Taco Bell’s Meat – What’s Really In It?

It has long been thought that the meat used in Taco Bell's food was either the lowest grade possible or not even meat at all. The company went 'on the record' with a commercial series in 2011 to explain that their meat is actually meat. But what's in that meat? We have the answers.

According to Taco Bell's website

Our seasoned beef recipe consists of 88% Premium Beef and 12% Signature Recipe

So wait, what is that other 12% then? The site continues with

They do have weird names – perfect for tongue twisters! But these ingredients are completely safe and approved by the FDA. They're common ingredients also found in food items at your grocery store.

Each ingredient helps make our Seasoned Beef taste great. Many of them are items you might use at home such as salt, peppers, and spices. Ingredients like oats and sodium phosphates help make sure the texture is right.

Tongue twister huh? Thanks to ABC News, we can now break down the ingredients.

• Maltodextrin - a form of mildly sweet sugar. Taco Bell says they use it to balance the flavor
• Torula Yeast - a form of yeast. Taco Bell uses it to give the beef 'more taste'
• Modified Corn Starch - used as a thickener to maintain moister in the beef
• Soy Lecithin - keeps all the substances in the mix from separating like oil and water
• Sodium Phosphates - used to help give beef the 'right texture'
• Lactic Acid - helps to keep acidity level & gives the beef the 'right flavor'
• Caramel Color and Cocoa Powder - caramelized sugar used as food coloring
• Trehalose - a natural occurring sugar used to improve the beef's taste

Taco Bell spokesman Rob Poetsch told ABC News:

There's nothing on this list I have a problem eating.

We believe it's important that consumers make informed decisions about what they eat, and so for many years have provided details of our ingredients on our website

Now after reading the above and probably not being to pronounce half the names, are you still OK with eating Taco Bell? From our perspective, it taste good so we are happy.