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Taco Bell's Refried Beans Are Not Vegan
Hello,
I just wanted to tell you guys that Taco Bell's refried beans are not vegan!!! I was shocked to find out that the refried beans are made with lard. I always heard that vegans went to taco bell and just ordered stuff with beans instead of meat...and my neighbor told me about the lard so I went to TB and asked and yes it's true. Sorry guys... If you've been going to Taco Bell and eating refried beans instead of meat...you've consumed lard. Bummer huh. Well, no more TB for me. I think the cinnamon twists are vegan.
- Matt
NEVERMIND - NEVERMIND - NEVERMIND - Sorry :p
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I think you were misinformed, Spudstud. Maybe the employee didn't know any better.
http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/fast.htm
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Okay, I'm calling 1 - 800 - taco - bell - you are right. They are vegan....woops! Sorry!
Okay, they used to not be vegan, but they are made with vegetable shortening now...so they are. Feeew *wipes forhead*. Sorry.
- Matt
P.S. That is weird because the empolyee was acting like he was for sure that they were made with lard...hmmmm...weird. Oh well, according to you guys they are vegan, so I guess I'm happy about that!
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I would not trust anything from Taco Bell if God Himself told me it was vegan.
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Yeah, I wouldn't eat there, either. I don't really go to omnivorous restaurants. I'll go to a lacto-ovo establishment only if I trust them, like Chicago Diner or something.
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I'm with you, John and Artichoke. Shiva, God, Buddha, Durga and Lucifer could tell me they were vegan and I'd be like : "Oh. That's nice." :(
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what about the guacamole there? my bf works at a taco bell and he brings me home lbs of free guac! it's so addictive. please tell me that it's vegan
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You can call 1-800-taco-bell and find out.
- Matt
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Re: Taco Bell's Refried Beans Are NOT Vegan!
they are terribly unhealthy, laden with trans fats, but they don't have lard. Here is the ingredient list, from http://www.yum.com/nutrition/documen..._statement.pdf
Beans *
Pinto Beans, Partially Hydrogenated Corn Oil (Freshness Preserved With TBHQ), Salt, Calcium Chloride.
Pinto Beans, Partially Hydrogenated Corn Oil (With TBHQ To Preserve Freshness), Salt
*
Will Contain One Of The Ingredient Statements Above, Depending Upon Regional Suppliers
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Re: Taco Bell's Refried Beans Are NOT Vegan!
"Taco Bell stressed that while the ingredients listed above may be categorized as acceptable for certain types of vegetarian diets, all ingredients are handled by employees in common with other ingredients which may not be acceptable to certain types of vegetarian diets."
Just knowing that its all prepaired on the same table, who knows whats getting into your food. Plus isnt your money still going to their support of Flesh eating? Just because your money is put into buying a veg*n taco, doesnt mean they arent using that money to buy meat. Seems pointless in my opinion.
Making your own food is the safest bet
=OOAA
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Re: Taco Bell's Refried Beans Are NOT Vegan!
This is utter crap...I JUST ate some of those..admittedly it was the store bought kind, and of the "fat free" variety. I guess I'll have to start making my own at home.
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Re: Taco Bell's Refried Beans Are NOT Vegan!
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OddsofanAnimal
Plus isnt your money still going to their support of Flesh eating? Just because your money is put into buying a veg*n taco, doesnt mean they arent using that money to buy meat. Seems pointless in my opinion.
Hm, from another perspective, big corporations are primarily interested in making money, so if we show them that vegan foods can be profitable (by consuming them) we encourage them to offer more vegan choices. More vegan choices at "normal" restaurants and from "normal" companies makes vegan food seem more normal and might encourage people to eat more vegan food. It also makes it easier for people to go vegan (because there are more options around).
I confess to eating at Taco Bell. Don't feel too badly about it. I also buy vegan products at the grocery made by companies that sell meat and dairy or products that contain meat or dairy. It seems pretty hard not to!
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Re: Taco Bell's Refried Beans Are Not Vegan
^ I agree... I don't want to perpetuate the idea that vegans can't eat anywhere...but I definately know where you are coming from oddofananimal. But in general i just hate supporting fast food, such a horrible invention...
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Re: Taco Bell's Refried Beans Are NOT Vegan!
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OddsofanAnimal
Just because your money is put into buying a veg*n taco, doesnt mean they arent using that money to buy meat. Seems pointless in my opinion.
Not really, if they run out of salad they aren't going to buy meat to replace it with are they? "Sorry sir we'd run out of beef steak tomatoes for your salad so we used actual beef steak instead"
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Re: Taco Bell's Refried Beans Are Not Vegan
^ little do you know... :D
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Re: Taco Bell's Refried Beans Are Not Vegan
Actually I have been meaning to call them about this. (For the US) if you check their website, many of their ingredients are vegan, but on the allergen list, they list milk in nearly all their products. What do people make of this?
http://www.yum.com/nutrition/documen..._statement.pdf
http://www.yum.com/nutrition/allergen/allergen_tb.asp
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Re: Taco Bell's Refried Beans Are Not Vegan
Fuhzy, keep in mind most people don't ask for "no cheese" like we do so of course almost all their stuff has dairy. I think also, if you've ever seen how their assembly line works, they look up at a monitor and scoop up and insert various listed ingredients that inevitably get partly contaminated with each other. [those gloved fingers that just dropped a little lettuce in my taco may have dropped a little cheese in the previous order] This is how any restaurant works, I think. I occasionally get a tiny little bit of cheese that I discard (and get a little upset, but I move on). They have to warn people of this "cross contamination" to avoid law suits from people who are so allergic they go into anaphalaptic (sp?) shock. Sure they could change their gloves per every product/order, but that would be a huge waste of hundreds of gloves per day per employee and not very environmentally friendly if you ask me. How many cows lives would be saved if they did it that way instead? None! It just means I don't get upset that there is a tiny shred of cheese in my taco.
I always order bean tacos , no meat, "fresco". That's their marketing term for "no cheese but with tomato" (pico ?) at no additional charge. Cool.
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Re: Taco Bell's Refried Beans Are NOT Vegan!
In no way am i saying that they are gonna replace salad with beef. Im saying That your money isnt put in the "salad fund" Its put into Taco Bells Fund. which buys meat.
I dont know about you others but id get very upset if I knew there was a possibility i was eating ANY type of animal produce. Blood is blood no matter how you put it.
If I found out that my favorite Store also sold animal products on the side why would i support that? even if they did try to reach out to the vegan crowd?
I make sure i only buy produce from Homegrown Vegans, or local produce stores that only sell Produce.
WHY WHY WHY Give you money to anyone selling meat?!? Unless its a totally vegan Corp. your still buying meat weather you eat it or not. Not very "vegan" in my opinion.
=OOAA
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Re: Taco Bell's Refried Beans Are Not Vegan
i've heard about the bean tacos, do you just ask for them? or do you have to explain it most of the time? i miss the tacos...
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Re: Taco Bell's Refried Beans Are Not Vegan
Aren't Taco Bell owned by the same company that owns KFC?
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Re: Taco Bell's Refried Beans Are Not Vegan
ooo right aren't they owned by pepsi or something?
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Re: Taco Bell's Refried Beans Are Not Vegan
"Yum! Brands, Inc. or Yum! is a Fortune 500 corporation, that operates or licenses Taco Bell, KFC, Pizza Hut, and Long John Silver's restaurants worldwide, and A&W Restaurants everywhere but Canada. Based in Louisville, Kentucky, it is the world's largest fast food restaurant company in terms of system units — over 35,000 restaurants around the world in more than 110 countries and territories. In 2007, Yum!'s global sales totalled more than US$10 billion."
Yeah, no Taco Bell for me...
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Re: Taco Bell's Refried Beans Are Not Vegan
well ain't this thread a waste of time...damnit!!!! stupid peoples!
well its not a waste of time...at least now i know...now i'm sad...:(
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Re: Taco Bell's Refried Beans Are Not Vegan
Yah - let's not give our money to them. Let's support the small, independant guys instead. And if the small independant guys don't make vegan tacos, let's ask them to!
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Re: Taco Bell's Refried Beans Are Not Vegan
I hear animals aren't treated well, even tortured, on the farms where they are raised and killed for omni goods; that's why I am a vegan. But shouldn't we logically boycott all restaurants, food stores, clothing stores, cosmetics stores and the food/clothing/cosmetics distribution channels that deal with omni products and only buy food at stores and go to restaurants that are completely vegan? Or only boycott the omni companies that are additional to this large, and if so I need to be told what is the size of the company that makes it "large"/evil? Is it simply two or more locations or is it more complex than that? I don't understand this line of thought, someone is going to have to explain it to me.:confused:
This reminds me of how Greenpeace wants people to boycott Apple computers because the plastic they use in their computers and iPods isn't environmentally friendly, but all computer companies use environmentally un-friendly plastic! (almost) That's not a fair boycott if you ask me.
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Re: Taco Bell's Refried Beans Are Not Vegan
Well since I've personally been involved in protests and demonstrations against KFC here in Vancouver, I prefer not to give any money to their parent company.
And I try to support smaller, more local and/or ethical companies wherever possible, so it's pretty easy for me to extend that to my tacos.
Sorry if I've misunderstood your questioning here. This is my line of thought anyway.
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Re: Taco Bell's Refried Beans Are Not Vegan
I don't have a problem with supporting a smaller mom and pop store over a large chain where they exist, but where I live the small mom and pop taquerias are run by people who don't know this word "veegan" and no, they don't have a full ingredients disclosure website like Taco Bell does so I can't check for myself. I don't like that KFC indirectly tortures millions of chickens every year but is this not true of all restaurants that serve chicken? What makes KFC different from them? If we boycott chicken we obviously have to boycott beef, ham, dairy, eggs, and honey selling chains too.
From my understanding KFC doesn't raise chickens at all but rather buys them from the same three companies that all restaurants buy them from: Purdue Farms, Tyson Foods, and Pilgrim's Pride. Singling out KFC just because they are the largest doesn't seem fair to me. If people want to boycott all stores/restaurants that serve meat/dairy/eggs fine, but singling out specific ones because they are "large" doesn't seem fair to me.
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Re: Taco Bell's Refried Beans Are Not Vegan
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I don't like that KFC indirectly tortures millions of chickens every year but is this not true of all restaurants that serve chicken?
Yes.
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What makes KFC different from them?
They are the biggest suppliers of tortured chickens, from what I understand.
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If we boycott chicken we obviously have to boycott beef, ham, dairy, eggs, and honey selling chains too.
If it's practically possible.
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Singling out KFC just because they are the largest doesn't seem fair to me. If people want to boycott all stores/restaurants that serve meat/dairy/eggs fine, but singling out specific ones because they are "large" doesn't seem fair to me.
Why doesn't it seem fair to you?
What's not fair to me is that billions of chickens are being made to live as prisoners, tortured in some of the most inhumane ways and then served up as $2 pieces of "food" with no regard given to the fact that they are beautiful creatures who deserve to live too.
Personally, I feel that we've got to start boycotting somewhere. So why not start at the top and work our way down?
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Re: Taco Bell's Refried Beans Are Not Vegan
I'm not all that concerned about whether or not it is "fair" to the companies. I'm more concerned about having a logical ethical system that I apply consistently (not hypocritically) in my life. If I didn't eat at taco bell because they also served meat, then in all of Indianapolis there is one restaurant I could eat at. And at the grocery there are all sorts of food products I would have to stop buying. If everyone knew that Alex the Vegan (who is the *only* vegan most of my friends and family know) couldn't eat any "normal" foods at any "normal" places.... I just don't think that would be helping Veganism much.
For me, where I live, I think the best thing I can do is support vegan products (regardless of the status of the company) so that companies see an increased demand for these products. If increased demand for vegan products leads to more vegan food options and more vegan companies, then I might focus on supporting only vegan companies to increase demand for vegan companies. But if I were going to boycott one company that served meat, I would boycott them all.
That's just my opinion, though, and it's what works for me. I understand the idea of starting your boycott with a big target. It may not be logically or morally consistent with one's other actions, but it's more of a utilitarian attempt to get something done.
Sorry if there are any random weird typos in this... my cat helped me write it.
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Re: Taco Bell's Refried Beans Are Not Vegan
Um...so did anyone find out yet if the fat free canned taco bell refried beans you get at the grocer's are vegan or not? I worry about it because of the "natural flavor" thing.
*sigh* I'm not a super boycotter or anything..I still buy vegan friendly products from non vegan companies for the reason stated earlier in the thread (buying vegan foods from "normal" places drives up the market and availability of vegan products) but I definately won't but or eat a non vegan product.
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Re: Taco Bell's Refried Beans Are Not Vegan
Heck I just stopped eating there because it's unhealthy, dirty food! :D
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Re: Taco Bell's Refried Beans Are Not Vegan
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missbettie
i've heard about the bean tacos, do you just ask for them? or do you have to explain it most of the time? i miss the tacos...
Yes just ask. They get this request all the time and I have never once had the clerk stumble. I once got meat (and took it back) and the clerk said, "I thought you said a beef taco, no cheese" I believed her so now I'm careful to give redundant clues in the order as to what I want:
"I'll have three bean tacos, no meat, "fresco" style, no cheese."
You often can actually watch them as they prepare it and of course check it before you bite into it.
Where I live Taco Bell is the only chain restaurant that has anything we can eat unless one includes a vegetable only sandwich from Subway, which has no protein source. True, it's certainly not health food but as American chain restaurants go, serving bacon double cheese burgers, cola, shakes, fries, fried chicken, and onion rings I'd say its at least better than average. In many shopping complexes and other parts of the city there are no independents to choose from anyways and like I said they don't have full ingredients disclosure at them so I never feel safe that the staff is knowledgeable enough to clarify menu offerings' ingredients.
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I'm not all that concerned about whether or not it is "fair" to the companies. I'm more concerned about having a logical ethical system that I apply consistently (not hypocritically) in my life.
That's really what I meant too. I would feel hypocritical to boycott one company because they sell chicken without boycotting all of them that do.
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Re: Taco Bell's Refried Beans Are Not Vegan
Taco Bell is pretty much the only restaurant in my dinky town that serves anything vegan. I almost never eat out here (there is a town about an hour away that has a couple of trustworthy smaller restaurants), but Taco Bell is pretty much my only choice if I want to stay in town. I order the seven layer burrito with no cheese or sour cream and it's pretty good--at least with the mild hot sauce. I don't 'specially like supporting YUM foods, but I also think (like Mahk) that eating vegan foods at such restaurants makes a case for them to continue serving such fare. It's not only vegans that appreciate dairy-free, egg-free, cholesterol-free food after all.
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Re: Taco Bell's Refried Beans Are Not Vegan
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Mahk
That's really what I meant too. I would feel hypocritical to boycott one company because they sell chicken without boycotting all of them that do.
Yeah, I figured. Just didn't want to put words in your mouth. :)
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Re: Taco Bell's Refried Beans Are Not Vegan
Teh worst thing about Taco Bell's beans is they are dehydrated, powdered, reconstituted beans, you know, like those boxes of "potato buds" you get at the grocery store for "just add water" mashed potatoes.
We're talking virtually zero nutritional value.
By contrast, Del Taco, if you have them in your area, make their beans from scratch each day and they are quite good, especially for fast food, in my opinion.
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Re: Taco Bell's Refried Beans Are Not Vegan
no offence...but when i'm going to a fast food joint i'm not looking for nutrional value. lol but thats good to know del taco is better for you...i still prefer taco bell though...aw buterscotch.
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Re: Taco Bell's Refried Beans Are Not Vegan
And for those in Austin, TX, USA, Taco Deli has an item called the "Freakin' Vegan" which isn't on the menu, but is a taco that has beans, avocado, etc. Make sure you ask for vegetarian rice, if you get the combo plate.
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Re: Taco Bell's Refried Beans Are Not Vegan
If nobody ever asked for no cheese on their bean burrito, would they have a fresco menu? That's not necessarily a product of vegans, but vegans most probably helped that along.
It would be great if we could all boycott any place that sells or produces or works with any animal products. But that's pretty much impossible if I enjoy eating ever again. There is one vegan restaurant near me (that I know of), and their cheapest dinner item is about $15. There are no stores that only sell plants, aside from the occasional little stand selling corn on the corner. The stores that I get my "special food" like nutritional yeast and quinoa have meat (free range organic, at least...).
I'd venture to say that Taco Bell is one of the best fast food restaurants (that are completely widespread, at least). Not only do they have a dairy free menu, they have items on their menu that are already vegan. As already stated by a few people, that means they have "normal" food that's vegan. It helps show people that we do eat more than grass and twigs with the occasional clump of dirt.
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Re: Taco Bell's Refried Beans Are Not Vegan
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Mahk
bean tacos
Call it a bean burrito and it greatly lessens your chance of getting meat, 'cause nobody puts meat on a burrito unless they like to break international burrito laws. Unless your TB is weird and calls it bean tacos?
That reminds me, I was at a Mexican restaurant, and I accidentally ordered "beef nachos, no cheese." I have no idea how "beef" came out, but it's then I decided that the two words are TOO CLOSE TOGETHER. :mad: But my lovely friends saved me and told me what I just did and then gave me hell for it.