Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) plans to expand its local produce program this summer by about 10%.
The national restaurant chain said it will purchase at least 35% of at least one bulk produce item in all of its restaurants from local farmers when it is seasonally available.
Chipotle expects to have more than 25 local farms in its network that will supply some of the romaine lettuce, green bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, red onions and/or oregano served at the 860-plus Chipotle restaurants nationwide.
Steve Ells, founder, chairman, and co-CEO of Chipotle. “Many consumers are just now starting to understand where their food comes from and how it’s raised, but we have known for a long time that there are many benefits to food that is raised right.”
According to a survey commissioned by Chipotle and conducted by Harris Interactive®, consumers say that sourcing their food locally is becoming increasingly important for them; half of adults (51%) say that it is important for restaurants and markets in their local area to purchase produce and other ingredients from local farms in their area. Additionally, a majority of adults (52%) said they are likely to dine at restaurants that purchase produce from farms in their local area.
In addition, about 35% of all of Chipotle’s beans will be organically grown this year, and all of the dairy (cheese and sour cream) it serves is made with milk from cows that are never given the synthetic hormone rBGH.
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