Title: TASK: Chipotle Mexican Grill – A blueprint for sustainable fast food?
Course: GG 22/23 Leuphana-Copy > Section: 2.3 Food // Local

When we think of fast food, certain images and expectations usually come to our minds: fat, low nutritional values, etc. But can fast food also be sustainable food? One U.S. restaurant chain – Chipotle Mexican Grill based in Colorado – argues that food served fast does not need to involve the typical fast food experience:

Our focus has always been on using higher-quality ingredients and cooking techniques to make great food accessible to all people at reasonable prices. But our vision has evolved. While using a variety of fresh ingredients remains the foundation of our menu, we believe that "fresh is not enough, anymore." Now we want to know the sources for all of our ingredients, so that we can be sure they are as flavorful as possible while we are mindful of the environmental and societal impact of our business. We call this idea, Food With Integrity, and it guides how we run our business.

— Chipotle Mexican Grill

Research this case study using the materials provided below and discuss your findings with your group members in the FORUM: Case study discussion Food // Local.

[fa-files-o] Materials and resources:

Browse through this video series and the additional materials on the website. You might also find the videos and infographics on local vs. organic, locavore, urban farming, traceability, and others quite useful (see bottom of page).

Video Text Infographic
PBS: Lexicon of sustainability

Part 1:

Review the following three resources and answer these guiding questions:

- What does Chipotle's concept of "Food with Integrity" include?
- How does the company present itself and its efforts for a sustainable food through marketing?
- And what is meant by "Chipotle-nomics"?

Video Text Infographic
Chipotle Mexican Grill Website

Video
Chipotle Mexican Grill: Back to the Start (commercial)

Video
Chipotle Mexican Grill: The Scarecrow (commercial)

Part 2:

Chipotle’s creed “Food with Integrity” sets high standards for a fast food restaurant chain. Some say, those standards are too ambitious. In 2015 Chipotle failed to live up to its own food safety standards, causing hundreds of customers to contract foodborne illnesses. Take a critical look at the resources to find out what the scandal was about.

Review the materials. Under each resource you will find guiding questions for analysis.

Text Video
Chipotle founder touts improvements to food safety

- What happened during the Chipotle food scandal? Who was affected and why?

This article below addresses the question why Chipotle’s ‘food with integrity’ approach might be more vulnerable to such scandals than others:

Text
Chipotle's health crisis shows fresh food comes at a prize

Questions:

- Why is Chipotle's business approach potentially more vulnerable to food scandals than, say, other more conventional fast food chains?
- What does Prof. Wilkins argue is the inherent challenge of Chipotle’s business model?
- And what is the role of the customer in this business model? Do you think customers are also to blame for such scandals?

Especially, pay attention to these quotes from the text:

The more complicated your supply chain is, the more opportunity you have to introduce problems,” says Melinda Wilkins, director of the online master of science in food safety at Michigan State University. “[Chipotle’s] food sourcing is a laudable effort—and it’s what customers want. But they’re probably walking a fine line between offering fresh, local ingredients and decentralized food preparation and the risk of introducing foodborne pathogens because it is such a complicated food chain.” (…)

“They’re more at risk than, say, a McDonald’s or a Taco Bell,” Wilkins says. “[Those chains] go with big, commercial sourcing and standardized product.” Having a centralized food source makes quality control easier, since the supply is exposed to fewer outside elements. While that may not seem like the healthiest option, it makes fast-food chains cheap, efficient, and less risky—and it's an edge Chipotle doesn't have. (…)

Wilkins, for her part, says she thinks the question of whether the company will get past the debacle in a competitive market will be something that’s ultimately decided by what consumers are ultimately willing to pay for. Increasing oversight of the supply chain will likely come at a cost to Chipotle, and someone will have to pay it. “Consumers may need to put their money where their mouth is,” she says. “If you want organic, locally sourced, and all of this new age of ‘knowing your food,’ it is going to cost more.”