Taco Bell stealthily yanked heaps of beef following a report that a diner found metal in their Mexican-inspired fast-food cuisine, angering customers across the country.
The Yum! Brands restaurant chain announced on Monday it had recalled 2.3 million pounds of seasoned beef last Friday. According to Taco Bell, the company took action after a customer reportedly found “metal shavings” in what they had ordered.
“As soon as we received the first consumer complaint, we immediately acted to remove the product from the affected restaurants and proactively worked with the supplier to inform the USDA of our steps to protect our guests,” said Taco Bell’s President of North America Julie Masino, in a public statement. “Nothing is more important than our customers’ safety, and nothing means more to us than their trust.”
Taco Bell determined the beef in question was produced at a plant that sent beef to Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, and Virginia. But the company pulled beef from 20 states and Washington, D.C.
The recall left many customers beefless, angry, and confused.
Hey @tacobell can you guys be real about what’s going on with your beef. I love eating there and the secrecy of what’s going on makes me afraid to ever eat at your restaurant again
— ICU RN (@jeff_serenks) October 14, 2019
@tacobell wtf happen to the beef
— im bald asf (@WAllYisG2) October 12, 2019
The U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a statement that there were “no confirmed reports of adverse reactions” from eating Taco Bell beef. The agency’s Food Safety and Inspection Service said it is concerned that some of the beef may still be lingering in Taco Bell refrigerators, and urged operators to get rid of the beef.
This incident comes just months after Taco Bell was hit with a crippling tortilla shortage.
We’re pouring one out for that mountain of spice-filled diarrhea beef and the tragedy that a few metal shavings can bring.
