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Taco Bell's Mexican Pizza and Crunchwraps…

Consumer Law Taco Bell's Mexican Pizza and Crunchwraps don't look like advertising photos, suit claims

By Debra Cassens Weiss

August 1, 2023, 3:39 pm CDT

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Taco Bell’s advertising overstates the amount of beef and ingredients in several menu items by “at least double the amount,” according to a July 31 federal lawsuit. Images from the suit.

A proposed class action lawsuit alleges that Taco Bell violated a state law preventing deceptive trade practices by selling food that doesn’t live up to the ingredient-filled menu items portrayed in its advertising.

The July 31 federal suit is filed on behalf of Ridgewood, New York, resident Frank Siragusa and other customers like him who purchased a Crunchwrap Supreme, Grande Crunchwrap, Vegan Crunchwrap, Mexican Pizza or Veggie Mexican Pizza.

Taco Bell’s advertising overstates the amount of beef and ingredients in those menu items by “at least double the amount,” according to the suit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

Reuters, Courthouse News Service and the Washington Post have coverage.

The suit includes photos of menu items portrayed in Taco Bell advertising next to pictures of the actual food purchased. The suit claims that the misleading advertising caused the consumers to pay a premium for menu items that they wouldn’t otherwise have purchased.

The suit seeks damages to compensate customers who bought the menu items and an injunction requiring Taco Bell to correct its advertising or stop selling the items.

One of the lawyers who filed the suit is Anthony J. Russo Jr., who filed a similar suit against a Burger King in Florida last year, according to the Washington Post. The other lawyer is James C. Kelly of New York.

The Florida suit went to mediation but was not resolved, according to Reuters.

Russo and Kelly also filed a suit last year alleging that McDonald’s and Wendy’s sells hamburgers that are smaller than the burgers in their ads. That suit, also filed in the Eastern District of New York, is still pending, according to Reuters.

See also:

ABA Journal: “Food Fight: Do lawsuits challenging product labels benefit consumers?”

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