QuickZ06
06-19-2013, 02:25 PM
How could they do this without the government telling them to do so? This is madness!
Sure, you probably know the basic ingredients in your fast food lunch — chicken or beef, lettuce and tomato, whathaveyou — after all, you’re the one who ordered it. But if you, like many consumers, care whether or not those ingredients include genetically modified organisms (GMOs), the ingredient list usually is no help. Chipotle announced that it will now mark those ingredients on its website for discerning consumers.
NaturalNews says that with this new effort, Chipotle is the first U.S. fast food chain to label GMOs in its food, even if only on the web site and not on menus in stores. The pink “G” stands for GMOs on each of its ingredients, along with the other keys for “Local” food or “Responsibly raised meats.”
While there’s still a lot of debate over whether or not its unhealthy to grow and consume GMOs, environmental and consumer advocates have been pushing for change in how such information is presented to consumers.
It’s worth noting, as Businessweek points out, that although Chipotle implemented this system back in March, no one has really noticed or paid attention until now. And that’s just the first step, says Chipotle:
“Our goal is to eliminate GMOs from Chipotle’s ingredients, and we’re working hard to meet this challenge,” the company explains. “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.”
http://consumerist.com/2013/06/19/chipotle-is-the-first-u-s-fast-food-chain-to-identify-products-with-gmo-ingredients/
Link to Chipotle Ingredients...
http://www.chipotle.com/en-us/menu/ingredients_statement/ingredients_statement.aspx
If you’re horrified by the prospect of eating food containing genes that were altered by some industrial food giant, Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) will tell you what’s what in its ingredients. Just don’t expect to be eating much that’s on the menu, at least for now. Go with pork carnitas, sour cream, and guacamole. Forget about pretty much everything else: The menu is heavy on genetically modified organisms (GMOs), from the chicken to the tortillas.
Chipotle’s chicken, for example, is classified as a “responsibly raised meat” grown humanely and without antibiotics or hormones. In some locations, however, the responsible chicken is cooked in soybean oil, nearly all of which comes from modified soybeans in the U.S.—hence the “G” label on chicken. Similarly, the fajita vegetables are both organic and “local,” a designation for any food that’s from a farm within 350 miles of the Chipotle outlet that serves it, such as the romaine lettuce and guacamole the chain sells. The veggies, too, are sometimes cooked in soybean oil, depending on location.
The chain began labeling its ingredients in March on its website, including such details as “pasture-raised dairy” for the sour cream and cheeses. There are no plans to post the data on the menu boards in restaurants because of the boards’ “limited real estate,” Chipotle spokesman Chris Arnold says. The company hasn’t noticed any change in sales due to the menu disclosure. “It’s not a concern to us that we’re going to lose business over this,” says Arnold. “If anything, it engenders more trust when you’re more forthcoming about the food you serve. Any downside there may be … is going to be eclipsed by the upside with being transparent.”
The chain is working to reduce the GMO content of its ingredients but doesn’t expect to achieve a 100 percent GMO-free menu, given the nature of the U.S. food industry, Arnold says. “Our food system is so dominated by these big industrial food producers.”
To get away from one heavily modified crop, the company is switching from soybean oil to sunflower oil for frying taco shells; the change is expected to be completed by Sept. 1. The chain is also experimenting with rice bran oil in some markets, to reduce the use of soybean oil. Along with the modified organisms, the company also labels foods that contain hydrogenated oils and preservatives in a “room for improvement” section.
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-06-18/the-genetically-modified-burrito-chipotle-tells-all
Sure, you probably know the basic ingredients in your fast food lunch — chicken or beef, lettuce and tomato, whathaveyou — after all, you’re the one who ordered it. But if you, like many consumers, care whether or not those ingredients include genetically modified organisms (GMOs), the ingredient list usually is no help. Chipotle announced that it will now mark those ingredients on its website for discerning consumers.
NaturalNews says that with this new effort, Chipotle is the first U.S. fast food chain to label GMOs in its food, even if only on the web site and not on menus in stores. The pink “G” stands for GMOs on each of its ingredients, along with the other keys for “Local” food or “Responsibly raised meats.”
While there’s still a lot of debate over whether or not its unhealthy to grow and consume GMOs, environmental and consumer advocates have been pushing for change in how such information is presented to consumers.
It’s worth noting, as Businessweek points out, that although Chipotle implemented this system back in March, no one has really noticed or paid attention until now. And that’s just the first step, says Chipotle:
“Our goal is to eliminate GMOs from Chipotle’s ingredients, and we’re working hard to meet this challenge,” the company explains. “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.”
http://consumerist.com/2013/06/19/chipotle-is-the-first-u-s-fast-food-chain-to-identify-products-with-gmo-ingredients/
Link to Chipotle Ingredients...
http://www.chipotle.com/en-us/menu/ingredients_statement/ingredients_statement.aspx
If you’re horrified by the prospect of eating food containing genes that were altered by some industrial food giant, Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) will tell you what’s what in its ingredients. Just don’t expect to be eating much that’s on the menu, at least for now. Go with pork carnitas, sour cream, and guacamole. Forget about pretty much everything else: The menu is heavy on genetically modified organisms (GMOs), from the chicken to the tortillas.
Chipotle’s chicken, for example, is classified as a “responsibly raised meat” grown humanely and without antibiotics or hormones. In some locations, however, the responsible chicken is cooked in soybean oil, nearly all of which comes from modified soybeans in the U.S.—hence the “G” label on chicken. Similarly, the fajita vegetables are both organic and “local,” a designation for any food that’s from a farm within 350 miles of the Chipotle outlet that serves it, such as the romaine lettuce and guacamole the chain sells. The veggies, too, are sometimes cooked in soybean oil, depending on location.
The chain began labeling its ingredients in March on its website, including such details as “pasture-raised dairy” for the sour cream and cheeses. There are no plans to post the data on the menu boards in restaurants because of the boards’ “limited real estate,” Chipotle spokesman Chris Arnold says. The company hasn’t noticed any change in sales due to the menu disclosure. “It’s not a concern to us that we’re going to lose business over this,” says Arnold. “If anything, it engenders more trust when you’re more forthcoming about the food you serve. Any downside there may be … is going to be eclipsed by the upside with being transparent.”
The chain is working to reduce the GMO content of its ingredients but doesn’t expect to achieve a 100 percent GMO-free menu, given the nature of the U.S. food industry, Arnold says. “Our food system is so dominated by these big industrial food producers.”
To get away from one heavily modified crop, the company is switching from soybean oil to sunflower oil for frying taco shells; the change is expected to be completed by Sept. 1. The chain is also experimenting with rice bran oil in some markets, to reduce the use of soybean oil. Along with the modified organisms, the company also labels foods that contain hydrogenated oils and preservatives in a “room for improvement” section.
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-06-18/the-genetically-modified-burrito-chipotle-tells-all