In our journeys across the US, we found ourselves often desperate for anything remotely edible. One of the safe-havens falling into the “remotely” category was Taco Bell. I made the mistake today of looking at Taco Bell ingredient lists and they are no longer squeaking into the “remotely” category for me. It’s really tough driving through the middle of Missouri in search of food, so this is a little sad…
They are a division of Yum, but the list is not so yum. Anyway, I don’t think I’ll be running for the border any longer. Apart from the hydrogenated oils, antifoaming agents (I’m talking to you, Dimethylpolysiloxane), and other lengthy synthesized polycompounds, they have altered their ingredients from the last time I checked (2005 or 2006) to include Datem in their tortillas. I don’t exactly even know what it is, but it’s not vegan, it often has something to do with animal fats (though I have no idea what the Taco Bell source is), and I don’t want to eat it.
I’m glad they have tertiary butylhydroquinone to protect flavor. Flavor has been under great threat lately and without tertiary butylhydroquinone, it stands no chance of survival. We must band together with the tertiary butylhydroquinones of the world to protect flavor!!!
http://www.yum.com/nutrition/documents/tb_ingredient_statement.pdf
Some of my “favorite” previously vegan Taco Bell things:
Beans:
Pinto Beans, Partially Hydrogenated Corn Oil (Freshness Preserved With TBHQ), Salt, Calcium Chloride.
Cinnamon Twists:
Wheat Flour, Corn Meal, Rice Flour, And Salt. Cinnamon Sugar: Sugar, Cinnamon, Soybean Oil (With TBHQ To Protect Flavor), Dextrin And Extractives Of Cinnamon. Oil: High Oleic Low Linolenic Canola Oil, TBHQ (to protect flavor), Dimethylpolysiloxane (an antifoaming agent).
or:
Wheat Starch, Corn Starch, Wheat Flour, Tapioca Starch, Rice Flour, Salt, Sodium Bicarbonate, Emulsifier. Cinnamon Sugar: Sugar, Cinnamon, Soybean Oil (With TBHQ To Protect Flavor), Dextrin And Extractives Of Cinnamon. Oil: High Oleic Low Linolenic Canola Oil, TBHQ (to protect flavor), Dimethylpolysiloxane (an antifoaming agent).
Flour Tortilla:
Enriched Bleached Wheat Flour (Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Water, Soybean Oil, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (Contains One Or More Of The Following: Cottonseed Oils, Soybean Oil), Mono – And Diglycerides, Sugar, Contains Less Than 2% Of The Following: Salt, Leavening (Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate), Fumaric Acid, Calcium Propionate and Potassium Sorbate (Used As Preservatives), Dough Conditioners (DATEM, Mono – And Diglycerides, And Enzymes).
Is it that hard for a fast-food place to limit their use of nonsensical ingredients?
Next time we travel, the rest of the band will just have to make fun of me even more for not ever being able to eat…