The latest news in the fast food wars: Chipotle Mexican Grill is making some pretty big and bold claims. Almost as if it’s not a fast food chain itself (which it most certainly is).
According to Business Insider, a Chipotle exec recently took aim at the good ol’ boys of fast food: McDonald’s and Burger King, saying that Chipotle will eventually replace them, even though there are about 20 McDonald’s for every one Chipotle.
Calling the dominant fast food chains “irrelevant”, Chipotle co-CEO Monty Moran said in an interview with Belus Capital Advisors: "The predominant goal [for traditional fast food chains] is the cheapening of the raw ingredients, the automation of the work such that anyone could do it… so that they turn over their employees without any care for them, where it's a game of value meals and cheapening the food experience," he said, "That is traditional fast food, and we think that's going away," adding, "We, and others like us, will replace that."
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Don’t go getting all warm and fuzzy about that burrito just yet.
Yes, Chipotle is making a difference when it comes to fast food. The chain has moved away from genetically modified ingredients, and it has a pretty sincere commitment to local produce and nitrite-free meats. But the chain is also reportedly sourcing beef from Australia because there’s apparently not enough grass-fed beef being produced in the states. Granted, supporting a shift towards grass-fed beef anywhere in the world is a move against factory farming, and that’s a really, really good thing.
But the future seems like it can’t possibly stand on a fast food mentality-Chipotle or not. Chipotle's marketing team are masters when it comes to selling fast food. By targeting the very industry it's a part of, it makes consumers feel as if there's a level of honesty and transparency in Chipotle that makes its food inherently healthy. But that's just not true, even though the ingredients are far healthier than other chains, a sodium-laden beefy burrito slathered in sour cream and cheese isn't doing your heart any favors–grass-fed, GMO-free or not.
We need a slower approach to our food for our health, and the environment. "Our mission is to change how people eat fast food," Moran said. But whenever we let corporations dictate the “hows” of our eating, we’re removing ourselves from this very important process. And in the future, that’s going to be more important than ever, even in something as seemingly harmless as a burrito.
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Image: kurt mckee
