Taco Bell Slams Vegetables in Ad

This is part of our new series, Ad Nauseam– a look at advertising through the ethical vegan lens.

Vegetables. They’re pretty amazing, when you get right down to it. Colorful. Full of nutrients. Good raw, good cooked. Easy to pack for an on-the-go snack, and easy to prepare and incorporate into an at-home meal.

And still, they get a bad rap. Kids will sit at the dinner table in protest, refusing to finish the peas on their plate. Carrot sticks will sit pathetically in a baggie, forgotten in the presence of a bag of chips.

It’s no wonder this happens when even marketing firms knock them.

Taco Bell had come up with a commercial touting a twelve-pack of tacos for the Superbowl in January. Their tactic? Shaming you for bringing a crudité to game day: “Secretly, people kind of hate you for it.” Yep, vegetable shaming is a thing now:

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) issued a statement:

“It’s bad enough that there aren’t many ads on television for broccoli, kale or carrots. The last thing healthy fruits and vegetables needed was to be the subject of attack ads.”

Ain’t it the truth? There is no such thing as a vegetable lobby. But the meat, egg, and dairy industries sure do get to advertise their products under the guise of “happy,” “natural,” “healthy,” and “humane,” don’t they?

After some backlash, Taco Bell pulled the commercial. Score one for the veggies.

Photo credit: bendukt via Flickr