Fast Food Meat Standards - Essay Example

USDA Regulations on the Fast-Food Industry Most people who visit fast-food restaurants would likely recognize that the meat they are eating is probably not 100% high-quality beef, chicken, or steak. According to Shelke, studies show a large number of American fast-food customers report feeling cheated when they hear that there are non-meat ingredients included in the “meat” products they order at their favorite fast-food restaurant. Some non-meat ingredients include seasonings and items that add flavor, and binders, which promote consistency (Farnham, 2011).

Bill Marler is an attorney specializing in lawsuits regarding food safety. He confirms Taco Bell’s statement, stating that it is typical for a fast-food restaurant’s beef to contain up to 12% of what is referred to as “ammoniated beef product,” which is the term for trimmings and scraps that remain at slaughter houses (Farnham, 2011). Until a relatively recent discovery of a treatment process using ammonium hydroxide to protect meat that is made from ammoniated beef product from bacteria contamination, these trimmings and scraps were allowed only for use in pet food (Farnham, 2011).

The treatment process renders the meat suitable, according to United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) standards for this categorization of restaurant. Ammoniated beef product is produced by Beef Products, Inc. (BPI) a company based out of South Dakota. The Website states, “if you’re eating a hamburger in a ‘quick-service restaurant’ […] chances are you’ll be eating product produced by BPI” (Farnham, 2011). Rich Jochum is a corporate administrator for the company. He says the treatment process adjusts the naturally occurring level of ammonium hydroxide that occurs in meat.

The company has received approval from the USDA (Farnham, 2011). Karp and Gabler (2011) report, according to the USDA, ground beef that has already been cooked is allowed to contain up to 60% water, typically between 55% and 60%. The USDA recognizes that claims made by fast-food restaurants that claim their meals are made with 100% beef are accurate, because they do not refer to the final product. Fast-food restaurants, like Taco Bell, are authorized, by the USDA, to add many different substances such as those for texture, flavor, color, and preservatives, and it does not impact the amount of actual beef they claim to use in their products.

Additionally, beef can contain a minor amount of blood vessels, nerves, cartilage, and even bone. The authors state ground beef, in general, is typically made with those parts of the steer that are not at the quality for roasts or steaks (Karp & Gabler, 2011). The taco meat filling used by Taco Bell, according to the USDA, must contain a minimum of 40% fresh meat, but it must contain the word “filling” in the name. However, according to USDA Press Officer Neil Gaffney, the USDA only regulates what is sold at the producer level, the nation’s regulator of meat does not have jurisdiction over advertised claims by fast-food restaurants (Forgione, 2011).

Taco Bell claims that its taco meat filling is comprised of 88% beef and 12% other ingredients; specifically water, spices, and seasonings. Other ingredients the company includes are commonly found in many restaurants in the fast-food category. Although they are not ingredients that a family would typically add to their beef at home, experts confirm that the additives are acceptable in processed foods in the “quick-service” industry (Karp & Gabler, 2011; Farnham, 2011). References Farnham, A. (2011). Today's special: Ammonia-treated meat scraps?

 ABC News Internet Ventures. Retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com/Business/taco-buns-fast-food-meat-cook-home/story?id=12826571&page=1 Forgione, M. (2011). What's really in a Taco Bell taco? The USDA and Stephen Colbert have some thoughts. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from http://articles.latimes.com/2011/feb/02/news/la-heb-taco-bell-ingredients-20110202 Karp, G., & Gabler, E. (2011). Nothing unusual about taco bell's meat, experts say. Retrieved from http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-02-02/business/ct-biz-0202-taco-bell-meat-20110202_1_taco-bell-fresh-meat-beef-recipe/2