Terrible puns aside, the case Beasley Allen of Montgomery, Ala. brings up is a pretty interesting one, as reported by WTOL in Toledo. Beasley says that what Taco Bells calls “ground beef” does not meet the USDA’s definition of beef — “flesh of cattle” — and should instead be dubbed “taco meat filling.”

The suit claims that Taco Bell’s meat-like offering is filled with extenders and other non-meat substances listed in the lawsuit like water, “Isolated Oat Product,” wheat oats, soy lecithin, maltodrextrin, anti-dusting agent, autolyzed yeast extract, modified corn starch and sodium phosphate as well as beef and seasonings. Yum!

As the USDA definition in the lawsuit says, to be called “ground beef,” the product must “consist of chopped fresh and/or frozen beef with or without seasoning and without the addition of beef fat as such, shall not contain more than 30 percent fat, and shall not contain added water, phosphates, binders, or extenders.”

– MB Quirk, Consumerist.

OK, if you’re one of the 20-some people that tipped me off to this story, thanks and I appreciate it. But the shoutout here has to go to our guy Deez, fan of the site but no fan of Taco Bell.

Here’s the thing: Whatever the stuff is that’s inside those “ground beef” tacos tastes good. Yeah, I suppose it’s a little bit gross or weird or at the very least unbecoming to learn that it is allegedly not all meat. But it’s not like I’ve ever gone to Taco Bell thinking, “I’ve come for some healthy food that does not at all contain additives or preservatives or vague chemically sounding elements. I’m not here for the flavor, I’m here for the grass-fed beef.”

I mean it costs 89 cents! That’s practically free! You should be thrilled that you even get a corn tortilla with shredded lettuce and cheese-like product for that price, not to mention all the free packets of sauce-style substance you can handle.

I will go to my grave — yeah, perhaps sooner than later — apologizing for Taco Bell. I can’t imagine any true Taco Bell enthusiast is going to be too broken up about this news. I do wonder, though, how it affects Seasoned Beef’s role in the Super Delicious Ingredient Force.