Chipotle Becomes Only National Restaurant Brand to Use No Added Colors, Flavors or Preservatives in Its Food (2024)

Chipotle Becomes Only National Restaurant Brand to Use No Added Colors, Flavors or Preservatives in Its Food

Multi-Year Quest to Develop Better Tasting, Preservative-Free Tortilla Complete; Company’s Food Now Includes Only 51 Real, Delicious Ingredients

DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar. 28, 2017--Chipotle Mexican Grill(NYSE: CMG) announced that it has become the only national restaurant brand with no added colors, flavors or preservatives in any of the ingredients it uses to prepare its food (except for lemon and lime juices which can be used as preservatives, though Chipotle uses them only for taste). This applies to all Chipotle restaurants inthe United Statesand does not include beverages. The accomplishment furthers the company’s mission to make better food accessible to everyone. Details about each of the company’s ingredients can be seen athttp://www.chipotle.com/real.

Two years ago, the company began working to eliminate unnecessary additives and preservatives from the tortillas it uses to make burritos, tacos and chips. The new tortillas are now served in all the company's U.S. restaurants, and were tested extensively in Chipotle restaurants around the country beginning in January. The new recipes for corn and flour tortillas now contain between two and five ingredients. For example, the new flour tortillas are made using only flour, water, canola oil, salt and yeast. The corn tortillas used for the chips are made only with corn masa flour and water.

“We have always used high quality ingredients and prepared them using classic cooking techniques,” saidSteve Ells, Chipotle Founder, Chairman and CEO. “We never resorted to using added colors or flavors like many other fast food companies do simply because these industrial additives often interfere with the taste of the food. However, commercially available tortillas, whether they are for us or someone else, use dough conditioners and preservatives. I’ve been on a quest for a better tasting tortilla for years, and we finally achieved a tortilla made the way you would make them at home, and they are simply delicious. Ultimately, all of the decisions we make about the ingredients we use are about making the very best tasting food we can.”

Chipotle has long been a pioneer in serving better quality ingredients. This includes the use of local and organically grown produce when available and practical, dairy from cows raised on pasture and meats from animals raised without hormones or non-therapeutic antibiotics. Additionally, none of the ingredients used in Chipotle’s food have been genetically modified. With the introduction of its new tortillas, the company now touts only 51 real ingredients used to prepare all of its food. This is in stark contrast to most other fast food chains where a single menu item can contain 40 or more ingredients — many of which are added flavors, colors, preservatives and other industrial additives.

“When helping people find ways to eat well, I alwaysencourage them to look for food made with simple ingredients, and without unnecessary additives. Even the word ‘natural,’ when it comes to additives, can be misleading because there are added colors and added flavors that can be labeled as ‘natural,’” saidEllie Krieger, RD, Nutritionist, Chef, and host of the public television show, “Ellie’s Real Good Food.” "Andwhen I go out to eat, I seek out restaurants that use the same real, high-quality ingredients I use in my own kitchen. That’s why I absolutely love what Chipotle is doing here.”

Chipotle’s accomplishment comes at a time when other fast food brands are scrambling to clean up their ingredient statements as consumers turn away from processed foods and foods with added colors, flavors, preservatives and other industrial additives. But nearly every fast food chain has chosen the easier path of simply switching from artificial flavors and colors to “natural” versions of additives that serve the same purpose. Some fast food companies have gone so far as to designate the preservatives they use as "natural" even though nearly all preservatives identified inFDArules are known as “chemical preservatives."

See Also
Ingredients

Evidence of how confusing the distinction between artificial and natural additives can be is illustrated by looking at the ingredient statement from what is arguably fast food’s most popular offering: the French fry. Typical fast food French fries contain several ingredients including “natural beef flavor.” Even though it contains no beef, the “natural” beef designation can be used simply because the chemical is derived from plant material.

“Rather than switching from artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners and preservatives to ‘natural’ alternatives of the same additives, fast food companies should be asking why their food needs added colors, flavors, sweeteners and preservatives in the first place,” saidMark Crumpacker, Chief Marketing and Development Officer for Chipotle. “Because we prepare our fresh food using classic cooking techniques, we avoid using the industrial additives typically associated with fast food — but most importantly, that approach is the reason our food is so delicious.”

The company also released a "visual ingredient statement" which visually depicts the ingredients in each of its menu items. The visual ingredient statement can be seen athttp://www.chipotle.com/ingredients.

Chipotle defines “national restaurant brand” as any restaurant brand included in theNation’s Restaurant Newstop 200 list (August 2016) having more than 100 total U.S. locations. The company’s statements that it uses no added colors, flavors or preservatives apply onlyto Chipotle branded restaurants operating within the U.S., and only to theingredients used to prepare food and not to ingredients used in the beverages sold at Chipotle.

ABOUT CHIPOTLE

Steve Ells, founder, chairman and CEO, started Chipotle with the idea that food served fast did not have to be a typical fast food experience. Today, Chipotle continues to offer a focused menu of burritos, tacos, burrito bowls, and salads made from fresh, high-quality raw ingredients, prepared using classic cooking methods and served in an interactive style allowing people to get exactly what they want. Chipotle seeks out the finest ingredients that are not only fresh, but that are raised responsibly, with respect for the animals, land, and people who produce them. Chipotle prepares its food without the use of added colors, flavors or preservatives typically found in fast food. Chipotle opened with a single restaurant inDenverin 1993 and now operates more than 2,200 restaurants. For more information, visit Chipotle.com.

Chipotle Becomes Only National Restaurant Brand to Use No Added Colors, Flavors or Preservatives in Its Food (1)

View source version on businesswire.com:http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170328005725/en/

Source:Chipotle Mexican Grill

Chipotle Mexican Grill
Chris Arnold, 303-222-5912
carnold@chipotle.com

Chipotle Becomes Only National Restaurant Brand to Use No Added Colors, Flavors or Preservatives in Its Food (2024)

FAQs

Is Chipotle the only national restaurant brand to use no added colors flavors or preservatives in its food? ›

The launch of the campaign follows the recent announcement that Chipotle is the only national restaurant brand without added colors, flavors or preservatives – artificial or natural – in any of the ingredients it uses to prepare its food (except for lemon and lime juice which can be used as preservatives, though ...

Does Chipotle use any preservatives? ›

Chipotle is the only national restaurant brand that uses no industrial additives, including so-called natural flavors, color or preservatives in its food (except lemon and lime juice which can be used as preservatives, though Chipotle uses them only for taste).

Does Chipotle use processed food? ›

Chipotle is one of the healthier fast-food joints: they use fresh ingredients with no processed or artificial additives.

Does Chipotle still use organic ingredients? ›

And the only ingredient that is hard to pronounce at Chipotle is “Chipotle.” One of the first national restaurant brands to commit to goals on local and organic produce. First national restaurant brand to commit to using only responsibly raised meat with some of the highest animal welfare standards.

Does Chipotle use food coloring? ›

Chipotle prepares its food without the use of added colors, flavors or preservatives typically found in fast food. Chipotle opened with a single restaurant in Denver in 1993 and now operates more than 2,200 restaurants. For more information, visit Chipotle.com.

Does Chipotle use chemicals? ›

A study by Consumer Reports found plasticizers in dozens of grocery and fast food brands' foods, regardless of their packaging.

Does Chipotle use Chipotle in their food? ›

The short answer, not Chipotle. Our namesake ingredient, the chipotle chili pepper is a dried and smoked jalapeño produced using the age-old craft of smoking them over pecan wood for several days.

Is Chipotle chicken slaughtered? ›

In fact, the processor is the 8th largest supplier of chicken in the country, with one single facility in Virginia slaughtering 60,000 chickens daily.

Does Chipotle waste food? ›

In 2022, Chipotle diverted 49% of its overall waste from landfills, totaling more than 196,000 tons, according to the company's sustainability report. Composting has been a key part of that for Chipotle, and the fast-casual restaurant chain is expanding that focus this year.

Is Chipotle using lab grown meat? ›

Yes they approved lab grown meat, so that doesn't mean you might not come across some.

Does Chipotle really use fresh ingredients? ›

As a brand, Chipotle is all about “being real” – and one of the ways the company commits to doing that is through the real ingredients they use. 53 of them, to be exact. Every single item you can build and order at Chipotle is made from a selection of only 53 total ingredients, all of which are prepared fresh.

Do they use MSG in Chipotle? ›

There's no MSG in any of Chipotle's products. See the Chipotle ingredients list. There are glutamates, just like in every other restaurant that serves protein-rich foods, but they don't have to add any extra. Originally Answered: If you are addicted to chipotle, could be because of MSG?

What makes Chipotle different from other restaurants? ›

Chipotle's motto of “food with integrity” was inspired by what founder Steve Ells learned about American food production. Ells became committed to serving food that was ethically and naturally produced, which Chipotle claims results in meat that is tastier than what other restaurants serve.

What are the forever chemicals in Chipotle bowls? ›

The bowls at Chipotle and Sweetgreen are supposed to be compostable. They contain cancer-linked “forever chemicals.” Testing by The Counter reveals an industry secret: All fiber bowls contain PFAS, a troubling class of chemicals with no known half-life, even when they're certified compostable. It gets worse from there.

What did Chipotle get in trouble for? ›

The local health department found critical violations of local food regulations, including those specific to time and temperature controls for lettuce and beans. As set out in the DPA, some store-level Chipotle employees from the 2015 to 2018 time period reported inadequate staffing and food safety training.

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