Chipotle: Where Guac and Hypocrisy Cost You Extra

Maybe it’s the crushing heat we’re experiencing here in Kansas that has me so easily annoyed but upon reading the latest stupidity-driven marketing decision from Chipotle, I felt I needed to bring the blog out of dormancy and share my two dollars (two cents won’t cut it this time).



Evil-looking, no?
Photo courtesy: Chance Hunley

A lot of my close friends and family will joke with me occasionally and say, "Hey let's go to Chipotle for lunch!" They do this because a) they know Chipotle’s marketing and business practices make my blood boil b) they like to see me get riled up c) they know very few people who despise Chipotle as much as I do and d) they are in agreement that the burrito giant is off its rocker when it comes to marketing and how it sources product.

If you need further reminding of why I despise this restaurant, you can add “hypocrisy runs rampant” to the long list of reasons I haven't eaten there since 2007.

If I were an American pig producer, I’d be ticked – I mean, I’m ticked already and I don’t even have a stake in this game. You may remember way back in January of this year, Chipotle said that carnitas would not be offered in all stores because one of their suppliers wasn’t adhering to the company’s holier-than-thou animal welfare standards. They made it out to be a pork “shortage.”

Do you know what those standards actually say? Let me tell you. Chipotle wanted a farmer, who had been raising pigs for 30 years, to cut a hole in the side of his barn so that the pigs inside could go outside in the snow and single digit temperatures. There are several reasons that pigs are raised indoors, which I’ve discussed before. They don’t have fur coats, they aren’t very hardy – they will get sick and die, or get eaten by a coyote. Raising pigs inside is safer and better for their wellbeing. Additionally, Chipotle has a “never-ever” policy on antibiotic use which gives a farmer two options, essentially. If a pig is sick the farmer can give the animal antibiotics and wait for the proper withdrawal time before sending the animal to slaughter, which ensures that no antibiotics enter the food supply (thousands upon thousands of responsible pig farmers do this to ensure safe pork products every day). In doing so and raising their animals humanely by providing health care, they are removing their animals from Chipotle’s supply chain. However, they can choose not to treat the animal and sell a sick pig (if it lives through the disease) to Chipotle for a supposed premium. You don’t need an advanced degree in animal science to realize that it’s whacko to deny health treatment to a sick animal. I wouldn’t do that to my dog or horses and I damn sure wouldn’t do it to an animal that I hope to be selling or would be using to feed my family.

This pig, like so many others, is raised indoors to protect it from the elements and predators.

The thing with antibiotics is that they are a necessary tool that farmers need to help their animals in fighting off nasty bacteria. There are many times throughout a pig’s life that they are more susceptible to disease such as when a few groups of pigs that have never been around each other start buddying up. Think of it as kindergarten for piglets – all those little piggies hanging out on the monkey bars, sharing each other’s boogers and coughing on their hooves. Another example is if the weather turns nasty or chilly and some pigs get the swine equivalent of a sinus infection. These ailments call for treatment and it’s downright cruel to deny treatment to a sick animal.

Chipotle doesn’t care. Use antibiotics and those pigs can’t be marketed through their supply chain. To hell with animal welfare, they have to keep those $10/1000 calorie burritos pumping out the door.

So now that you have an idea of the bizarre thought process behind Chipotle’s animal welfare standards, let me get back to the hypocrite part.

Because there was a “shortage” of pork here in the U.S. (Lie. No shortage of responsibly raised pork or beef in the U.S.) good ole Chip jumped the pond and started sourcing pork from Karro Food, a U.K. based company. And guess what?

Karro Food is allowed to use antibiotics in the event of illness in the swine herd.

When asked why the restaurant tyrant decided to let Karro Food, a foreign company, use antibiotics on sick animals but refused to extend that same standard to American producers, this is what Chipotle replied with:

“Our decision to source pork from this new supplier does not mean that Chipotle’s animal welfare protocols are changing at this time. While we prefer to buy pork raised entirely without antibiotics, we are proud to be serving pork from Karro because the responsible way Karro uses antibiotics is consistent with their extremely high animal welfare standards.”

Chipotle also did a nice job of explaining how antibiotics are used responsibly by farmers, but apparently only on U.K. pork farms. Too bad they couldn’t just allow all farmers this necessary technology instead of continually weaving a web of consumer misinformation. They stated:

“This does not mean that antibiotics are present in the meat. All animals treated with antibiotics (both in Europe and the U.S.) must undergo a withdrawal period before they are slaughtered, which means that meat from a pig treated with antibiotics will not contain antibiotic residue, just like meat from an animal that was never given antibiotics.”

This befuddles me. I have no idea why they would actually move to use reasonable science messages to defend antibiotics use in one country but not in another, when both are comparable in their animal welfare protocols. Hey Chipotle, here’s a #TruthBomb, pull your nose down out of the air long enough to take a look around fly-over country and you’ll find that American farmers use antibiotics responsibly too.

I honestly don’t even know how to explain how I feel about this. Even more so, I cannot fathom what it must be like to be so unabashedly hypocritical. My best guess is that Chipotle needs a large supplier and Karro can accommodate their needs; however, Karro isn’t willing to back down from responsible antibiotic use because they have a good handle on common sense.

So there you go – another slap to the American farmer’s face from an unhealthy burrito kingpin. The good news is that people are starting to wake up to the vicious scheming of Chipotle. If you have spare time, read a few of these recent links.

 Business Insider – Chipotle’s Flashy Ban on GMOs is Totally Backfiring

Eater – Chipotle’s Non-GMO Push is Based on Bad Science

NPR – Why We Can’t Take Chipotle’s GMO Announcement All That Seriously

Eleven Warriors – Ohioan Ohio State Commit Todd Sibley Jr. Says He’s Never Eaten Chipotle, Probably Never Will

Delish -- Chipotle is Taking Serious Heat for its New Carnitas Supplier

In the meantime, I’ll continue to be a loyal patron of Qdoba. It’s more fun to pronounce and the food isn’t soured with the taste of guilt and farmer’s tears.

Until next time,

Buzzard

**Point of clarification: This post is not me saying that organic or natural pork production is wrong, cruel or unnecessary. This post is about Chipotle's BLATANT hypocrisy regarding their double standards for pork production between U.S. and U.K. producers. Agriculture needs all kinds of people and all kinds of production; there is room for everyone. I have mentioned in comments below that instead of convention aland organic getting up in arms against each other, we need to link arms and fight against these animal rights extremists and anti-technology advocates. If you have further comments regarding organic/natural and conventional, feel free to contact me (email is on About Me page). As always, civil discourse is appropriate and I appreciate your comments and feedback.

False Alarm for Horse Slaughter

Horses of the Frobuzz ranch

Horse slaughter was to resume this week. "Was" being the keyword.

Last Friday, a U.S. District Court Judge dismissed a lawsuit and subsequent injunction against three plants that are itching to open their doors to America's horses that are past their prime. The Humane Society of the US, Front Range Equine Rescue and a handful of other animal rights extremists filed the case on the basis that "the government did not adequately study the issue of horse slaughter before granting permits to two companies."

The three plants that would have started slaughter this week are Valley Meats in New Mexico, Rains Natural Meats in Missouri and Responsible Transportation in Iowa. The meat from these plants can be shipped to Europe and Asia, which are big horse meat consuming countries. Reinstating horse slaughter in the U.S. prevents horses from being trucked across U.S. borders to Canada and Mexico.

However, since HSUS is a bunch of jerkwads, another injunction has been filed in appeals court and has to be reviewed. I've got money on this one being thrown out as well. Give up, folks. Common sense will prevail eventually.

More info on the horse slaughter front is available here, here, here, and here.

Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~

The thoughts and opinions of this blog post strictly represent that of Brandi Buzzard Frobose and are NOT representative of any other entity or organization.

Happy Dance for Horseslaughter

In case you missed this monumental piece of news over the weekend:

via

 

 

That's right - the USDA is finally approving inspectors for horse slaughter which means the plant in Roswell, New Mexico is full-speed ahead! Furthermore, plants in Iowa and Missouri could be approved in the near future. This is great news!

I'm so happy that something good finally came from Washington, D.C. that I'm at a loss for words.
So I'm reposting the reasons I'm ecstatic that this process has held up:

1. Animal Welfare - It means thousands of horses have endured excruciatingly long drives to Canada or Mexico on trains or trucks that aren't exactly the most welfare-friendly. Opening slaughter plants in the U.S. prevents thousands of horses from being improperly transported across U.S. borders.

2. Exports - the U.S. slaughtered 94,000 horses in 2005, the last full year of horse slaughter before federal inspection funding was repealed in 2007. Without a slaughter plant in the U.S., more than 197,000 horses were exported to other North American countries last year for slaughter. That's double the number from 2007 slaughter exports.

3. Job creation - Reopening plants will increase the number of jobs and boost local economies.

4. Horse meat is a delicacy - maybe not to you or I, but in several other countries around the world horse meat is consumed quite often and is a staple in many diets.

This is not to say that horse slaughter couldn't be ended soon - USDA is pressuring Congress to ban the practice altogether, however until that happens (which I pray it doesn't), they must comply with current laws and regulations. The New Mexico plant won't likely start slaughtering for approximately three weeks and who knows what could come from the next legislative session. But for now, I'm thrilled.

So what are your thoughts? Is anyone as jacked as I am?!

Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~

Stella the Chicken(s) Update - Sad News on the FroBuzz Ranchero

A Barred Rock chick who survived the heinous attack

This post was going to start out very cheery with an update on nutrition and growth about my Barred Rock chicks who are all named Stella.

But tragic news has struck the ranch - three little Stellas have left this Earth. 

I was going into town for a meeting at 6 pm and the roof on the coop had been closed all day so I thought they might be getting hot since it was 83 degrees today. I opened the hatch and left.

When I returned at 8 pm, I started feeding the horses and went to check on the chickens and top off their feed pan. Sadly, two chickens were lying in the coop dead and one other was missing. The two that were dead in the coop looked like their necks had been broken and bitten but their wings and legs were intact. Basically, I think the killer was killing for sport and took the third away for dinner. I'm not impressed. The seven remaining chicks were understandably huddled together in the corner and probably traumatized.

So, we've closed the lid and set a live trap for the perpetrator. I have no problem seeking revenge on whatever varmint attacked my baby chickens. I will punish appropriately.

The obvious sadness of my chickens, even though they're small, is that I do care about them. They were in my care and it was my job to raise them and I couldn't protect them - I feel horrible. On top of that, it's also a financial loss. Not a huge one but down the road, that's three fewer chickens to lay eggs. If I want to boost the flock, I'll have to go buy three more chicks (which I'll probably do but maybe I'll get a different breed. Suggestions?).

The next update will hopefully feature me bragging about my varmint catching and a more upbeat post about nutrition and growth of the baby chickens.

In sadness,
~ Buzzard ~

Get Ready - Here Comes Horse Slaughter!

Here - you can listen to this while you read this. A little pep in your step.



It seems that horse-slaughter starting up in the U.S. is not as far off as it may have seemed.

Valley Meat Company in Roswell, New Mexico may only be weeks away from accepting horses for slaughter. The plant has submitted its application for federal meat inspection services under the "equine" option according to reports.

There are several positive outcomes from Valley Meat Company re-opening their doors for horse slaughter:

1. Job creation - The plant would create approximately 100 jobs for Roswell area residents and during an economic recession when so many folks are wishing for a decent job - voila! Reopening plants will increase the number of jobs and boost local economies.

2. Exports - the U.S. slaughtered 94,000 horses in 2005, the last full year of horse slaughter before federal inspection funding was repealed in 2007. Without a slaughter plant in the U.S., more than 197,000 horses were exported to other North American countries last year for slaughter. That's double the number from 2007 slaughter exports. What does that mean?

3. Animal Welfare - It means thousands of horses have endured excruciatingly long drives to Canada or Mexico on trains or trucks that aren't exactly the most welfare-friendly. Opening a slaughter plant in the U.S. would prevent thousands of horses from being improperly transported across U.S. borders.

4. Horse meat is a delicacy - maybe not to you or I, but in several other countries around the world horse meat is consumed quite often and is a staple in many diets. The U.S. is missing out on valuable export dollars and that meat by not opening horse slaughter plants. For example, between January and November of 2012, the UK imported ~$80,000 worth of horsemeat into the UK. That doesn't include the rest of the EU, Japan, China or the Asia-Pacific region. In short, this could provide a boost to the total agriculture GDP. Every little bit helps right?


Unfortunately, there are those who aren't involved in animal agriculture or the horse industry (as I am) who wish to quell horse slaughter once and for all. This article reports that four lawmakers from the states of Louisiana, South Carolina, Pennsylvania and Illinois introduced legislation to ban horse-killing for human consumption in the U.S. and prohibit transporting the animals outside the country for slaughter. Furthermore, USDA said it encouraged Congress to reinstate the ban on funding inspections.

This just confuses me - I don't understand why so many people are against a federally regulated and inspected humane slaughter process for horses. If the ban goes through, I can almost guarantee more of this.

Those are my thoughts and you know I'll keep you updated on what's going down with horse slaughter (see what I did there?). In the mean time, what are your thoughts? Think horse slaughter is a good idea?

For more of my posts about horse slaughter check out the posts below:

Legislation to Help Horse Slaughter
Horse Slaughter Funding Reinstated 
Who Are We to Judge Horsemeat?
HSUS and PETA - Lover's Quarrel 


Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~

Chipotle: That's Not Natural

Chipotle appears on my blog often - the burrito giant often brags about sourcing naturally raised meats while condemning conventional agriculture and even goes to such lengths to produce anti-conventional agriculture videos that are glaringly inaccurate, which makes them a high priority on the list of blog topics.

Which is why this photo I saw on Feedstuffs Foodlink's Facebook page made me giggle.

This picture, courtesy Feedstuffs Foodlink, was taken by a customer in Kentucky although it's worth pointing out that similar signs have been seen in Illinois Chipotle locations.

What does this mean? Well in this post, I talked about how Chipotle has said in the past that the economy sometimes prevents them from sourcing natural beef and chicken. Here is the excerpt verbatim:

“We do, however, face challenges associated with pursuing Food With Integrity. For example, current economic conditions have led to natural chicken and steak supply shortages. It can take longer to identify and secure relationships with suppliers meeting our criteria, and there are higher costs and other risks associated with purchasing naturally raised or sustainably grown ingredients. The growing time for naturally raised meat and sustainably grown vegetables can be longer. Herd losses can also be greater when animals are not treated with antibiotics and hormones and field losses can be higher for organically grown produce. Given the costs associated with natural and sustainable farming practices, and recently due to decreased demand as a result of the weak economic environment, many large suppliers have not found it economical to pursue business in this area.” -- taken from Chipotle's annual report.

What this means is that due to a variety of factors, many of which are likely drought/supply/economy related, Chipotle has found it absolutely necessary to use conventionally produced meat instead of natural. I'm guessing it's either because it's too expensive for them to turn enough profit or they simply can't find enough of it to keep their supply chain running. Like I said, those are my speculations.

Several people commented on that post when I originally put it on my blog arguing that Chipotle didn't actually say, "We are using conventional" and to those folks I say, is this the absolute proof you need? I should hope so.

I must applaud Chipotle for being honest and not hiding their conventional sourcing from customers, although I wish they'd just drop their elitist marketing ploy altogether.

Poll the audience: Who out there can honestly say that they buy food based solely on production practices and nutrition, without considering price?
Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~

Which Food Service Companies Ban Gestation Stalls?

 image from here

It seems like almost every month another food service provider breaks with the news that they are going to be phasing out gestation stalls. I have scoured searched a little bit on the internet for a succinct list of all these food companies but haven’t been very successful. Then I thought to myself, “Self, I bet there are other people who would like to know this information – you should find and combine all of this for the folks on the internet to find.” So here is my list. I may not have found all of them but if you know of one I have missed, please let me know and I’ll keep the list updated!

These are the companies who have committed to sourcing pork from producers who don't use gestation stalls or are phasing them out of their own facilities:

Applebee's ARAMARK Arby’s Atlantic Premium Brands - supplier to Wal-Mart Au Bon Pain Bon Appetit Management Company Bruegger's Bagels Burger King Campbell Soup Cargill Carl’s Jr Carnival Cruise Line Chipotle Compass Group ConAgra Costco Cracker Barrel Denny’s Dunkin' Brands Einstein Noah Restaurant Group Fresh Enterprises (Baja Fresh, Canyon's Burger) General Mills Hardee’s Harris Teeter Supermarkets Heinz Hillshire Brands (Jimmy Dean, Ballpark) Hormel Foods IHOP Jack in the Box Kraft Foods/Oscar Mayer Kroger Marriott International McDonald’s Metz Culinary Management Quiznos Red Robin Gourmet Burgers Royal Caribbean Safeway Smithfield Foods Sodexo Sonic Subway Supervalu Sysco Target The Cheesecake Factory Wolfgang Puck-owned restaurants Wendy’s  Whole Foods Wienerschnitzel Williams Sausage Company Winn-Dixie

Not only have these food service companies decided to phase out gestation stalls, there are nine states - Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Maine, Michigan, Ohio, Oregon and Rhode Island – who have already passed laws to ban the use of gestation crates from pork supply chain practices. Unfortunately, I don't see this pattern of phasing out gestation crates ending anytime soon. So, until the next company issues a press release here is the list. Again, please let me know if I missed any. Until next time, ~ Buzzard ~