Law firm drops Taco Bell suit

Remember all the hoopla about Taco Bell and the alleged meat content of the chain’s taco filling? Earlier this year, an Alabama-based law firm, Beasley Allen, filed a class-action lawsuit against the chain, accusing it falsely advertises its taco filling as beef, while according to the law firm, the mixture contains less than 35 percent meat.

Taco Bell immediately fought back, running a series of advertisements insisting they use 100 percent USDA inspected beef, cooked with their signature blend of seasonings. The resulting filling, Taco Bell says, is 88 percent beef and 12 percent seasonings and other ingredients.

Turns out they were right. In a news release this week, Taco Bell announced that after reviewing the facts, the law firm has voluntarily withdrawn the suit. No money or other value was exchanged between the parties, according to the release, and Taco Bell is not making any changes to its products or advertising.

“This sets the record straight about the high quality of our seasoned beef and the integrity of our advertising,” says Taco Bell CEO Greg Creed. “We are extremely proud of our food quality. We took great exception to the false claims made about our seasoned beef and wish the attorneys had contacted us before filing and publicizing a lawsuit that disparaged our brand. We hope the voluntary withdrawal of this lawsuit receives as much public attention as when it was filed so we may put the matter behind us and fully concentrate on serving our customers.”

Back in January when the lawsuit was announced, Taco Bell received widespread negative publicity in the media. The issue undoubtedly hurt the chain’s business, at least in the short term. The end result, however, demonstrates the value of fighting back. Taco Bell’s advertising campaign went straight to consumers, building a case for the quality and integrity of the chain’s products. By presenting factual information on the contents of their taco filling, the company forced a full retreat by the plaintiff law firm.

This week’s release does not indicate whether Taco Bell plans to take any legal action to recover damages caused by the suit and resulting negative publicity.