Which Is Grosser: Taco Bell or Boca Burgers?

Published on Thursday, January 27, 2011, by Joyce Slaton / Edit Post

A class-action suit alleging that Taco Bell is engaging in false advertising for peddling "seasoned beef" is a step in the right direction, if it proves to be true. The suit doesn't ask for damages, it merely demands that Taco Bell disclose the ingredients in its "seasoned beef," which the suit says is composed of just 15 percent protein and a whole lot of other stuff.

Gizmodo has a nice scan of the "taco meat filling," here's what's listed on the package:

Beef, water, isolated oat product, salt, chili pepper, onion powder, tomato powder, oats (wheat), soy lecithin, sugar, spices, maltodextrin [a polysaccharide that is absorbed as glucose], soybean oil (anti-dusting agent), garlic powder, autolyzed yeast extract, citric acid, caramel color, cocoa powder, silicon dioxide (anti-caking agent), natural flavors, yeast, modified corn starch, natural smoke flavor, salt, sodium phosphate, less than 2 percent of beef broth, potassium phosphate, and potassium lactate.

You know, none of this stuff is really so horrible. The problem is that it's being sold and marketed as beef, and, if the suit's facts prove to be true, the "taco meat filling" isn't really beef. It's some beef, some scary-sounding additives, flavorings, and some fibers from various plants, ground up to look like beef. What did you think you were getting for your $1, really? And scary-sounding stuff ground up to look like meat, hmm, where have I heard of this before? Oh right. You know Boca burgers? Healthy, right?

Wanna see the ingredient list for the All American Flame Grilled Meatless burgers?

"Water, soy protein concentrate, reduced fat cheddar cheese (pasteurized part-skim milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes, annatto (color), vitamin A palmitate), wheat gluten, corn oil, contains less than 2% of methylcellulose, hydrolyzed corn protein, wheat gluten and soy protein, salt, caramel color, cheese powder (cheddar cheese (milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes), cream, salt, sodium phosphate, lactic acid), dried onions, yeast extract, natural flavor (non-meat), sesame oil, disodium guanylate, disodium inosinate, browned in corn oil."

Whoa, Nancy! That's some ingredient list! Lots of stuff in common with Taco Bell, in fact. How about an ingredient list for another veggie burger? That Boca thing must have been just a fluke. Let's look at a MorningStar Farms Griller.

"Water, textured soy protein concentrate, corn oil, contains two percent or less of autolyzed yeast extract, vegetable gum, natural flavors from vegetable sources, maltodextrin, soy fiber, salt, carrageenan, potato starch, onion powder, caramel color, disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate, konjac flour, sunflower oil, sesame seed oil, soy sauce (water, soybeans, wheat, salt), concentrated onion juice, ascorbic acid, vinegar powder, citric acid, aspartic acid, modified corn starch, malic acid, succinic acid, tartaric acid, lactic acid, wheat flour, soy lecithin."

Taco Bell, why don't you just come on out and say you're reducing your beef content for our health?

Image source: Flickr member Like_the_Grand_Canyon under Creative Commons

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POST A COMMENT |28 Comments

COMMENT

  • Don't you just hate it when people miss the point?!

  • I'd rather eat a Boca Burger than a dead animal. Why do you care how much beef is actually in the Taco Bell meat or what the ingredients are in the Boca Burger? The flesh of a cow isn't good for you (with it's saturated fat and hormones etc.) and it's really disgusting to eat a dead animal.

  • The difference is that Boca Burger has never claimed to be anything other than fake meat. "Healthy" is what other people like to believe it is. What Taco Bell was doing was selling a product that claimed to be seasoned ground beef, but there was actually a whole lot more than just meat in their product.

  • Quick, let's change the subject in the comments section before denial stops working!

  • no more Boca Burgers for me...

  • I can eat this stuff until I read what's in it. Same as with hot dogs.

  • Taco bell "beef" is the same or maybe even better than beef pattie filling.

  • They're both gross, but I think taco bell is grosser. Boca burgers just taste bad, they don't immediately make you violently ill.

  • One of my extended family members is a vegetarian- she likes to eat "heatlhy" and will bring her boca burger patties to the family picnics. Anything that has a list of ingredients the size of a novella is not exactly healthy eating.

  • Just for a bit of perspective - here is what is in the 1.25 oz packet of seasoning that I add to my 100% lean beef: spices, including paprika and chili peppers, dextrose, onion, whey, salt, garlic, enriched bleached flour, cocoa, corn syrup solids, hydrolyzed soy wheat gluten protein, citric acid, silicon dioxide, natural flavoring, extractives of paprika, partially hydrogenated soybean oil....+READ

    Just for a bit of perspective - here is what is in the 1.25 oz packet of seasoning that I add to my 100% lean beef: spices, including paprika and chili peppers, dextrose, onion, whey, salt, garlic, enriched bleached flour, cocoa, corn syrup solids, hydrolyzed soy wheat gluten protein, citric acid, silicon dioxide, natural flavoring, extractives of paprika, partially hydrogenated soybean oil. What's the fuss about?????-COLLAPSE

  • Ernie: That's because if you compare the ingredients in a can of wet dog or cat food, a lot of the ingredients will be the same...

  • For decades, if you're a mom on a budget, how do you stretch your dollar on meat? You make meatloaf -- usually with oats or breadcrumbs as a filler. The basic recipe: beef, a little water, oats, egg, and seasonings like salt, pepper, onion, garlic, & ketchup (or canned tomatoes and a bit of sugar). Personally, I like to add a dash of soy sauce, it makes the meatloaf taste meatier (chefs call that...+READ

    For decades, if you're a mom on a budget, how do you stretch your dollar on meat? You make meatloaf -- usually with oats or breadcrumbs as a filler. The basic recipe: beef, a little water, oats, egg, and seasonings like salt, pepper, onion, garlic, & ketchup (or canned tomatoes and a bit of sugar). Personally, I like to add a dash of soy sauce, it makes the meatloaf taste meatier (chefs call that "umami", or savory flavor). To keep moisture in and prevent the meatloaf from crumbling, sometimes I'll add a little corn starch to the water to thicken things up.

    Here are a couple of example recipes:

    "Mom's Best Meatloaf" from AllRecipes.com
    http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Moms-Best-Meatloaf

    Paula Dean's "Old-Fashioned Meat Loaf- A.K.A 'Basic' Meat Loaf" from FoodNetwork.com
    http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/old-fashioned-meat-loaf-aka-basic-meatloaf-recipe


    If you read those, especially the first, the ingredients should sound very familiar. To compare, I've organized Taco Bell's "Taco Meat Filling" ingredients by function -- or at least by what ingredient a home cook would use. My comments are in curly braces ({}):

    {beef}
    beef

    {water}
    water

    {oats}
    isolated oat product
    oats (wheat)

    {egg -- the yolk is an emulsifier, aka "binder"}
    soy lecithin
    sodium phosphate

    {seasonings}
    salt
    chili pepper {for mexican flavor}
    onion powder
    tomato powder
    sugar
    spices
    garlic powder
    citric acid
    caramel color
    cocoa powder {for mexican flavor, like a mole}
    natural flavors
    natural smoke flavor
    {the following are part of the manufacture and storage of powdered ingredients:}
    soybean oil (anti-dusting agent)
    silicon dioxide (anti-caking agent)

    {soy sauce -- for savory flavor}
    autolyzed yeast extract
    yeast

    {corn starch -- a thickener}
    maltodextrin
    modified corn starch


    So, is it "gross" or "scary" or "toxic"? No, Taco Bell is just using chopped-up mexican meatloaf to fill their tacos. Is it misleading? Oh, yes, definitely! If you order a burger but get a meatloaf sandwich instead, you're getting ripped-off. The same thing is happening here.-COLLAPSE

  • I will admit..... taco bell is the only fast food I still have (2-3 times a year). I enjoy the soft shell soft taco- regardless that it's known for it's mystery meat- and especially after a couple of beers.

  • Taco Smell is vile. Their taco "meat" literally smells like dog food.

  • Despite the dubious ingredients, this is still better than the news aired in my country a few years back: a pork bun maker in China used wet and chopped-up CARDBOARD as filling to his buns. Nummy... I thought no such thing could happen in my country but just a few months later I bought a 'hamburger' from a street vendor and realized that the patty did not taste or look like meat at all. It was...+READ

    Despite the dubious ingredients, this is still better than the news aired in my country a few years back: a pork bun maker in China used wet and chopped-up CARDBOARD as filling to his buns. Nummy... I thought no such thing could happen in my country but just a few months later I bought a 'hamburger' from a street vendor and realized that the patty did not taste or look like meat at all. It was suspiciously stiff and chewy. I spit it out and vowed never to buy from those vendors again.-COLLAPSE

  • I have no illusions about fast food tacos, but in most US cities you can do far better than Taco Hell.
    A good reminder about all of the 'binder' ingredients it takes to keep a premade 'veggie' burger together. Hint - use more oats and egg.

  • If you cant pronounce it, do you eat it? Im not niave thinking that for 1.00 im going to get a freshly made tortilla with fresh produce, premium meat and herbs and spices that were gathered from the garden earlier that day. Nope, Taco bell is mid day or midnight gut bursting, grotesquely satisfying- tispy food. Its really hear no evil, see no evil- 'i know nothing!'.

    But when im at home, I know...+READ

    If you cant pronounce it, do you eat it? Im not niave thinking that for 1.00 im going to get a freshly made tortilla with fresh produce, premium meat and herbs and spices that were gathered from the garden earlier that day. Nope, Taco bell is mid day or midnight gut bursting, grotesquely satisfying- tispy food. Its really hear no evil, see no evil- 'i know nothing!'.

    But when im at home, I know whats in my burger.... I try to keep the high priced fillers/additives/unknown ingredients away from my fridge.-COLLAPSE

  • personally i think it tastes pretty good for the price. the problem i have is the garnishments. if i get more than two or three individual shreads of chease on my taco I call it a good day.

  • Ron Hudson says:
    Now I don't feel so bad about getting a "Where's the beef?" taco at TACO BELL. All I got was a "grease" taco with no ?meat? filling, just the grease.
    Irshad is a witness to this. I have had several "Where's the beef?" encounters (the worst kind) and my son is a witness to a few of them. Now I feel that I may have been spared some egregious experience according to your discussion...+READ

    Ron Hudson says:
    Now I don't feel so bad about getting a "Where's the beef?" taco at TACO BELL. All I got was a "grease" taco with no ?meat? filling, just the grease.
    Irshad is a witness to this. I have had several "Where's the beef?" encounters (the worst kind) and my son is a witness to a few of them. Now I feel that I may have been spared some egregious experience according to your discussion above.-COLLAPSE

  • None of this is the least bit surprising, but I do have to wonder what Konjak flour is- does it taste like lollipops?

  • Well, if that water was added to the mix after I was killed, butchered and processed, then no. However, since only what's added to the mix is counted in the list of ingredients, I'd be 100% human meat.

  • 67% of your body is water, can you be called meat?

  • Can a veggie burger be called a veggie burger when the #1 ingredient is water?

  • You get what you pay for. If you are in a rush and want to use the money in your pocket, you’re not going to get a healthy meal. What is sad about this comparison is how much Boca costs when it resembles the cheep stuff so closely (especially because you get a shell, cheese, lettuce, etc. with taco bell).

  • Boca is the best - Taco Bell with ground who knows what....it is crap

  • Sooooo glad I've never eaten Taco Bell. I'm allergic to chocolate, and who would have thought to inquire if the "meat" contains cocoa powder?

  • The lawsuit "doesn't ask for damages". Bullshit, they're seeking attorney fees for filing a class action lawsuit. I.e., the lawyers don't give a damn about the substance of the lawsuit, they just want their pound of flesh. And disclosing the ingredients is going to do what, exactly? The people that go to Taco Bell don't care if the taco meat is 36%, 50% or 75% beef. Relabeling their beef taco as...+READ

    The lawsuit "doesn't ask for damages". Bullshit, they're seeking attorney fees for filing a class action lawsuit. I.e., the lawyers don't give a damn about the substance of the lawsuit, they just want their pound of flesh. And disclosing the ingredients is going to do what, exactly? The people that go to Taco Bell don't care if the taco meat is 36%, 50% or 75% beef. Relabeling their beef taco as a 'beef flavored taco' isn't going to change anyone's Taco Bell purchasing habits. It will have the effect of once again clogging the courts with pointless litigation.-COLLAPSE

  • I don't eat Boca burgers, but they aren't misleading anyone.Their whole reason for being is that they are meatless. Taco Bell is marketing BEEF Tacos.There would not have been a lawsuit if they were selling "soy protein" burgers. Hopefully, people will wake up and see what corporate America is passing off as food. You get what you pay for, and in many cases, what you get isn't food as you know...+READ

    I don't eat Boca burgers, but they aren't misleading anyone.Their whole reason for being is that they are meatless. Taco Bell is marketing BEEF Tacos.There would not have been a lawsuit if they were selling "soy protein" burgers. Hopefully, people will wake up and see what corporate America is passing off as food. You get what you pay for, and in many cases, what you get isn't food as you know it.-COLLAPSE