Taco Bell Bean/Meat ratio?

September 18, 2006 12:32 PM

TacoBellFilter: What does the sign on the tortilla warmer that says something like %71 Bean %29 Taco mean?

I can't remember if that's exactly what it says. If not, it is something very similar. Is this propaganda reminding the employees that on a menu item containing both beans and taco meat, the prescribed ratio is 71% beans to 29% meat? If so, that sucks! 70/30 is bad enough...but 71/29? I don't like the idea of subliminal suggestion being used to shaft me out of getting the taco meat I deserve! Can any former employees shed light on this?

posted by Darth Fedor to Food & Drink (8 answers total)

The surprising thing is that something at Taco Bell claims to contain 29% meat. How do they define "meat"?

But seriously, I'd think that you're right, that it's a ratio to be used when assembling their meals...
posted by pdb at 12:39 PM on September 18, 2006

The surprising thing is that something at Taco Bell claims to contain 29% meat. How do they define "meat"?

By "meat", they mean the stuff that comes out of the "meat" container, regardless of how much filler that "meat" may contain. The actual amount of meat in that burrito is likely to be very small -- when I worked at Arby's ten years ago, the packaging for the blocks of "meat" said, and I quote, "Not more than 70% beef." Not more than!
posted by vorfeed at 1:58 PM on September 18, 2006

Haha, yes there is plenty of sawdust in there. Just bear in mind that Taco Bell is an establishment that serves at least two kinds of meat, chicken or beef. This makes their descision to just say "meat" on the label a little more sensical than saying "chicken/beef/etc".

Sounds like Taco Bell like any other restuarant has a standardized portioning like everywhere else, I'd see as them upholding a minimum over having a cap, it's there to make sure you get a similar portion each time. Other restaurants portion it out at the factory and send them out in trays or precut... better or worse?
posted by Napierzaza at 3:26 PM on September 18, 2006

Well, I can't speak for Taco Bell now, but when I worked there as a teen (this was the mid-80s, mind you), the meat was indeed meat. It came in biggish loaves (about 6"x6"x18") that we'd dump in large, rectangular aluminum pots and cook up. The only thing added was the rather large flavor packet. I don't recall for sure but I'd guess it was at least 80% (20% fat). It didn't pay for them to use high fat meat b/c we drained off as much liquid after cooking before putting in the flavor packet.
posted by jdfan at 11:56 AM on September 19, 2006

If you check the Yum website, you can see that all tacos and burritos contain both wheat and soy. You can bet that they put as much non-meat into the meat as possible, to bring the price down. That's how you can get a large, high-calorie meal at Taco bell for less than $3.

It seems pretty dishonest, but I'm OK with that.
posted by rxrfrx at 5:47 PM on September 19, 2006

jdfan: Those were the days. Plus, back then, McDonald's fries were cooked in tallow and the nuggets were made from dark meat. Now, these foods have no flavor whatsoever.
posted by rxrfrx at 5:48 PM on September 19, 2006

Don't know the significance of them, but as for the actual numbers, it's probably worth noting that 71% and 29% are 5/7 and 2/7, respectively, rounded off to the nearest percent. So those numbers may not be quite as arbitrary as they seem.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 2:37 PM on September 22, 2006

The nuggets had meat? How come every one I ever got seemed to be pure fat and gristle?
posted by jdfan at 8:17 AM on September 25, 2006