Food We’re Proud to Serve
From the ingredients we source to the way food is prepared, quality and care guide the work we do every day. Our goal is to create food that excites our fans while maintaining strong standards for food safety, quality, and consistency across our restaurant system.
Our Approach
We recognize the responsibility that comes with serving food to millions of people each week. It guides how we source ingredients, work with suppliers, prepare food and respond when issues arise. We continually evolve our practices as science, regulations and consumer expectations change.
Food Safety at Every Step
Food safety is built into every step of our system, including:
Our fresh produce goes through 11 food safety risk interventions from pre-harvest testing to finish product testing
Ingredient sourcing and assessing supplier performance
Transportation, storage and distribution
Restaurant food handling and preparation
Team Member training and operating procedures, including annual food safety certification for all restaurant Team Members and ServSafe® certification for all restaurant leaders
Escalation and response when a potential concern is identified, including working with partners and acting quickly to make adjustments
Our Suppliers
We partner with suppliers that meet Taco Bell’s rigorous standards for food safety, quality, operational consistency and sanitation. Current suppliers are required to perform internal audits as well as undergo auditing by qualified third parties to ensure they meet our standards, while new partners undergo a comprehensive qualification and onboarding process that typically takes 12–18 months. Ingredients are micro tested at our suppliers locations before they ever reach our restaurants.
Strengthening Food Safety Together
Food safety is a shared responsibility. We work with academic, scientific and industry partners to identify emerging risks and turn new research and operating experience into practical improvements across our supply chain.
We collaborate and draw on our academic advisory council, industry coalitions and working groups to help improve food safety systems. We are proud members of Center for Produce Safety, Leafy Greens Safety Coalition, Reagan-Udall Foundation for the FDA, Industry Partnership for Produce Safety, Harvest Forward Coalition, and Stop Foodborne Illness.
Our Ingredients
We are committed to giving fans clear, accessible information about the food they order.
For more than two decades, our Food For All journey has guided how we evolve our food while preserving the bold flavors and accessible experiences our fans expect. Taco Bell was one of the first QSR brands to make ingredient statements and full nutritional information publicly available, and today fans can continue to access that information along with allergen information online.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How does Taco Bell help keep its food safe?
Across our system, from suppliers to restaurants, we [set/require] standards for food sourcing, handling, and preparation.
2. How does Taco Bell select its suppliers?
Suppliers are expected to meet Taco Bell’s rigorous requirements for food safety, quality, operational consistency, and sanitation performance. To ensure those standards are maintained, current suppliers are required to perform internal audits as well as undergo auditing by qualified third parties. Before joining our supply chain, new suppliers undergo a comprehensive qualification, vetting, and onboarding process that takes 12-18 months.
3. Where can I find ingredient and nutrition information?
Ingredient statements, nutrition information, and allergen resources are available online for Taco Bell menu items.
4. What happens when Taco Bell identifies a potential food-safety issue?
We continuously monitor our supply chain to rapidly assess potential concerns and take decisive action ensure the food our customers eat is safe. Our traceability program allows us to quickly identify any impacted ingredients from farm to restaurants.