(WTVR) — Two Taco Bell employees were fired after a photo of one licking a stack of taco shells went viral across the web. The employee licking the shells was fired by a franchise owner and the employee who snapped the photo no longer works at the fast food restaurant.
The fast food company releasedthis statement saying that after their investigation they believe no one was harmed and there was no intention to harm anyone. However, it was a strict violation of their food handling procedures.
Taco Bell says after their investigation, they found out the licked shells were used during a training session for a new product and were about to be thrown out.
During the training session, employees were allowed to take a photo for a company contest where employees could submit photos of themselves enjoying the latest product. The pictures had strict guidelines for what was and wasn’t acceptable. Taco Bell says the photo was “clearly unacceptable.”
The photo was later posted to a personal social media page where it went viral.
Taco Bell adds that in no way were the shells served to customers or intended to be served to customers.
