.

“I think attacking our brand is like attacking a person. It’s just unacceptable when there aren’t any facts to support it,” Creed said on “GMA.”

Taco Bell claims that what they use is 88% beef, 3% water, 4% seasonings and 5% other ingredients.  But the attorneys filing the lawsuit against the fast food chain told “GMA” that that the ingredients in the beef contain things “regular people do not use in recipes cooked at home.”…

Strong words from people who spell “beef” (and “real”) with backwards 3s.  Read more here.

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  • hunter349

    Colbert made a funny point the other day about it. Taco Bell says they use 88% USDA inspected beef. Only a stickler would require that it is USDA approved.

  • Anonymous

    Colbert made a funny point the other day about it. Taco Bell says they use 88% USDA inspected beef. Only a stickler would require that it is USDA approved.

  • Pingback: Tweets that mention Taco Bell Reponds: 88% Defensiveness and 12% Self Pity | Disinformation -- Topsy.com

  • mrtastycakes

    They should be defensive. This is a frivolous lawsuit.

  • mrtastycakes

    They should be defensive. This is a frivolous lawsuit.

  • Sharpie

    I worked at taco bell for 3 years… theres no way its 88% beef. we would find pieces of cardboard that in the meat, and the instruction books told us to put quite a bit of water into the mix if it didnt have the right consistency. im also pretty sure that its partly oatmeal.

  • Sharpie

    I worked at taco bell for 3 years… theres no way its 88% beef. we would find pieces of cardboard that in the meat, and the instruction books told us to put quite a bit of water into the mix if it didnt have the right consistency. im also pretty sure that its partly oatmeal.

  • DeepCough

    Like I said before, for 99 cents, you should be lucky to get 35% beef. You get what you pay for, simple as that.

    • chonus

      How much should a little taco with real meat cost?

      • DeepCough

        Now that you could charge 99 cents for: “Introducing new taco sliders, made with REAL MEAT for 99 cents each at Taco Bell.”

  • DeepCough

    Like I said before, for 99 cents, you should be lucky to get 35% beef. You get what you pay for, simple as that.

  • Anonymous

    How much should a little taco with real meat cost?

  • DeepCough

    Now that you could charge 99 cents for: “Introducing new taco sliders, made with REAL MEAT for 99 cents each at Taco Bell.”

  • Simiantongue

    People buy this shit because it is cheap and they have no money, it is cheap because it is subsidized. The US government pays hundreds of millions per year to subsidize fast food corporations and the ingredients they use for their products. Yet we have little to nothing to say about what is offered to us. I probably have a point here somewhere but I can’t think straight because of all the plaque on my brain.

  • Simiantongue

    People buy this shit because it is cheap and they have no money, it is cheap because it is subsidized. The US government pays hundreds of millions per year to subsidize fast food corporations and the ingredients they use for their products. Yet we have little to nothing to say about what is offered to us. I probably have a point here somewhere but I can’t think straight because of all the plaque on my brain.

  • http://worldwithinsight.com/ Kyle Greggory

    OH MY GOD, ISOLATED OAT PRODUCT!

    How ridiculous. Can I start suing whenever there’s chicken in my garden salad?

    Attention consumers: Help lower your cholesterol by following your oatmeal breakfast with a Taco Bell taco for lunch. Eat more oats!

    lol.

  • KG

    OH MY GOD, ISOLATED OAT PRODUCT!

    How ridiculous. Can I start suing whenever there’s chicken in my garden salad?

    If I were Taco Bell, I’d find a way to capitalize on this… perhaps attract a new market. Attention consumers: Lower your cholesterol by following your daily oatmeal breakfast with a taco for lunch.

  • mrtastycakes

    When I make delicious meatballs, I include a loaf of slightly stale bread and about half a dozen eggs. I still call them meatballs. Don’t tell any lawyers.

  • mrtastycakes

    When I make delicious meatballs, I include a loaf of slightly stale bread and about half a dozen eggs. I still call them meatballs. Don’t tell any lawyers.

  • Hadrian999

    a regular taco from taco john’s still tastes better than all the pseudo-mexican monstrosities on the menu at taco bell no matter what % of the meat is meat

  • Hadrian999

    a regular taco from taco john’s still tastes better than all the pseudo-mexican monstrosities on the menu at taco bell no matter what % of the meat is meat

  • http://voxmagi-necessarywords.blogspot.com/ VoxMagi

    I’m kind of surprised by the balls they have to stand up in public and defend their meat-based mixture. The trick is in whats legally considered meat…which anymore is almost anything…so claiming 100% beef or 88% beef still means jacksh*t. It only means that before being mixed with other fillers, the original meat that went into the mix was comprised of X-amount of legally acceptable ‘meat’. And what passes as meat fit for fast food combos is enough to gag anyone…these people aren’t breaking the bank to dice up prime rib for you…we’re talking “Shut up and eat your ground lips & assholes!” Yes…it came from the specified animal…they ain’t braggin about what part of that animal tho.

    Its all kind of moot anyhow. People know that when they go there…they’re basically ordering from the lowest end of the shit spectrum…no lawsuit will stop them from lining up and buying garbage…or stop anyone from selling garbage to suckers who want it.

  • http://voxmagi-necessarywords.blogspot.com/ VoxMagi

    I’m kind of surprised by the balls they have to stand up in public and defend their meat-based mixture. The trick is in whats legally considered meat…which anymore is almost anything…so claiming 100% beef or 88% beef still means jacksh*t. It only means that before being mixed with other fillers, the original meat that went into the mix was comprised of X-amount of legally acceptable ‘meat’. And what passes as meat fit for fast food combos is enough to gag anyone…these people aren’t breaking the bank to dice up prime rib for you…we’re talking “Shut up and eat your ground lips & assholes!” Yes…it came from the specified animal…they ain’t braggin about what part of that animal tho.

    Its all kind of moot anyhow. People know that when they go there…they’re basically ordering from the lowest end of the shit spectrum…no lawsuit will stop them from lining up and buying garbage…or stop anyone from selling garbage to suckers who want it.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_4K3KM67XITZTXUE45K42KS4OEE brian

    I have no Idea who is lying….the people that started the Lawsuit or Taco Bell. I guess I will find out when one of them wins. All I do know is that, right now I’m hungry….and will probably go get a taco because I’ve just heard/read people discussing it for the past ten minutes….

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_4K3KM67XITZTXUE45K42KS4OEE brian

    I have no Idea who is lying….the people that started the Lawsuit or Taco Bell. I guess I will find out when one of them wins. All I do know is that, right now I’m hungry….and will probably go get a taco because I’ve just heard/read people discussing it for the past ten minutes….