DENVER, CO – Chipotle is putting up $10 million as part of its “Local Grower Support Initiative” to help small and medium-sized local growers uphold its new food safety standards.
The money will go towards helping smaller suppliers adhere to the company’s pricier, yet newly enhanced protocols for testing ingredients. These protocols include produce blanching for lemons, limes, jalapenos, onions, and avocados; heightened restaurant sanitation; and multiple inspections on a regular, frequent basis by government health officials, restaurant health experts, and Chipotle’s corporate food safety team, to name a few. A more comprehensive list can be found by clicking here.
The announcement was made during a national employee meeting, which called for a temporary nationwide closure of more than 2,000 Chipotle restaurants on Monday. More than 50,000 associates listened to company executives discuss matters relating to the recent food safety outbreaks that have hit the restaurant chain in previous months.
“We have supported local farms around the country for a number of years because we believe it is the right thing to do,” said Steve Ells, Founder, co-CEO, and Chairman. “We recognize that it may make it difficult for some local farms to comply with our heightened standards, but we are looking to help local farmers comply with our standards and to continue our support for local farms and rural communities around the country.”
Chipotle’s Local Grower Support Initiative will focus on three key objectives:
- Education and training
- Financial assistance
- Develop new partnerships
In a press release, the company emphasized that it would provide the support necessary to help smaller farmers meet its high standards. Financial assistance will be provided in the form of grants or premiums to help cover the costs of enhanced food safety practices. And lastly, Chipotle will develop new partnerships and seek out farmers using greenhouses and other technologies around the country that meet the company’s food safety standards.
Last year, Chipotle restaurants served more than 30 million pounds of produce sourced from local farmers nationwide, including tomatoes, romaine lettuce, bell peppers, red onions, avocados, and more.
“In the end, it may not be possible for anyone to completely eliminate all risk with regard to food (or from any environment where people congregate), but we are confident that we can achieve near zero risk,” Ells continued. “Chipotle is an incredibly focused company. Our menu has remained virtually unchanged for the last 22 years and we only have 64 ingredients in our food. Rest assured that we have looked at each of these ingredients, where they come from and how they can be made even safer. I believe our restaurants are safer today than they have ever been.”
To read more on Chipotle’s commitment to local farmers, the company has created a webpage where you can find more information. You can find this page by clicking the blue button below.
