Kellogg Food Fellow pens hard-hitting opinion piece in the pages of Grist!
Chipotle, the highly successful burrito king, is not like other fast-food companies. Rather than run high-price national ad campaigns on tv, Chipotle, spends a lot of time talking about the social virtues of its food — or, what it calls, “Food with Integrity” — in smaller, more targeted settings, like last year’s screenings of “Food, Inc.”
Given that Chipotle does take certain measures to ensure that its ingredients are relatively more sustainability produced than most fast-food companies, the burrito maker could reasonably lay claim to selling a more ethical product — if its claims weren’t undermined by Chipotle’s “ongoing farmworker problem.”
And that problem was the focus of yet another strong opinion piece published by Kellogg Food Fellow Sean Sellers in the environmental blog “grist.org”, entitled, “To establish ‘integrity,’ Chipotle Grill needs to stand against farmworker abuse” (9/10/10). Here’s an extended excerpt:
| “… This is where Chipotle Grill comes in. For four years, the company has refused to commit its market influence and symbolic weight to the emerging solution to the abuse and degradation in Florida’s agricultural fields. Chipotle has repeatedly spurned the invitation by the CIW to forge an equal partnership and has instead opted for a go-it-alone approach that eschews farmworker participation and transparent oversight. It reads as a public relations response to a human rights crisis.
Chipotle’s refusal to work with CIW is particularly puzzling, given the farm worker group’s reputation in global human rights circles. For years, this approach has received praise from the world’s leading human rights and anti-slavery groups. In June, upon the release of its tenth annual Trafficking in Persons Report, the U.S. State Department also weighed in on the group. In a standing room-only ceremony in Washington D.C., Secretary Hillary Clinton recognized the CIW for its persistence and innovations in the fight against human trafficking. It marked the first time a U.S.-based organization received this distinction. As Clinton explained, ending slavery “is everyone’s responsibility.” She rebuked “businesses that knowingly profit or exhibit reckless disregard about their supply chains” and called on business leaders to “speak out and act forcefully.” The CIW welcomed Mrs. Clinton’s emphasis on corporate accountability. The burrito chain’s impressive growth has earned it the respect of both fast-food industry heavyweights and stock market analysts. Its “Food With Integrity” mission not only taps into an increasingly influential niche consumer market, but it also yields low-cost, high-profile publicity, including last year’s tie-in to the DVD release of the acclaimed documentary “Food, Inc.” and a starring role for CEO Steve Ells on the upcoming NBC reality series “America’s Next Great Restaurant.” Yet, where Chipotle’s thriving enterprise intersects with the lives of Florida farmworkers, the company’s inaction undermines its claim of integrity. By spurning the CIW, Chipotle Mexican Grill exhibits the exact “reckless disregard” for its supply chain that Clinton criticized in the fight against slavery. And that is a very risky proposition for a company whose fortunes are tied to selling consumers “ethically produced” burritos.” read more |
You can read the article in its entirety here.