Austin Woman Bites Down On A Cow Tooth In A Taco

I'll take a hair in the soup ANYDAY over what this woman said she found in a taco!

Austin Resident Sues Local Taco Chain

An Austin resident is suing a popular central Texas restaurant chain after she said she found an unexpected animal part embedded in her takeout order. What an absolute nightmare!  According to a complaint submitted to Travis County District Court, the diner purchased food on June 9 from the restaurant on South Congress Avenue in Austin, and bit down on a hard object while eating. The legal filing claims that the customer nearly ingested "a COW TOOTH". According to the lawsuit, "“Obviously, Plaintiff was grossed out and sickened.”

Medical Visit and Allegations of Inadequate Inspection

According to KXAN, the lawsuit described how following the incident, the plaintiff went to the doctor where she was given a prescription. The suit alleges that the restaurant operator, Torchy’s Tacos, failed to properly examine and prepare its ingredients prior to serving them to customers.

Restaurant Confirmation and Supply Chain Response

In a statement, a spokesperson for Torchy's Tacos confirmed that the business reviewed the customer's complaint and verified the object WAS in fact a COW TOOTH. Noooooo!!!! The company said that its barbacoa is made from natural beef cheek provided by an outside distributor, and animal processing can occasionally result in stray material. The spokesperson also said that the chain plans to tighten processing standards to prevent similar incidents from happening down the line.

Food Industry Inspection Challenges

Food safety equipment suppliers note that stray organic materials, such as bone or teeth, occasionally slip past automated sorters into meat products. Seriously?  While modern X-ray detection systems have drastically reduced foreign object incidents, human error, machinery wear, and heavy automation can still allow fragments to pass through. I think I need to go lie down.

Product Liability Cases Involving Natural Animal Remnants

So what happens after you bite down on a freaking cow tooth in your taco? Product liability cases involving natural animal remnants face varying outcomes in court. The Austin lawsuit asserts claims grounded in negligence, state trade practice violations, the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, and federal food safety regulations and requests financial compensation capped at $250,000.