The first meal I ate at Chipotle was the first and only meal I consumed at one of their restaurants in San Antonio, Texas. The restaurant that is near the air base.
I read the cup, and choked down my tacos and made a vow that I would never eat there again.
This commercial by Chipotle and Willie first made it on the web this summer. I put it on my blog, and the ad drew attention on Facebook. I was surprised to see it make it mainstream appearance tonight during the Grammys.
I am disgusted.
As this is a well-played agenda item by Chipotle aired, NCBA Director of PR Daren Williams responded quickly. He has one of the best quotes I have seen tonight through social media regarding this issue:
Dear Chipotle: Food with integrity requires marketing with integrity. So tell us the truth, how much of the meat you sell is truly “naturally-raised.” What percentage of your vegetables are organic? More important, is “naturally-raised” and “organic” really better for our health and the environment? Or is this all just a bunch of “clever marketing”? Inquiring minds want to know.
Signed, Your Confused CustomerThis is followed by a quick blog post by Crystal Cattle; she dispelled the myths and misinformation that is told in this ad.
And friend Jara Settles had another intelligent statement regarding this ad:
Organic farming practices are a great niche market for some of our nation’s producers and kudos to those consumers who can afford organics… but I’m sorry Chipotle, organic food will never feed the masses with a safe, wholesome and ethically produced product the way conventional crops/proteins do… or as Cambridge chemist John Emsley puts it “in a global conversion to ‘organic farming’-an estimated 2 billion people would perish. . .”
Nebraska Farm Bureau also responded in September, the organization described the ugly picture life may be like for the 7 million and growing world population without modern agriculture.
Finally, the Beef Beltway via Daren Williams responded in the fall of 2011 to this ignorant commercial.
Food is a personal choice, make it an intelligent choice.
Additional Reading: Discernment in Advertising is a fresh take on the Chipotle controversy.
Facts are the facts: NYC teacher, Michael Pollan devotee dissection of the framing done in the ad supported by the facts.
Lies, nothing but despicable lies: Mommy blogger compares Chipotle work to that of a Hollywood movie.
Under the Crown of Agriculture 
What did the cup say?
All of their cups state information (or misinformation) about their organic products and sustainability that is used throughout their company and their products.
Are you serious? Questioning Chipolte as to if they use completely organic is one thing, but the question of “is organic really better for you”? Do YOU look beyond mainstream media and what these huge corporations feed to you, literally? Monsanto??? Tyson?? Go ahead, keep eating the medicine they feed you. This is the first time I’ve been pushed to even comment, ever. We all have to pick a side and take a stand. I’m am doing that. DO SOME RESEARCH. Its all opinions until you actually research the whole system. Monsanto. GMO. Pesticide. Agent orange. DTT. Hormones. Bees dissapearing. Oh, I’m sorry, take your pill, sleep well and thank you for pushing me to take a stand…
Ryan,
Like I have said and say in every blog I have posted about the food industry, it’s a personal choice.
My major issue with Chipolte is the way they have made this an agenda item. And that is that. I saw this a hot fire issue again last night throughout social media, so I complied several other comments and blogs on the issue and posted it.
For that fact that we live in a country with endless food choices, I completely support your stance, but when it comes to feeding the population how are we supposed to do this? The FACTS are that it cant be done with organic food production. Now, there is absolutely nothing wrong with a minority of the population consuming organic products, but there has to be an understanding that we cant feed a population just on this one practice.
Have I looked beyond mainstream media, I am not sure why that is even a question. Mainstream media paints a horrible picture of agricultural production. Thus, part of the reason I started my blog. My blog is hopefully a place that my readers and I can talk about different subjects in agriculture, the mainstream issues, and the practices or issues that we see coming in the future. And thanks for commenting, I am sorry that it appears I have sent you into a rage of furry over this, but you also have to understand I am entitled to my right to free speech.
I live in agriculture everyday, I have been through the processing plants, the feedlots, and seen this practices with my own eyes. I have been educated in food production for as long as I can remember, this is my life. I question lots of things, and I have made professors crazy because I wouldn’t stop asking question. So with that I would go find my own answers, I have to know why something is done, what affect it will have in the short term, and what the long term outcome will be for the people to consume these products are.
The “whole system” that you are referring to and an attack on Monsanto is a very mainstream comment to make. Monsanto has made the mainstream media countless times, there are numerous other companies doing the same thing. Now, I don’t disagree with questioning Monsanto’s practices, but isn’t every major corporation who has experienced success questioned?
I have read the books, and articles, and seen several documentaries about the bee issue around the world. I have great concern over it as well, but don’t we have major issues like this in all industries. Something has to be done about this issue, but I don’t have the answers.
I love to make people think, and again I am glad you took the time to comment. I do not appreciate what appears to be a personal attack in your closing statement, remember we are all entitled to our own opinions.
Ryan,
The disappearing of bees (Colony Collapse Disorder) has been attributed to a parasitic fly, the Phorid. Nothing to do with food production…
No it hasn’t. Not at all actually. The Phorid fly stories that have been circling around in the media was an agenda item in itself. One honeybee colony has 50-100k bees. You would have to see a huge mass of Phorid flies around a colony in order for it to even have an impact. Its insane to even propose. Mites, Nosema and a host of other things can impact a hive but you will never see a living queen left in a hive with 90% of the population gone which is the diagnosis metric of a CCD hive. If the colony is unsuitable they will all abscond with the queen. With CCD, the leave her behind insuring their death.
Do your research. Look at Bayer’s experiences in France with their systemic pesticides. Beekeepers wen’t on strike and staged protests. Within 2 years of the government banning the systemics, bee populations rebounded dramatically. When scientists find 39 different chemicals in a single sample of pollen, to insist that it will have no impact on bees, or their brood is insanity. Thats like saying that drinking and doing drugs while pregnant will have no effect on the child. Will it be fatal? Maybe not. The child will indeed be impacted physically and mentally for the rest of their life. Thats exactly how our government tests pesticides. If it doesn’t immediately kill the insect, its “generally regarded as safe” which is a load of bullocks.
Kellan,
Do you have the links to the Bayer research? I have seen the documentary that cites that research, but I am unaware of where the that information is directly.
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Love this… We had Chipotle at Purdue and I had the same reaction when I noticed what they were saying and promoting as their food!
We have two here in Lubbock, we had one off the edge of campus at Oregon State. I am enjoying the frenzy of social media and people personal accounts with this fast food chain.
http://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/research/2012/120111KrupkeBees.html is a good primer on some recent research.
http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1603/0022-0493-99.2.253 is one that has data pertaining to toxicity and pollen collection.
Keep in mind I’m not saying that there are not other causes of dead bees and that a mix of things can be contributing to CCD, but until we know something is safe, it should not be applied to crops.
I completely agree with you, and if its what the data is showing, we can all choose to turn our heads, or believe in science. I am not in a position to make an educated statement on the subject without doing more research, so I really appreciate you providing sources.
Joesy is a high school student who is very interested in this subject and has done quite a bit of research on the topic and I believe is speaking on the topic today at a regional contest. So all the more information I can help get to her the better.
Thank you for your insight.
Never a problem and hope we can learn from each other. I strongly believe that our agricultural system needs help from all directions: technically, scientifically and practically. I am involved in a local beekeeping group in which there are some great minds. We regularly discuss our observations and the latest studies/theories surrounding CCD and other issues.
And Josey, the Phorid fly is a very interesting pest. Check out Varroa mites as another parasite of the honeybee. There are also small hive beetles and wax worms that cause problems with the comb structure. And if you think they have it bad, bumblebees have it worse. The average bumblebee in the wild lives 2-3 weeks. They can live 4-6 months in a lab. They majority of this is due to similar parasitic wasps, birds, etc.
Good luck!
Agreed, my sister and I had several discussions on this issue in the fall, she is very interested in this subject as well. I look forward to following you on Twitter.
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