Salsa, Guac or GMOs? Chipotle Labels GMO Ingredients
Despite the lack of label laws in the U.S. that require food manufacturers to disclose when a food contains genetically modified ingredients, customers of Chipotle, the fast-casual Mexican-inspired restaurant can make informed decisions today, as the chain now lists all GMO ingredients on its website, reports the Huffington Post.
Consumers still have to wait several more years before Whole Foods Market will have storewide labels on foods containing genetically modified ingredients, but Chipotle, which has earned praise for practices including buying locally grown produce (from within 250 miles of each location), nitrite-free meat, pasture-raised dairy, and supporting sustainable agriculture, bowed to consumer pressure and began noting the GMO ingredients recently. The company said the amount of GMOs on the menu is less than ideal.
Chipotle has a history of supporting mandatory labeling of GMOs, and the company says it is working to remove genetically modified ingredients from its menu, but that finding reliable non-GMO sources for corn and soy is near impossible.
Consumers can look for the red “G” on the company’s website for menu items that contain GMO ingredients. The stores will not be noting this on their menu boards, yet.
Want to avoid GMOs at Chipotle? Then skip the all of the tortillas (corn and wheat), rice, and meat (except the pork carnitas).
If Chipotle’s GMO disclosure is any indicator, consumers can be pretty confident that most fast-food restaurants (and regular restaurants) use a large number of genetically modified ingredients. As much as 80 percent of processed foods sold in the US contain GMOs.
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Image: ishane
