Chipotle: More ‘Ethical’ But Less Safe? Coincidence?

Chipotle is not Taco Bell. Both restaurants are, well, Mexican-inspired, at least. But Chipotle’s reputation is staked in large part on promises of fresh food. That’s its differentiator. Chipotle also last year tried to cozy up to foodies by promising to avoid genetically-modified ingredients. And then…an outbreak of food-borne illness was traced to the chain’s food. The piece below suggests that it’s not merely coincidental. >>>

LINK: Chipotle’s Health Crisis Shows Fresh Food Comes at a Price (by Davey Alba for Wired)

…“The more complicated your supply chain is, the more opportunity you have to introduce problems,” says Melinda Wilkins, director of the online master of science in food safety at Michigan State University. “[Chipotle’s] food sourcing is a laudable effort—and it’s what customers want. But they’re probably walking a fine line between offering fresh, local ingredients and decentralized food preparation and the risk of introducing foodborne pathogens because it is such a complicated food chain.”….

What do you think?

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