Chipotle made the news in April 2015 when it became the first national restaurant chain to go GMO-free, responding to a national trend that has people requesting healthier food options.
“This is another step toward the visions we have of changing the way people think about and eat fast food,” founder and co-chief executive Steve Ells told
The New York Times. “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.”
Special: GMO Foods: Are We Unknowingly Poisoning Our Families?
Chipotle stands by itself as the only chain making a point of marketing non-GMO food products. But many organic restaurants nationwide buy their foods from non-GMO sources. To find an organic restaurant near you, check out the
Eat Well Guide, which allows you to search by zip code and pull up not only restaurants but also farms, coffee shops, bakeries, caterers, and many other non-GMO, organic food options.
Not every single item at Chipotle will be GMO-free, since it’s not an easy task to source all foods from non-GMO suppliers. The business publication said the restaurant’s “stringent food quality standards” have even caused sales to drop. In April 2015, one of the company’s suppliers of pork was unable to fulfill orders because it violated animal welfare standards.
“The company revealed that fans of carnitas had, instead of ordering a new type of burrito, simply stopped visiting Chipotle until pork returns to the menu,” Entrepreneur wrote. “Chipotle plans to gradually increase its pork supply over the summer, but will not be able to offer carnitas at all locations until the fall.”
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Chipotle may be the first national food chain to go non-GMO, but if you’re cooking in your own kitchen, you’ll find many brand name food manufacturers have switched over. If you want a cold, organic treat, Ben and Jerry’s ice cream went non-GMO at the end of 2013 after making the pledge to the Non-GMO Project.
Another brand name, Vital Farms, started raising hens in 2007 and has been completely organic from the beginning. They make sure their free range chickens only eat non-GMO corn and soy, giving you Non-GMO eggs and chicken meat. Some of the stores that carry Vital Farms products are Whole Foods, Earth Fare, and The Fresh Market.
The Non-GMO Project maintains a list on its
website of companies that have offer verified non-GMO products – but in the restaurant section, only one restaurant is currently listed. h
Special: GMO Foods: Are We Unknowingly Poisoning Our Families?
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