Dear Guide:
I was just looking at all the Taco Bell roach stories, and I recently heard a new version.
Taco Bell is supposedly allowed by the FDA to put mealworms into their beef products, because:
- Mealworms are cheaper than beef;
- mealworms contain less fat and calories than beef;
- the FDA allows them to.
By doing this they can supposedly keep the cost of the product down and also control the fat and calorie content.
Dear Reader:
Mealworms? Really? You're not just pulling my leg?
It has been rumored for years, you know, that various burger chains (including McDonald's) use earthworms as filler in their ground beef. Apparently some people actually believe this, but if you look up the prices for earthworms by the pound, it just doesn't make good business sense.
As of right now, the going rate for earthworms in U.S. dollars is around $15.00 per pound. That's bulk, no delivery! It's at least five times what you'd spend on ground beef at the supermarket; probably seven or eight times what a fast food chain pays.
Mealworms are no bargain, either. I found an outfit in England called Live Foods Direct that stocks the critters in bulk for about $9.00 a pound. Feel free to comparison shop, but I doubt you're going to find a better price than that anywhere.
Clearly, if anything, mealworms ought to be promoted as a fancy gourmet item, not a cheap substitute for beef. As a matter of fact, I'm told they make an excellent addition to chocolate chip cookies, something I'll bet Neiman Marcus never thought of.
