Taco Bell is revealing what's in its beef, and it turns out it's actually mostly beef.
The fast-food chain's recipe contains 88% beef and 12% "signature recipe," according to a new webpage posted by Taco Bell.
Also, addressing a widespread rumor, Taco Bell beef is not grade D beef, according to the website.
"We use the same quality beef used in all ground beef (like you'd find in the grocery store), only USDA-inspected, 100% premium real beef, period," the website says.
The other ingredients include some hard-to-pronounce words. Taco Bell says many of these items are common at-home ingredients, such as spices and thickeners.
"Ingredients like oats and sodium phosphates help make sure the texture is right," according to the chain.
The company also says "artificial flavor" refers to black pepper flavor.
Registered dietician Katherine Tallmadge said these additives to the beef are commonly used in processed foods you would find in the grocery store.
"These are generally considered safe additives," Tallmadge told USA TODAY Network. "I wouldn't be afraid of any of these ingredients."
She added that it's an important lesson for people to take a closer look at what's going into the food they eat.
"People look at the calories, proteins and carbs, but they forget to look at the list of ingredients," she said. "It's important to question, What are these ingredients?"
Taco Bell broke down what some of the strange words mean:
Trehalose: "It's a naturally occurring sugar that we use to improve the taste of our seasoned beef."
Maltodextrin: "It sounds weird, but it's actually a form of mildly sweet sugar we use to balance the flavor. You may have had it the last time you had a natural soda."
Torula yeast: "This is a form of yeast that gives our seasoned beef a more savory taste."
Lactic acid: "This safe acid occurs in almost all living things, and we use a very small amount to manage the acidity to get the right flavor."
Still, customers in 2011 were shocked when they discovered the meat contained only 88% beef, wondering what the other 12% could be. It turns out the answer is relatively mundane: The non-beef elements of Taco Bell beef are mostly seasonings and binders.
We use 100 percent USDA premium beef in our seasoned beef. We prepare it much the same way you prepare taco meat at home: after simmering, it is drained of excess fat and pre-seasoned with our signature blend of 7 authentic seasonings and spices.
3-5% oats, starch, sugar, yeast, citric acid, and other ingredients that contribute to the quality of our product. Our seasoned beef contains no "extenders" to add volume, as some might use. For more information about our ingredients go to http://www.tacobell.com."
So Taco Bell uses low quality, but perfectly safe ground beef. However, since this stuff isn't flavorful by itself, so they process it by adding 'natural' flavoring, salt, sugar, caramel color. So in summary, there is no such thing as a “Grade-D” beef.
“They use 'end of life' dairy cows, which means that the cows are a little bit older, and they've lived good lives.” “So, their meat might not be as tender and juicy or as high quality as but it's infinitely more humane,” he claims.
Taco Bell's newest creation is instead filled with a “proprietary” vegan beef (made from pea protein and soy), plus “cool vegan blanco sauce and warm vegan nacho sauce.” The chain has long been known as one of the few big fast-food operations where vegetarians could easily eat, but this is the company's first fully ...
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Beef given a D grade is typically used for ground beef and further processed products. However, with the D1 grade, whole muscle cuts may be used in low-cost food service enterprises. E Grades: The E grade is reserved for mature bulls or youthful bull carcasses showing pronounced masculinity.
Taco Bell announced its 2024 menu additions at Live Más Live, its first-ever superfan convention. I attended the Las Vegas event and tasted everything coming to Taco Bell's menu this year. Among the new items are the Cheez-It Crunchwrap Supreme, Baja Blast pie, and Cantina Chicken items.
Regular ground beef is made up of different trimmings and cuts of ground meat from all around the cow's body. There are various types of ground beef: ground sirloin comes from the loin region of a cow near its hind legs; ground round from the rump; brisket from its chest; shank from its legs; and so on.
What are McDonald's burgers made of? Here are the facts: All of our burger patties in the U.S. are always made with 100% USDA-inspected beef. That's the only ingredient: 100% real beef.
That's right, Taco Bell edges out McDonald's in the health department. But why, you ask? Well, it all comes down to the menu options and nutritional content. Taco Bell offers a variety of items that are lower in calories, fat, and even include vegetarian options.
Introduction: My name is Dan Stracke, I am a homely, gleaming, glamorous, inquisitive, homely, gorgeous, light person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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