Here are some of my favorite snippets from the article:
“What I found was startling,” Hari says. “Most of their food was contaminated with genetically modified cooking oil, corn oil, and they were using genetically modified ingredients in their tortillas. Even in the black beans there was GMO soybean oil. You couldn’t even order vegetarian and avoid it. It was really unfortunate. Then, when I saw their flour tortillas’ package, it said that they use trans-fat. That’s crazy.”
One of the goals of ingredient transparency is to motivate restaurants to improve their ingredients, and that’s already happened at Chipotle. “The best part,” Hari says. “Is that they took the genetically modified soy bean oil out of the black beans, so you can actually have a black bean salad with guacamole, and avoid GMO’s and avoid all the chemicals.”
Hari also points triumphantly to the sidebar of their new ingredient statement that says they’ve committed to eliminating hydrogenated oils, tortilla preservatives, and GMOs in the future.
Chipotle Ingredients List (source: Chipotle)
Barbacoa  | Beef, Water, Chipotle Chile, Rice Bran Oil, Cumin, Garlic, Oregano, Black Pepper, Salt, Cloves, Bay Leaf, Soybean Oil |
Beans, Black | Water,
Black Beans
, Yellow Onion, Chipotle Chile, Rice Bran Oil, Cumin, Garlic, Oregano, Black Pepper, Salt, Oregano, Bay Leaf, Citrus Juice |
Beans, Pinto  | Water,
Pinto Beans
,
Bacon
(Cured with water, salt, natural flavor, sodium erythorbate/nitrate), Yellow Onions, Chipotle Chile, Rice Bran Oil, Cumin, Garlic, Oregano, Black Pepper, Bay Leaves, Salt, Citrus Juice, Kosher Salt |
| Carnitas | Pork, Lard, Bay Leaf, Salt, Black Pepper, Thyme, Juniper Berries |
Cheese, Monterrey Jack | Pasteurized Milk, Starter Cheese Culture, Salt,
Enzymes
|
| Cheese, White Cheddar | Pasteurized Milk, Starter Cheese Culture, Salt,
Enzymes
|
| Chicken | Chicken, Water, Chipotle Chile, Rice Bran Oil, Cumin, Garlic, Oregano, Black Pepper, Honey, Salt
In some restaurants we grill our chicken with oil: restaurants with a plancha grill use soybean oil, with the exception of restaurants in Manhattan, which use rice bran oil.
|
| Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette | Soybean Oil, Red Wine Vinegar, Honey, Kosher Salt, Water, Chipotle Chile, Rice Bran Oil, Cumin, Garlic, Oregano, Black Pepper
In some restaurants, the Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette contains guar gum and is made with Canola Oil instead of Soybean Oil.
|
Guacamole | Hass Avocado, Red Onion, Jalapeno, Cilantro, Citrus Juice, Salt |
| Fajita Vegetables | Green Bell Pepper, Red Onion, Soybean Oil, Salt, Oregano
In Manhattan restaurants, Fajitas are sauteed in Rice Bran Oil instead of Soybean Oil.
|
| Lettuce | Romaine Lettuce |
| Rice, Brown | Long Grain Brown Rice, Bay Leaf, Soybean Oil, Cilantro, Citrus Juice, Salt
In our Manhattan restaurants, we substitute Rice Bran Oil for Soybean Oil.
|
| Rice, White | Enriched Long Grain White Rice (enriched with Folic Acid, Iron (Ferric Orthophosphate), Niacin, Thiamin Mononitrate), Bay Leaf, Soybean Oil, Cilantro, Citrus Juice, Kosher Salt
In our Manhattan restaurants, we substitute Rice Bran Oil for Soybean Oil.
|
| Salsa, Roasted Chili-Corn |
White Sweet Corn
, Red Onion, Jalapeno, Roasted Poblano Pepper, Cilantro, Citrus Juice, Kosher Salt |
| Salsa, Tomatillo-Green Chili | Roasted Tomato, Roasted Tomatillo, Roasted Jalapeno, Salt, Citrus Juice, Toasted Cumin, Garlic, Black Pepper, Red Onion, Cilantro, Oregano |
| Salsa, Tomatillo-Red Chili | Tomatillo, Water, Chile de Arbol, Salt, Cumin, Garlic, Black Pepper, Red Tabasco Sauce |
| Salsa, Tomato | Tomatoes, Red Onion, Jalapeno, Cilantro, Kosher Salt, Citrus Juice |
| Sour Cream | Grade A Cultured Milk, Cream, Organic Nonfat Dry Milk Solids |
| Steak | Beef, Water, Chipotle Chile, Rice Bran Oil, Cumin, Garlic, Oregano, Black Pepper, Salt
At restaurants that grill steak on a plancha, we add a bit of honey to our steak marinade and grill the steak using soybean oil. At Manhattan restaurants that grill steak on a plancha, we use Rice Bran Oil instead of Soybean oil.
|
Tortilla, Burrito Size Flour  | Enriched Bleached Wheat Flour (enriched with Folic Acid, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Riboflavin, and Thiamine Mononitrate), Water, White Whole Wheat Flour, Soybean Oil, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Wheat Bran, Salt, Baking Soda, Sodium Aluminum Sulfate, Corn Starch,
Monocalcium Phosphate
, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Calcium Sulfate, Fumaric Acid, Sodium Metabisulfite, Calcium Propionate, Sorbic Acid
In many parts of the country, our tortillas are made with Unbleached Wheat Flour instead of enriched, bleached Wheat Flour, as well as Whole Wheat Flour instead of White Whole Wheat Flour.
|
| Tortilla, Corn for Chips | Whole Ground Corn,
Lime (mineral)
, Water, Cellulose Gum,
Priopionic Acid
, Phosphoric Acid, Benzoic Acid, Salt, Lime Juice,
Sunflower Oil
At restaurants in California, Oregon, and Washington, we serve chips made with Calcium Propionate, Cellulose Gum, Fumaric Acid, Guar Gum, Lime (mineral), Lime Juice, Salt, Sodium Propionate, Sorbic Acid, Water, White Masa Flour, and fried in Sunflower Oil.
At restaurants in Ohio, we serve chips made with Calcium Propionate, Fumaric Acid, Lime Juice, Salt, Water, White Masa Flour, and fried in Soybean Oil.
Restaurants in Michigan currently fry chips in soybean oil.
|
| Tortilla, Soft Corn for Tacos | Yellow Ground Corn Masa, White Ground Corn Masa, Water, Guar Gum, Cellulose Gum,
Lime (mineral)
,
Fumaric Acid
, Sorbic Acid, Calcium Propionate, Toasted Corn Germ, Dextrose, Calcium Sulfate, Enzymes |
| Tortilla, Taco Size Flour | Unbleached Enriched Wheat Flour (Enriched with Folic Acid, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Riboflavin, and Thiamine Mononitrate), Water, Whole Wheat Flour, Soybean Oil, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Wheat Bran, Salt, Baking Soda, Sodium Aluminum Sulfate, Corn Starch, Monocalcium Phosphate, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Calcium Sulfate, Fumaric Acid, Sodium Metabisulfite, Calcium Propionate, Sorbic Acid
In some restaurants, we serve 6" tortillas made with bleached rather than unbleached wheat flour, White Whole Wheat Flour instead of Whole Wheat Flour, no Wheat Bran, and added Water.
|
| Tortilla, Tacos | Whole Ground Corn,
Lime (mineral)
, Water, Cellulose Gum, Propionic Acid, Phosphoric Acid,
Benzoic Acid
, Sunflower Oil
Restaurants in sections of the central U.S. currently fry Taco Shells in Soybean Oil. By the end of August 2013, all U.S. restaurants will use Sunflower Oil for frying.
|