US Man Sues Taco Bell Over Filling Size, Seeks upwards of $5 Million

Taco Bell shop is seen during the opening ceremony of a Taco
Bell restaurant in Bangkok, Thailand January 22, 2019. Picture taken
January 22, 2019. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun
Taco Bell shop is seen during the opening ceremony of a Taco Bell restaurant in Bangkok, Thailand January 22, 2019. Picture taken January 22, 2019. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun
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US Man Sues Taco Bell Over Filling Size, Seeks upwards of $5 Million

Taco Bell shop is seen during the opening ceremony of a Taco
Bell restaurant in Bangkok, Thailand January 22, 2019. Picture taken
January 22, 2019. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun
Taco Bell shop is seen during the opening ceremony of a Taco Bell restaurant in Bangkok, Thailand January 22, 2019. Picture taken January 22, 2019. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun

A New York man unhappy with the amount of meat and beans filling he received in his Taco Bell pizza, has sued the fast food chain, requesting a recompense of $5 million.

According to the Washington Post, the class-action lawsuit filed in US District Court in Brooklyn, New York, says: “Frank Siragusa would not have paid the $5.49 price, if he knew that the Mexican Pizza he bought last September had approximately half the beef and bean filling shown in adverts.”

The lawsuit Siragusa filed on behalf of himself and other customers who were left similarly disappointed with items, includes photos showing generous quantities of chicken, meat, guacamole, cheese and tomatoes similar to those used in the advert of Taco Bell, a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, which also owns KFC and Pizza Hut.

He also submitted an image of the “actual” pizza he was served in a Taco Bell branch, in New York.

Siragusa is seeking upwards of $5 million from the chain for “unfair and deceptive trade practices.”

“Taco Bell’s actions are especially concerning now that inflation, food, and meat prices are very high and many consumers, especially lower income consumers, are struggling financially,” the lawsuit adds.

New York-based Taco Bell, which was founded in 1962 by Glen Bell, and was once owned by the giant PepsiCo, did not respond to request for comment from AFP and U.S. media.



Greece to Create New Marine Reserves to Protect Underwater Wildlife

Greece banned bottom trawling in the waters of the Fournoi Korseon island chain in the Aegean to protect recently discovered coral reefs. Handout / Under the Pole/AFP
Greece banned bottom trawling in the waters of the Fournoi Korseon island chain in the Aegean to protect recently discovered coral reefs. Handout / Under the Pole/AFP
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Greece to Create New Marine Reserves to Protect Underwater Wildlife

Greece banned bottom trawling in the waters of the Fournoi Korseon island chain in the Aegean to protect recently discovered coral reefs. Handout / Under the Pole/AFP
Greece banned bottom trawling in the waters of the Fournoi Korseon island chain in the Aegean to protect recently discovered coral reefs. Handout / Under the Pole/AFP

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Monday said that his government was creating two new protected marine areas, fulfilling a promise he made at a United Nations conference on the oceans in June.

The new protected areas -- in the Ionian Sea and in the Southern Cyclades in the Aegean Sea -- would be "among the largest marine protected areas in the entire Mediterranean", he said in a video message in English.

The prime minister said that the "hugely damaging practice of bottom trawling" by commercial fishing boats would be banned within the new marine reserves and in all Greece's marine protected areas by 2030, making it the first country in Europe to take such a significant step in preservation, reported AFP.

Fishing is generally allowed in protected marine areas worldwide, even by trawlers which scrape the seabed with a huge funnel-shaped net, to devastating effect.

Mitsotakis said that he had "made a promise to honor (Greece's) unique marine heritage" at last month's UN Oceans Conference in southern France, "and to protect it for generations to come".

"Today I am delivering on that promise with the establishment of two new marine national parks... because when we protect our ocean, we protect our own future."

Greece is located in the eastern Mediterranean and has around 13,600 kilometers (8,450 miles) of coastline and thousands of islands.

Greece, Brazil and Spain all used the UN conference in Nice, to announce new protected marine reserves and measures to ban bottom trawling, in order to better protect marine wildlife.

Mitsotakis said that the size of the new Greek marine reserves "will enable us to achieve the goal of protecting 30 percent of our territorial waters by 2030".

He said that the government would work with "local communities, local fishermen, scientists (and) global partners (to) make these parks examples of what is possible".

The oceans are 'life itself'

In May, Athens banned bottom trawling in the waters of the Fournoi Korseon island chain in the Aegean to protect recently discovered coral reefs that are exceptionally rich in marine wildlife.

Neighboring Türkiye, whose western coast is close to the Aegean islands, responded to Monday's announcement by criticizing such "unilateral action".

"International maritime law encourages cooperation between the coastal states of these seas, including on environmental issues," the foreign ministry in Ankara said.

It said that Türkiye was willing to cooperate with Greece and would soon announce its own plans to protect maritime areas.

Greece and Türkiye, both members of NATO, have historical disputes over maritime boundaries in the Aegean Sea.

They signed an agreement in 2023 aimed at easing tensions.

Mitsotakis said that "Ocean", a new documentary by British natural history broadcaster Sir David Attenborough, had inspired Greece to accelerate efforts to protect life below the waves.

"Ocean", which features spectacular footage of undersea habitats and marine life, emphasizes the importance of healthy seas for tackling climate change and the current sweeping loss of wild species across the planet.

Mitsotakis said "Ocean" showed that the sea was "not just beautiful scenery".

"It is life itself. Delicate. Powerful. And under threat."