In early 2014, Chipotle Mexican Grill announced that it would stop using genetically modified ingredients (GMOs) in its restaurants. Many observers applauded this move. However, critics of the fast-food chain cited a lack of evidence to support its anti-GMO stance. They suspected that Chipotle’s anti-GMO claim was simply a ploy to distract consumers from a larger issue: the company’s risky sanitation practices. Chipotle’s anti-GMO policies may have won the burrito chain some health-conscious customers, but at the same time customers were becoming sick after eating at some Chipotle locations, calling into question the firm’s food handling and safety practices.
Steve Ells, founder and co-CEO of Chipotle, said the GMO decision was “another step toward the visions we have of changing the way people think about and eat fast food. Just because food is served fast doesn’t mean it has to be made with cheap raw ingredients, highly processed with preservatives and fillers and stabilizers and artificial colors and flavors.” However, ridding Chipotle’s supply chain of genetically altered components proved difficult. The chain discovered GMOs in basic ingredients such as baking powder, cornstarch, canola and soy oils, cornmeal, and sugar. And many non-GMO ingredients were in short supply. For example, at one point, Chipotle found that it could not supply all its locations with enough non-GMO pork to make carnitas. Given the supply chain challenges, Chipotle decided to use non-GMO products in its food preparation but to continue to serve some soft drinks with sweeteners derived from genetically engineered corn.
Please answer to this question,
1. From an ethics standpoint, discuss Chipotle’s focus on sourcing non-GMO food products rather than attention to food safety. The company’s oversights in food safety resulted in numerous customers becoming ill (E. coli, norovirus, and salmonella). Discuss the challenges Chipotle still faces in overcoming the negative image that resulted.
In early 2014, Chipotle Mexican Grill announced that it would stop using genetically modified ingredients (GMOs)...
Chipotle, the popular burrito chain known for serving high-quality, fresh ingredients, has been experiencing a rough few years. The first of their troubles began in 2015 with a months-long carnitas shortage. The company pulled pork off their menus when it was discovered that a supplier had failed to follow animal welfare standards. Then, they experienced a string of foodborne illnesses. They had a norovirus outbreak in Simi Valley, California, in August 2015; cases of salmonella in Minnesota that were traced...
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What should Ajanta do about its recent order from SF? AJANTA PACKAGING: KEY ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT Sandeep Puri and Rakesh Singh wrote this case solely to provide material for class discussion. The authors do not intend to iustrate either effective or ineffective handling of a managerial situation. The authors may have disguised certain names and other identifying information to protect confidentiality This publication may not be transmitted, photocopied, digitized, or otherwise reproduced in any form or by any means without the...