Every once in a while we all love to get fast food. It’s easy, cheap, and usually tastes pretty good. I have never actually had taco bell because of the rumors of what is actually in their beef. So what exactly is in it? A few years ago Taco Bell faced a major lawsuit because people said their meat was only 35% beef. They cleared up this issue by proving their meat has 88% beef, and theother 12% “secret recipe” (Hari). The Food Babe, Vani Hari, researched many different foods and finds out what ingredients are in them. She researched what the other 12% is really made of.
The first ingredient is Maltodextrin which Taco Bell says is just a sweet sugar. In reality, this is made from genetically modified corn and David Zinczenko says it can raise blood glucose and insulin levels. The next ingredient is Torula Yeast which Taco Bell says gives their beef a more “savory flavor.” This actually is a form of MSG and Dr. Mark Hyman says it can be a form of hidden glutamic acid. Taco Bell says they do not have any MSG in their products…that’s interesting! Another ingredient in that 12% is modified corn starch. Taco Bell says this is common in many foods, it comes from corn which is essential in Mexican foods, and maintains moisture. The truth is that it is “highly processed and chemically-altered…as a cheap texturizing agent” (Hari). It is also derived from GMO, genetically modified organisms. The next ingredient is Soy Lecithin which Taco Bell says binds the meat together “like oil and water.” In fact, it is an extremely cheap ingredient and according to The Cornucopia Institute, “Hexane is a byproduct of gasoline refining. It is a neurotoxin and a hazardous air pollutant…Whole soybeans are literally bathed in hexane to separate the soybeans’ oil from protein” (Hari). It is also a GMO product.
Sodium Phosphates are used in the beef to help ensure texture, according to Taco Bell. Vani says, the use of phosphates leads to an “increased risk of heart disease, bone loss, and leads to a rapid progression of kidney disease.” Taco Bell also uses Lactic Acids in their beef to “manage the acidity.” The type of lactic acid Taco Bell uses is a GMO product that was produced in a laboratory. Another ingredient Taco Bell uses is cocoa powder as a form of food coloring. They say it adds no flavor. The cocoa powder they use is processed with alkali which essentially means it takes away any nutritional value. Cocoa beans are also known to be one of the most heavily sprayed crops with pesticides and other chemicals. The final ingredient that makes up the 12% is caramel color which Taco Bell says is caramelized sugar commonly used as food coloring. There are 4 types of caramel coloring and two of which are processed with amonia, which leads to cancer (Hari). Taco Bell will not release which kind they use.
Overall, Taco Bell meat contains chemicals and other extremely unhealthy products. I personally will not be eating Taco Bell anytime soon. 12% may seem small compared to the “88% beef” but it is much more than you would think.
Sources:
Hari, Vani. “What Taco Bell Isn’t Telling Us About Their Ingredients, But You Need To Know!” Food Babe. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Sept. 2014.
So glad I’ve never eaten Taco Bell and now I definitely won’t be eating it anytime soon. Disgusts me that this is a problem with most fast food places; however, people don’t stop eating them.
I have never eaten at Taco Bell either, and after reading this post I definitely do not plan to anytime soon! That is absolutely disgusting and the fact that they lie about what they give their customers is even more upsetting. I’m sure this happens with many other companies, but it still always shocks me. I think most people go the “ignorance is bliss” route with fast food, and maybe that’s why obesity rates in America has risen so much. If people actually took this information and stopped going to Taco Bell, they would go out of business. Instead people still eat it, thinking nothing bad will happen to him. With those kinds of ingredients, the threats to our health seem really clear.