In today’s news, Taco Bell has decided to start making its food out of… well… food. Woah, right? A move towards more wholesome ingredients is a bit of a shocker from a chain famous for such stoner-ific monstrosities as Cap’n Crunch Doughnut Holes and Biscuit Tacos (apparently, if you can fold said food item in half, it now qualifies as a “taco”). But if the claims are true, Taco Bell might soon be filled with more actual food and less unpronounceable ingredients.
Taco Bell, along with fellow Yum! Brand subsidiary Pizza Hut, have both announced that they will phase out filler ingredients along with artificial flavors and colors. Pizza Hut claims their fake stuff will be gone by July, with Taco Bell’s projected timeline being a bit longer –by the end of 2015 things like high-fructose corn syrup and trans fats will be gone, and by 2017 they also say they will get rid of preservatives “where possible” (not exactly the full-throttle measure one might be hoping for, but hey, we’ll take it).
However, it should be noted that none of these new health conscious measures will apply to co-branded items on the Taco Bell menu, and much of the menu is made up of these multi-brand mash-ups (see aforementioned shoutout to the Cap’n Crunch doughnuts). So it’s unclear how much these new food rules will really effect the overall Taco Bell product. In conclusion, those of you looking for quick but healthy options might still find the Taco Bell menu limiting; but for those of you drunk off your collective asses at 3am, never fear, the Nacho Cheese Doritos Locos Taco Supreme is here to stay.
Lauren is a New York based actor/singer/writer. She is a graduate of the American Repertory Theater/Moscow Art Theater School Institute for Advanced Theater Training at Harvard University as well as the College of the Holy Cross. She’s a fan of beer, pasta, and academic establishments with unnecessarily long titles. Find her on stage, or online– she’s there often.
