Consumer Drops Taco Bell Lawsuit Over Meat Claims

It was back in January that an Alabama law firm made headlines by filing a class action lawsuit against Taco Bell, saying ads describing the meat in its tacos as beef were false advertising.

The suit maintained the meat was only 36 percent beef and contained mostly chemicals, powders and starches. That suit has now been voluntarily dropped by the woman who filed it.

The litigation, filed by Amanda Obney, claimed the meat contained in Taco Bell's products did not meet the U.S. Department of Agriculture's standards for beef.

The suit sought to require Taco Bell to properly advertise and label food items, and to engage in a corrective advertising campaign to educate the public about the true content of its food products.

Instead, Taco Bell immediately took to the airwaves with a series of ads vigorously defending its products.

In addition to television spots, Taco Bell also took out full page ads in major newspapers, saying its meat was 88 percent beef and only 12 percent "recipe."

In dropping the suit, the plaintiff contends Taco Bell has already made the sought after changes and no further action is required. Taco Bell CEO Greg Creed says no changes were necessary and the record has now been set straight.

"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," Creed said in a statement.

Taco Bell denied the claims in the suit at the outset and spent a reported $4 million on advertising defending its brand.