In a move that will likely cause waves throughout the fast-food and fast-casual restaurant industry, Chipotle announced today that it will no longer serve any products with genetically modified ingredients.
“This is another step toward the visions we have of changing the way people think about and eat fast food,” said Steve Ells, founder and co-chief executive of Chipotle, in a press release. “Just because food is served fast doesn’t mean it has to be made with cheap raw ingredients, highly processed with preservatives and fillers and stabilizers and artificial colors and flavors.”
This isn’t the first time the brand chose to be forthcoming about G.M.O’s. In 2013, they were the first chain to tell customers which foods contained modified ingredients.
The modified ingredients are often components of products like cornmeal, various oils and preservatives, but Chipotle tells the Times it does not expect to have trouble sourcing ingredients.
But the numbers are staggering. According to the Times, more than 90% of corn and soy grown in the United States is genetically modified.
Why the fuss over G.M.O’s? They were developed in order to allow greater production of corn and soy, though many crops are now modified. Some say animals and humans suffer from eating them, and it is widely-believed that the crops depete soil of nutrients.
