Taco Bell Recalls 2.3 Million Pounds Seasoned Beef Over Metal Shavings

Taco Bell recalled approximately 2.3 million pounds of seasoned beef used in tacos and burritos after customers reported finding metal shavings in menu items, prompting notification to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service. The product was produced between September 20 and October 4 at a single plant and was made on one of the two lines the supplier used, company and federal notices said.

The chain initiated a voluntary recall on October 11 after the first consumer complaint about a metal shaving, and FSIS said it was alerted following three separate consumer complaints. Julie Masino, president of Taco Bell’s North America division, said, "Nothing is more important than our customers' safety, and nothing means more to us than their trust." Masino added, "As soon as we received the first consumer complaint, we immediately acted to remove the product from the affected restaurants and proactively worked with the supplier to inform the USDA of our steps to protect our guests."

Taco Bell said the seasoned beef was manufactured by Kenosha Beef, variously identified as Kenosha Beef and Kenosha Beef International, a Columbus, Ohio firm. The USDA release quoted the supplier as recalling "an undetermined amount of seasoned beef products that may be contaminated with extraneous materials, specifically metal shavings." Taco Bell reported the product had been sent to distribution centers in Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Virginia before reaching restaurants in 21 states and Washington, D.C.

The list of jurisdictions affected included Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Virginia, Vermont, West Virginia and Washington, D.C. By the Monday after the recall was announced, company spokespeople said affected restaurants had removed and discarded the product; Taco Bell spokesman Rob Poetsch said by Monday all product had been removed and replaced without resulting in any shortages.

Federal officials reported no confirmed illnesses tied to the recalled beef. The USDA/FSIS noted there were no confirmed reports of adverse reactions from consumption of the product as regulators and company officials continued to trace the source of the metal shavings. Some restaurants had already been recommending chicken or steak as substitutes before the public recall was announced, and a viral social-media post alleging dyed shells and "filler" in the meat amplified customer concern. One Twitter user wrote, "The secrecy of what's going on makes me afraid to ever eat at your restaurant again."

Operational questions remain for franchise operators and supply-chain managers: why metal fragments entered product made on a single production line, how many outlets received the affected batches, and whether supplier recall paperwork will reconcile the USDA phrase "an undetermined amount" with the company figure of about 2.3 million pounds. Customers with questions were directed to Taco Bell’s consumer line at (800) 822-6235, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Pacific Time, as regulators and the company worked to close the supply-chain gap and restore confidence.