It's What's Not In The Sour Cream That Counts

Chipotle Mexican Grill's Sour Cream Goes rBGH-Free

(Wednesday, December 20, 2006) - When Chipotle Mexican
Grill began purchasing naturally raised pork some five years ago, it
launched a vision the company calls "Food with Integrity," and started
an incremental revolution aimed at finding better alternatives for
every ingredient it uses. The latest step in its quest for better
ingredients: sour cream that's free of the synthetic hormone rBGH in
all of its more than 530 restaurants.
While a hormone called bovine somatotropin is naturally occurring
in all cattle, rBGH, or recombinant bovine somatotropin, is a
synthetic hormone given to dairy cattle to stimulate milk production.
rBGH works by increasing levels of Insulin Growth Factor (IGF), a
naturally occurring hormone.
"We are always looking for ways to improve the quality of the
ingredients we use and the taste of our food - it's how we're changing
the way people think about and eat fast-food," said Steve Ells,
Chipotle's founder, chairman and CEO. "With each improvement we make,
we are looking towards the next step in providing the best
ingredients, knowing progress comes one step at a time."
To source the rBGH-free sour cream, Chipotle worked closely with
its primary supplier - Daisy Brand - to establish a regional network
of dairy farms that are committed to keeping their cattle free of
added hormones.
"We have long favored an approach to farming that emphasizes care
over chemicals," said Ells. "We believe that the energy and effort
that goes in to raising these animals in the most natural way possible
really translates in the quality and great taste of the food."
Chipotle has long been a proponent of natural and sustainably
raised foods. This commitment to better foods is part of the company's
carefully articulated and implemented vision called "Food with
Integrity," and is most visible in its use of naturally raised meats.
Since 2002, Chipotle has served naturally raised pork (pork that
comes from pigs fed a pure vegetarian diet, never given hormones or
antibiotics, and raised on open pastures or in deeply bedded barns) in
all of its restaurants. Today nearly 60 percent of the chicken it
serves is also naturally raised, as is more than a third of its beef.
Already buying more naturally raised meat than any restaurant in the
country, the company remains steadfast in its efforts to increase the
amount of naturally raised chicken and beef as additional supply
becomes available.
In addition to its use of naturally raised meat and the new
addition of rBGH-free sour cream, Chipotle has also started buying
organic beans. This year, about 25 percent of the beans it buys will
be organically grown, up from 20 percent a year ago. Chipotle will
continue to add to this percentage as additional supply becomes
available. The company is also working with its cheese suppliers and
hopes to use only milk from cows not treated with rBGH for its cheese
in 2007.
"It has been and will always be a continuous process for us to
work towards the goal of being able to source a completely sustainable
menu," said Monty Moran, the company's president and chief operating
officer. "Food with Integrity is our daily focus, and we are
constantly looking for better and healthier food choices so that our
customers feel as good about eating our food as we do serving it."
About Chipotle
Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG)(NYSE:CMGB) offers a focused menu
of burritos, tacos, burrito bols (a burrito without the tortilla) and
salads made from fresh, high-quality raw ingredients, prepared using
classic cooking methods and served in a distinctive atmosphere.
Through our vision of Food with Integrity, Chipotle is seeking better
food not only from a variety of fresh ingredients, but ingredients
that are sustainably grown and naturally raised with respect for
animals, the land, and the farmers who produce the food. Chipotle
opened its first restaurant in 1993 and operates more than 530
restaurants today. For more information, visit www.chipotle.com.

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

SOURCE: Chipotle Mexican Grill

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