Taco Bell Wants Apology from Firm Behind Fake Meat Lawsuit
Taco Bell big wigs must have been pleased when the lawsuit accusing them of hawking fake meat tacos was dropped. Pleased, perhaps; but apparently not satisfied.
No, Taco Bell took the unusual step of taking out full-page ads in national newspapers to call out the law firm that doubted their taco meat.
That's right, Taco Bell is demanding a public mea culpa from the Alabama firm Beasley Allen.
The Taco Bell beef lawsuit originally filed by Beasley Allen alleged that the company falsely advertised its taco meat as beef, when in fact it barely met federal "beef" naming standards.
The firm announced that it was dropping its suit because Taco Bell had made changes to its advertising and "beef" disclosures, reports The Denver Post.
Taco Bell says they haven't changed anything, and has launched a semi-nasty campaign against Beasley Allen making this very clear.
Calling out the law firm for its inability to read the company's website, Taco Bell asks, "Would it kill you to say you're sorry? C'mon, you can do it!" The ad goes on to say:
The law firm that brought false claims about our product quality and advertising integrity has voluntarily withdrawn their class action suit against Taco Bell... As for the lawyers who brought this suit: You got it wrong, and you're probably feeling pretty bad right about now. But you know what always helps? Saying to everyone, "I'm sorry."
What's highly amusing about Taco Bell's ad is that it proudly proclaims that it has always used "100% USDA-inspected premium beef."
All beef in the United States is USDA-inspected. And there's no such thing as "premium beef."
In fact, the company's failure to indicate which USDA grade of beef it uses implies that it uses the lowest grade possible--the pieces that are used solely for off-brand ground beef and processed foods.
No word yet on when that apology might come through.
Related Resources:
- The Lawsuit's in the Past, But Taco Bell is Still on the Offensive (Wall Street Journal)
- What is false advertising? (FindLaw)
- Taco Bell Lawsuit: 'Meat Filling' in Tacos is not Actual Meat (FindLaw's Common Law)