Chipotle First U.S. Chain Restaurant to Label GMOs
In a display of effective consumer activism, Chipotle Mexican Grill has become the first US restaurant chain to go ahead and label all GMOs sold through their locations on the menu. And unlike Whole Foods and other grocers, who are making similar strides but are actually years away from actual implementation, Chipotle has already launched the labeling initiative into existence.
In case you’ve never heard of Chipotle, it is a ‘natural’ Mexican food restaurant that you could say is essentially a fast food hybrid. The chain actually had a major investment from McDonald’s back in 1998, but the fast food titan ultimately divested from Chipotle in 2006.
Subsequently, that’s when Chipotle really started to explode with over 500 locations — now hitting 1,400 chain locations with an income of $278 million. In other words, we’re talking about a major fast food chain that is highlighting the issue of GMOs in a way that’s really important.
Read: Target to Remove GMOs from Major Food Brand
Chipotle has always marketed itself as a ‘natural’ restaurant within the fast food dynasty of restaurant chains, but it still is serving up very unnatural GMOs and dangerous ingredients. That said, thanks to aggressive consumer activism, Chipotle has officially announced that it will not only be labeling GMOs on the ingredients list of food products, but phasing out all GMOs on the menu.
The chain has already made some steps in removing additives in dairy and other items, but the new announcement signals a major recognition of the growing movement against Monsanto and GMOs at large.
From the Chipotle website:
“Our goal is to eliminate GMOs from Chipotle’s ingredients, and we’re working hard to meet this challenge…For example, we recently switched our fryers from soybean oil to sunflower oil. Soybean oil is almost always made from genetically modified soybeans, while there is no commercially available GMO sunflower oil. Where our food contains currently unavoidable GM ingredients, it is only in the form of corn or soy.”
Overall the announcement is one of the many results we are seeing through spreading the word about Monsanto and GMOs, partaking in key activism movements, and deciding to purchase GMO-free organic foods.
Chipolte lkie some other concerned food business are saying they will eliminate GMO ingredients from their foods, but the bigger issue is how do they know since the GMO's still do not have to be labeled? We know that most commodities- soy, corn, cotton and sugar are GMO, but there are lots of others and to state as a fact without the producers information could be misleading… I'm all for it, but how does anyone know?
good for them. but while they say the cows used for dairy are pastured cows that eat grass, that claim is not made for the steak; additionally, cows, pigs, and chickens raised for food, when not raised/labeled "organic," are fed diets of GMO soy, corn, & alfalfa.
so although the meat is free from antibiotics and produced from animals that get to run around, these animals are 100% GMO from the time they're born to the day they're slaughtered for use as food.
if it's not organic meat, it's GMO. people who eat animals who ate a diet of GMOs are still eating GMOs, and Chipotle needs to be clear about that.
i'm sick of the "naturally/humanely raised, free of antibiotics" label. there is nothing natural about a diet that is 100% GMO.
great that Chipotle is first out of the gate, and apparently has no current ties to previous investor, McDonald's.
personally, i adhere to a non-GMO diet and don't eat at Chipotle. even before i knew about GMOs, i didn't like their food. i also hate Moe's. Atlanta has Willy's Mexicana Grill, which knocks all their competitors out of the race as far as taste and quality. but i had to stop eating there because of GMOs.
as i said, great start, Chipotle, but what they need to be clear on is the animals raised for beef, pork, and chicken were all fed "vegetarian" GMO diets.
This is a great first step and something every restaurant should strive to do. Chipotle continues to earn my business for good food, great service and being willing to be different.
We as consumers vote with our dollars. Spend them where they count!
The door is WIDE OPEN now for non gmo growers to market their products to waiting consumers. Whereas previously THEY would have had to do the educating, and then the footwork to find markets, that has mostly been accomplished for them now, and it will ramp up very quickly!
The challenge will be to hold vendors' (grocers, natural food outlets, restaurants, etc.) feet to the fire, and point out to them (once the growers are producing sufficient quantities of non gmo foods) that THEY the vendors, are the problem! NOT the "availability isn't there" argument, or "the consumers won't buy it" argument! And then make sure to tell them and your friends, that your dollars will be spent elsewhere until they change their ways.
One more thing, we need to keep a close eye on the vultures in this movement, who will use the scarcity (lack of supply) in order to charge unreasonable prices for non-gmo foods. This, IMO, will leave a bad taste in the mouths of consumers and could be a very chilling effect on the fast change we COULD experience! While there are undoubtedly easier cultivation of GMO foods, since they use chemicals to do what the cultivator and hoe used to do, there is plenty of room for healthy profits in non-gmo varieties.
The costs of fuel and labor are not to be discounted, but still are not necessary to GOUGE the consumer "just because". Yes costs must get passed on, but let's not leave the average consumer out of the loop! That is where the success of this can be breathtaking, if the supply quickly adapts to the opportunity, and with efficiency! (I used to grow organic crops, so am not speaking without knowledge.)
Talk to growers in your region, and vendors, and help put them together.. this doesn't have to be nationwide while it grows, it can be city by city, state by state, and it WILL grow.
This is a good start, I suppose. I only eat grass-fed meat, when I do eat meat (beef, chicken) at all. It's very expensive here in Alberta but if you limit yourself to very small portions of it, it's reasonable…… That said, most people would be shocked into paralysis if they knew what they were eating. People are inherently lazy and would rather pick up frozen, but ready-to-eat s—- where heating is all that's required. And, people lead very busy lives. And, many people don't even know how to cook anymore. What is needed is a re-vamping of our educational system so that children are taught where our food comes from and how important it is to analyze what we are consuming. That teaching can be started in grade one and continue through high school so that future generations can be equipped with knowledge of our food chain……… They need to know about industrial agriculture at an early age; knowledge is power……. Michael Pollan's books are really excellent reads.
Love Michael Pollan's work!
Horrible article…..you "explain" what Chipotle is, but not a thing about what a GMO is? Your article specifically says you want to spread the word, but you have taught me nothing in this article.
OK, let’s GO with this! If you are too tired to cook for yourself, OR if you cannot cook for your kids for whatever reason, then go to Chipotle. Eating properly costs less in the long run than eating incorrectly.