"Why Is This in Here? It's Disgusting"... Woman Sues Famous Taco Chain for $250,000 After Finding a Cow Tooth in Her Taco

Cow's tooth found in beef cheek taco
Seeking damages, alleging food safety violations and negligence

A woman in the United States has filed a lawsuit against a popular taco chain, seeking up to $250,000 (approximately 332.85 million won) in damages after allegedly finding a cow tooth in food she ordered.

According to People, a U.S. entertainment and lifestyle magazine, on October 17 local time, Noemi Castillo, a Texas resident, recently sued Torchy's Tacos, a fast-casual Tex-Mex chain serving American-style Mexican food that combines Texas and Mexican culinary traditions, and its parent company, Success Food Management Group.

According to the complaint, Castillo placed a takeout order at a Torchy's Tacos location in Austin, Texas, on June 9. She ordered The Democrat taco, which is made with barbacoa prepared from beef cheek. Castillo alleges that while eating the taco, she found a foreign object that appeared to be a cow tooth in the food and nearly swallowed it.

"It Was Disgusting and Made Me Feel Sick"... She Went to the Hospital and Received a Prescription

Castillo said in the complaint that she reported the incident to the store manager, but it is unclear what action the store took afterward.

“The Democrat” taco with beef cheek ordered by Castillo. Torchy’s Tacos website.

She said she felt "disgusted and sick" after the incident and eventually went to a hospital for treatment, where she received prescription medication. Castillo's side alleges that the company failed to properly cook and inspect the food before selling it and did not serve it safely.

She also cited negligence, deceptive business practices and violations of food safety laws as grounds for the lawsuit, alleging that the company failed to adequately manage the risk despite being aware of the possibility of problems with the food it sold. Castillo is seeking up to $250,000 (approximately 332.85 million won) in damages.

Company Also Confirms It Was a Cow Tooth

As the controversy grew, Torchy's Tacos also confirmed that the foreign object was indeed a cow tooth. In a statement on October 15, the company said, "After examining the object found by the customer, we confirmed that it was a cow tooth."

Torchy's Tacos began as a small food trailer in Austin, Texas, in 2006 and has since grown into a well-known fast-casual taco franchise with more than 125 locations across the United States. Yelp

Torchy's Tacos explained that because the barbacoa used in the taco is made from beef cheek, such an incident could occur very rarely during meat processing.

However, the company said it takes food safety issues seriously and is working with its suppliers to investigate the cause and strengthen preventive measures to ensure the same thing does not happen again.

Castillo's side alleges that the company failed to fulfill its food safety obligations, including assessing risks that could arise during the manufacture, processing, packaging and storage of food and establishing preventive measures.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.