Media scrutiny grows as students plan major August protest at Chipotle headquarters.

For more than two years, the CIW has sought to work with Chipotle — the self-proclaimed leader in “food with integrity” — to improve the unconscionable wages and working conditions of Florida farmworkers. And for more than two years, Chipotle has sought to distance itself at every turn from the human rights crisis in Florida’s fields, seemingly content to hide in the shadows of larger companies as the Campaign for Fair Food focused on McDonald’s and then Burger King. However in the aftermath of the CIW’s recent agreement with world’s second largest burger chain, Chipotle finds itself increasingly isolated as public outcry intensifies.

The Nation joined the growing refrain today with a hard-hitting article entitled, “Chipotle Hypocrisy.” It begins:

“In recent years, Taco Bell and Burger King have foolishly resisted efforts by activists to marginally raise the piece rate they pay tomato pickers only to eventually buckle under the pressure of well-deserved bad press. Chipotle Mexican Grill seems to have learned nothing from their lessons.

Although Chipotle, the expanding Colorado-based restaurant chain formerly owned by McDonald’s, touts its fair treatment of animals and its locally-sourced organic avocados, its colorful, interactive website neglects any mention of the fair treatment of farm workers. While CEO Steve Ells boasts about his ‘Food With Integrity’ brand, he has ignored countless letters and petitions from all over the country, asking for an extra penny per pound for his tomato pickers.” Read the article here

Meanwhile, the Naples Daily News reports that, “hundreds of members from United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS) will be in Denver during the group’s three-day conference and they plan to visit Chipotle’s corporate headquarters on Aug. 8 to demand that the restaurant chain work with the Coalition to ensure fairer wages and a comprehensive code of conduct.” The protest is the first of several upcoming actions in the fast-food chain’s backyard and a hint of things to come as students prepare to return to their campuses nationwide. Read the full article: “CIW brings its tomato demands to Chipotle, Subway and Whole Foods,” (7/25).

And just a few days earlier, the Bradenton Herald chimed in with its own coverage: “Workers group targets Chipotle,” (7/22).

More clearly than ever, Chipotle stands at a crossroads. The company faces a choice between its continued defense of an abhorrent status quo, on the one hand, or meaningful partnership for sustainable change in Florida’s fields, on the other. Given the company´s self-proclaimed commitment to “food with integrity,” the choice should be obvious, yet Chipotle continues to stall. While Chipotle hesitates, the patience of farmworkers and consumers alike grows wearier with each passing day.

Resources: You can tell Chipotle that it’s time to help improve farm labor conditions, too, with this Manager’s letter, perfect for delivery to your local Chipotle restaurant.

And for more context on the history of the relationship between the Campaign for Fair Food and Chipotle, take a minute to read this Scholars’ letter to Steve Ells, penned by 36 legal, labor, and social science scholars questioning Chipotle’s commitment to human rights.

Fasten your seatbelts… looks like things might start to get bumpy for the fast-food industry’s “sustainable food leader.”