Taco Bell Explains Its Long List Of 'Unpronounceable' Ingredients

Many of us have heard rumors that Taco Bell's beef is considered "Grade D" or that their beef is actually considered vegan because it contains so little real animal meat.

But what are the facts?

The fast-food restaurant has taken an extra step in helping consumers get over their fast-food fears. They've just launched a new page on TacoBell.com that helps explain those "unpronounceable" ingredients included in their seasoned beef. Check it out here and see some examples below.

Chemicals with crazy sounding names are found in all kinds of every day foods. They make up the compounds that give the foods taste and smell, as well as what give them their nutritional properties. One example is the scary sounding "Ascorbic Acid," which is actually just Vitamin C.

The "ingredient list" on a banana, for example, would contain dozens of "unpronounceable" ingredients.

As for their beef, Taco Bell says: "Our seasoned beef recipe consists of 88% Premium Beef and 12% Signature Recipe. All of our ingredients are listed on our ingredient statement page, and you can learn more about these ingredients and the Taco Bell meat grade by clicking on a topic below."

Here's the list of ingredients in the Taco Bell seasoned beef recipe. Beef is actually the first ingredient:

As for the "Grade D" accusation, they say "Although that's funny, the answer is NO. In fact, there's no such grade given by the USDA for beef."

Here's a few of the other explanations that Taco Bell gives on its website for the various ingredients. For example:

While these compounds are all explainable, keep in mind that these products are still high in fat and sodium. And the longer the list of "unpronounceable" ingredients on the label, generally the more processed the food is. Those processed and fast foods really should be only a limited portion of a healthy diet.