The next time you plan to pig out on Chipotle, you may be shocked to find that pork is no longer on the menu. Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc announced its plan to suspend pork sales to about a third of its restaurants after one of its suppliers failed to comply with its animal-welfare standards.
That means no more carnitas if you live by a Chipotle that has pulled the plug on pork.
"We cannot get enough pork that meets our responsibly raised standard for all our restaurants, and we will not be able to serve carnitas in some locations," Chipotle spokesman Chris Arnold said.
The fast food chain did not cite which of its suppliers did not meet its requirements. The requirements include that the pork must "come from pigs that are raised with outdoor access or in deeply bedded pens, and without the use of antibiotics."
Chipotle also did not reveal the exact violation or how long carnitas will be taken off the menu. This is the first time Chipotle has stopped serving an item that can be added into its popular burritos and bowls.
However, the company did suggest it would stop selling salsa and guacamole if the ingredients became too costly. Luckily, that never happened.
While they could sell conventionally raised pork to fill the shortcomings, the company decided to pull carnitas from the menu and procure pork from existing suppliers.
"We could fill that shortfall with conventionally raised pork, but the animal welfare standards fall well short of our requirements, and (we) simply aren't willing to make that compromise," Arnold said.
While some foodies may be saddened to hear this news, carnitas only make up six to seven percent of entree orders. The news could also help the "fast casual" dining chain's reputation for offering quality "food with integrity," further separating itself from other fast food chains.
[Photo Credit: Michael Saechang/Flickr]
