Chipotle, "America's healthy fast food of choice". The fast food chain took the world by storm after its 1993 opening in Denver, CO and has since launched many marketing campaigns aimed at assuring their customers that the food they are being served is the better option. Sounds good, right?
In 2013, Chipotle reluctantly made the recipe for their chips public. This revealed that the company, who openly supported GMO labeling, had been hiding the fact that they had been utilizing GMO ingredients themselves. Chipotle has since removed the GMO ingredients used in their chips and went "GMO-free" in early 2015. This led to a class-action lawsuit against their company, as it wasn't exactly GMO-free. The company still serves meat, dairy products, and sodas that are produced with GMO ingredients. Their opposition to GMOs not only attacked farmers but was also false advertising, which I will touch more on later.
New York Times recently completed a study revealing the truth about Chipotle's so-called healthy food. The typical order at Chipotle consists of about 1,070 calories, over half of the recommended 1600-2400 calories you should eat each day. That order also contains 75% of the FDA's recommended daily saturated fat allowance and almost a full day's worth of sodium at 2,400 mg.
Chipotle claims that its meat is "responsibly raised". This claim is very similar to the buzz words, "all-natural" in that it had no FDA regulations. Without those regulations, there is no guarantee that their animals have been raised in a certain environment or a certain diet. As stated above, much of their meat is actually fed with feed containing GMO ingredients. Furthermore, the company has recently suffered supply shortages with their usual suppliers. Because they try to hold their producers to a certain standard, mortality rates are higher and herds are much more difficult to raise and maintain. Because of these shortages, Chipotle has brought in conventionally raised meat, particularly beef, into its restaurants. The fast food chain is also beginning to face a shortage of pork products as well.
So what does this all mean? Why do I refuse to eat at Chipotle? I simply feel as if the company has been very dishonest in its past. But that isn't all, the company has attacked the agriculture industry at every chance that it gets. The agriculture industry is one that is near and dear to my heart and seeing my friend's, family's, and my own (future) profession insulted by such a huge media figure is a horrible feeling. I refuse to eat at Chipotle because I can't, in good faith, contribute to the success of a company that has caused so much strife for an industry that I am so passionate about.
So, Chipotle lovers, next time you are eating your "healthy", "non-GMO", "responsibly raised" burrito take a moment to think about what it is you are supporting by supporting this company.
