Taco Bell class action claims chain falsely advertises amount of food in products

Taco Bell class action lawsuit overview:

• Who: Plaintiff Frank Siragusa filed a class action lawsuit against Taco Bell Corp.
• Why: Taco Bell allegedly falsely advertises the amount of beef and other ingredients in some of its products.
• Where: The Taco Bell class action lawsuit was filed in New York federal court.
• What are my options: Create your own tacos at home with ingredients from Thrive Market. 

Taco Bell Corp. falsely advertises the amount of beef and other ingredients in some of its signature meals, according to a class action lawsuit filed July 31 in New York federal court.

Plaintiff Frank Siragusa says Taco Bell food advertisements and menu ordering boards depict the Crunchwrap Supreme, Grande Crunchwrap, Vegan Crunchwrap, Mexican Pizza and Veggie Mexican Pizza menu items as containing more than twice the amount of ingredients than reality.

The misleading pictures of the Taco Bell food items are “unfair and financially damaging to consumers as they are receiving a product that is materially lower in value than what is being promised,” the Taco Bell lawsuit says.

Taco Bell’s deception is especially problematic during a time in which food and meat prices are high and many consumers are struggling financially, the lawsuit states.

“Taco Bell’s promise to consumers of a large portion of food with their purchase are also causing consumers to come to, or order from, Taco Bell’s restaurants and make purchases that they would not have otherwise made,” the Taco Bell class action says.

The company’s false advertisements of portion sizes entices consumers to purchase Taco Bell food instead of purchasing meals from competing restaurants that more fairly advertise the size of their menu items, according to the lawsuit, which points to several news articles and online complaints that the Taco Bell food items did not look like the pictures in the advertisements.

Plaintiff says he would not have paid as much for Taco Bell food if not for false ads

Siragusa says he purchased a Mexican Pizza from Taco Bell after viewing the advertisements online and at the store. He claims he expected the Taco Bell food to contain a similar amount of meat and beans as depicted in the advertisements. However, the meal he received allegedly contained about half the beef and bean filling he expected.

Had he known Taco Bell overstated the amount of beef and beans in the Mexican Pizza menu item, Siragusa says he would not have paid $5.49 for the meal.

Siragusa filed the Taco Bell class action lawsuit on behalf of himself and a proposed class of consumers who purchased one of the allegedly falsely advertised menu items from a Taco Bell in New York since July 31, 2020.

In other recent Taco Bell news, the chain recently won a challenge to cancel the trademark for the phrase “Taco Tuesday.”

Have you purchased Taco Bell food items that did not contain as much beef and other ingredients as advertised? Tell us about your experience in the comments.

Siragusa is represented by James Kelly of The Law Office of James C. Kelly and Anthony J. Russo Jr. PA d/b/a The Russo Firm.

The Taco Bell class action lawsuit is Frank Siragusa v. Taco Bell Corp., Case No. 1:23-cv-05748-DG-RER, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

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