Food Babe Family - Header

A “Food Babe Investigates” Win – Chipotle Posts Ingredients

On my birthday last Friday, I received an AMAZING present. It was an email from Chris Arnold, the Communications Director at Chipotle, that read “Tadah!” in the subject line and had a link attached to the body of the email.

The link directed me to the Chipotle’s website where they finally released a comprehenstive list of all their ingredients online.

Back in August of last year, I did an investigation that ultimately left me frustrated with the company. When inquiring about the ingredients – I was met with significant challenge and had to work my way around the corporate headquarters to actually find out the ingredients.

Here’s an excerpt and infographic from my investigation that sums up my experience quite nicely –

When I emailed Chipotle asking for the ingredients in certain products they downright refused. They in turn asked if I was concerned about a specific ingredient or had an allergy. Really? Why do I have to be concerned about a specific ingredient or have an allergy to want to know what I am eating and what’s in my food? When I tried to call them, there was no way for me to leave a message or get a person on the phone to answer my questions. Email responses were S-L-O-W. I had to ask very specific questions to get the data I needed to write this – specific questions that most consumers would likely not ask. Thank goodness for the genuinely accommodating employee who shared some of the ingredients with me (behind his Manager’s back) so I could give you the full story.

Chipotle-Marketing1

 

A few weeks after my investigation, Chris from Chipotle contacted me and asked me to meet with him, so I could better understand their challenges with posting their ingredient list. I’ve been in contact with him ever since – asking for periodic updates and making sure he knew I wasn’t going to let Chipotle off the hook. To keep the pressure on, some folks were so inspired by the investigation, that they created a petition on my behalf, where 2400+ people shared their voice in concern.

So that begs the question – what’s really in Chipotle’s food now that we can easily find the ingredients and read them for ourselves? Some of the original results of my investigation still hold true – but Chipotle made a major oil switch in some of their products like the black beans that don’t use GMO oil any longer and has made a fanastic committment to eliminate the transfat, preservatives and other GMO ingredients in the future.

As you can see – putting pressure on companies to change their ingredients and petitioning them to change their practices leads to actual results. We together are changing the food system – and today we have a win in terms of true transparency and knowing what’s in our food!

Slide1

If you live in Manhattan – Chipotle is using rice bran oil instead of the GMO soybean oil for meat preparation – so for you lucky New Yorkers, you can avoid the GMO oil they currently use in their chicken and beef.

For the rest of us, in the meantime, I still wouldn’t order the chicken, beef, tortilla products, rice, salad dressing or chips – those items still contain GMO soybean oil.  In several states, the chips and corn tortillas have benzoic acid – a preservative that I would avoid at all costs. Studies have shown this ingredient to be linked to decreased good bacteria in the gut in animal studies. The Mayo Clinic reported that this preservative increases hyperactivity in children. Also, when this acid combines with ascorbic acid (vitamin C), it can form benzene, carcinogen that damages DNA in cells and accelerates aging.

Chipotle’s burrito and flour taco shells have partially hydrogenated vegetable oils (a.k.a. trans fat). “A 40-calorie-per-day increase in trans fat intake can lead to a 23% higher risk of heart disease.” 40 calories is a mere 2% of a typical 2000 calorie per day diet.  Trans fats can be deadly even in a small amount and as you can see will easily add up if you go over one serving size.

Also the pinto beans, contain pork bacon and have sodium nitrate – a substance linked to cancerheart disease, and diabetes.

I have to be completely honest, I haven’t been to Chipotle in over six years, but I wouldn’t be shy about eating there again now that I know I can order some options without GMOs, preservatives, and transfat. I’m actually pretty excited about that fact.

This is what my order would look like if I went there… A salad with:

  • Organic black beans
  • Romaine lettuce
  • Fresh tomato salsa (and maybe try the others without the corn)
  • A huge serving of guacamole
  • Possibly sour cream or cheese if I were feeling fancy
  • If you are a meat eater – you could add pork carnitas to that list – since they do not use any GMO oil during the cooking preparation

I hope you celebrate this accomplishment with me and praise Chipotle for their changes.

It’s a great day in the world – however, we have a lot more work to do, don’t we? I can only wonder when Kraft will have the courage to meet with us and address the concerns of over 270,000+ consumers.

Food Babe

P.S. See a news article in Take Part here discussing these changes! 

Food Babe Family - Book
Food Babe Grocery Guide

Sign Up For Updates

And Get A FREE Healthy Grocery Guide Sent To You Now!

Find out what to buy and where at the top grocery stores near you

Posts may contain affiliate, sponsorship and/or partnership links for products Food Babe has approved and researched herself. If you purchase a product through an affiliate, sponsorship or partnership link, your cost will be the same (or at a discount if a special code is offered) and Food Babe will benefit from the purchase. Your support is crucial because it helps fund this blog and helps us continue to spread the word. Thank you.

210 responses to “A “Food Babe Investigates” Win – Chipotle Posts Ingredients

  1. WOW – Congrats Food Babe – you made a difference. I took a look at their list and it is probably more through than any other website out there. Good Job.

  2. For 6 months I made and sold Oregon Gardens Veggie Pizza topping made from
    fresh garlic, chopped tomatoes,fresh basil and 10 oz frozen spinach.. After they
    were sauted… were placed in plastic cartons and frozen. mom buys the carton
    thaws and makes veggie pizza for the kids.. Reduce the fat and salt by a huge
    amount. No funds to continue and todays families continue eating high fat almost
    no fresh veggies and can’t bear to see TV ad because this stuff is so unhealthy;

  3. Does it list on their site what the pigs, cows, etc eat? like is it gmo grain? Its a step in the right direction for them and thanks for being a stand for health in our food.

  4. You are a role model for citizens as well as women and girls who wonder if they can really make a difference…

    ABSOLUTELY you can!

    Congratulations!!

  5. Oh dear, I had expected better of them but knew it was too good to be true. Great for your positive pressure to make a change, baby steps but all in the right direction. Thanks for all your efforts you are a true crusader for us!

  6. Way to go, Food Babe! On behalf of all of us who like to eat real food, thanks for keeping the heat on and getting results! Congrats!

  7. I wish they would use organic corn in the corn salsa. How hard would that be? I try to eat veg as much as possible and since most corn is GMO now, it’s especially troubling.

    1. Buy fresh corn and cook it and stop eating at fast food places expecting them to be healthy or care about their customers health. they are in it for the money. organic is more expensive and thats why they dont do it

  8. Another important point you should pay attention to… besides what’s in the food… WHO is processing the food in its journey from field to table? HOW are their working conditions? After a long battle this past spring/summer, Chipotle finally agreed to pay 1 cent more per pound of tomatoes so that the workers picking their tomatoes could have better lives. You can follow the story here: http://www.ciw-online.org/chipotle_agreement_news.html

    We NEED more stories like these!

  9. Thanks Food Babe for the investigation. I too thought the romaine lettuce was a great option at Chipotle. However, I suspect that it comes in a bag and either with preservatives or residual from a chemical washing process. Will you find out and update us? Also, my body doesn’t tolerate sodium benzoate. Are you saying that the corn tortillas have a preservative in them?

    1. Hi, I work at Chipotle. The romaine lettuce comes to us fresh as heads and we chop it fresh daily to multiple times per day. We have to cut it into strict cut size requirements 🙂 hope that helps a bit.

    2. I have a sodium benzoate intolerance. After seven straight months of avoiding it, I just had a classic reaction from Chipotle (nettle rash on knuckles). It was in the following: steak and black bean burrito in a tortilla, with salsa, guacamole, cheese, and sour cream. I am assuming the tortilla.

  10. Thank you, thank you!!! Your information is amazing!! Thank you for doing all that you do to save our health and the health of our children.

  11. How about people just stop being lazy and cook their own food more often and we won’t have to worry about this? My grandmother is 94 years old and in perfect health, takes no medicines and eats whatever she wants. She’s probably been eating GMO’s for the past 9 decades and is fine. Don’t you think some of this stuff is going a little overboard? If you don’t like whats in the food, then don’t eat it! Simple as that. Im sure this will be removed though because it doesn’t fit the agenda with everyone here who always wants to blame things on others instead of looking within themselves for solutions

    1. Nobody is blaming anybody. We are just trying to let restaurants know what we want. I’m sure many of us here do cook our own food the majority of the time. I enjoy traveling a lot and it’s nice to know there are food chains out there that I can eat at without putting stuff in my body and my kids’ bodies that is harmful. Yes, I could pack food and I usually do when the weather is nice and we can have a picnic. But trying to eat in the car with four little kids makes for a very messy vehicle and grouchy kids that can’t get out and move around a little. I appreciate businesses that are committed to offering healthier foods when their customers demand it.

    2. amen to that. Seriously needs to get a life. At least this place is healthier than other restaurants, much healthier. Food Babe you obviously don’t like chipotle we get it but I have seen other posts by you where you bash on certain products and not only do you not have your facts straight but you limit the chances of people getting their hands on actual good products that you throw under the bus without real proof of how “bad” they are..

    3. It’s impossible that she’s been eating GMOs for 9 decades. They weren’t introduced into commercial farming until about 20 years ago. That’s probably why Maw Maw is so healthy. She ate organic before organic was cool.

      Additionally, I prepare 90% of my meals at home. For that other 10%, I appreciate knowing where I can get good food. If I can’t get good food, I appreciate knowing what’s in the food so I can make the best decision.

    4. Sorry but GMOs have not existed for nine decades. Like many who aren’t familiar what GMO actually means (inserted foreign DNA that would never naturally occur) you probably think it’s selective hybridization.

  12. I am having the same problem with Liquid Planet (also known as Fresh Planet in some locations). They advertise themselves as being a healthy place to take the entire family but have refused to provide nutrition or ingredient listings. I recently ordered their Neptune Salad (which is tuna salad over greens and veggies). The tuna salad tasted SO sweet, I couldn’t eat it. I asked the person working there to see the list of ingredients and they said that the tuna salad came premade from Sysco and they had no idea what was in it!! A sign in one of their stores says to see their Facebook page for nutrition information, but it is nowhere to be found. I can only imagine what they are hiding!

  13. Saying ‘no hormone’ in dairy is misleading. ALL milk has hormone – it has growth hormones, produced by the cow, to make it’s calf grow. It is definately not ‘hormone free’.

  14. I’m glad to see the baby steps that Chipotle is taking, and thankful for you too, Food Babe!! Chipotle is one of the very few places I will eat out at, so it’s great to finally see some actual ingredients lists.

    One thing I find interesting though is that the “organic” beans etc are NOT all organic, just a substantial portion is purchased as organic. So basically that means I can’t bank on the fact that I’m ordering organic ingredients, even if they’re labeled on that web page. I might be though. Ugh, hopefully that turns into ALL of those ingredients are purchased as organic in the future!

    1. Really are you sure – I think they might be sourcing 100% organic black beans now. I will double check and let you know!

  15. Very helpful article and great work. Let’s keep up the pressure and make sure they know we don’t want to eat GMO!

  16. Hey Vani.. Thank you. The world needs you! Ive checked out the ingredients in teh black beans. it was 4 years ago, but they had soybean oil in them, likely GMO. Regardless, soybean oil is poison.
    Blessings, Dan

  17. I love chipotle as a healthy alternative when i have to eat out and this just made it even better!

    Thanks!!
    Kristina
    Facebook.com/active4nutrition

  18. It would be great to also have transparency on your investigation and see the emails/call notes between you and Chipotle.

  19. Thank you for exposing this…Chipotle was the last “fast food” place our family dined at. I felt really “duped” when I read that they use GM soybean oil…I fed that stuff to my children. For anyone who thinks it doesn’t matter, and “a little won’t hurt you”…we’re up against so many different toxins in our environment that we cannot control, this is one that we CAN. I’m just saying NO THANKS to Chipotle until they say “GMO-Free establishment” right on their front door. I cook 3 meals a day for my family and Chipotle was the one “I’m too tired to cook/emergency” eatery we depended on…my fault, I assumed they wouldn’t use that junky oil.

  20. I appreciate your effort with this, but your article is misleading in some cases. For instance, you said, “The Mayo Clinic reported that this preservative increases hyperactivity in children.” However, when you click on the link to the actual website, they say, “There’s no evidence that food additives cause attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but some studies show that certain food colorings and preservatives may increase hyperactive behavior in some children.” I’m not going to go through the other parts of your article, but you really should be a little more truthful and not throw some fear-mongering information out there. While it possibly may be true, you can’t come out and say it does without any irrefutable truth that is hopefully conducted by a legitimate study.

    1. Hi Jim, Vani said that this preservative can increase hyperactivity in children and the Mayo Clinic article says the exact same thing. They say that is it is not known to CAUSE ADHD but “may increase hyperactive behavior”

      1. May means “used to indicate possibility or probability ” She said, The Mayo Clinic reported that this preservative increases hyperactivity in children.” That is simply sloppy journalism, but I think you already convinced the masses.

      2. Totally agree….people really need to research fully before throwing a company under the bus!

    2. Totally agree with Jim. Foodbabe has an extremely alarmist writing style that, as Jim exposed, is not necessarily scientifically sound. Unfortunately, most of the population does not think to 1) question the “scientific studies” out there as not all scientific journals are ranked equally and 2) question the claims made by alarmist writers such as foodbabe.

      Don’t get me wrong. I do very much appreciate all the research she is doing into mainstream companies in holding them accountable. I think there is great value in the quest she is pursuing. However, I wish she would do it in a way that was less fear mongering and more from an educational and informative writing style.

  21. All milk contains hormones. Organic milk just contains natural hormones, whereas regular milk is full of the unnatural hormones they give those cows.

  22. Just to let everyone know – Chipotle uses as much organic products as possible. As of right now, there aren’t enough organic farms to supply 100% of Chipotle’s produce and beans to all Chipotles, but they are working towards that goal. Once there is enough farms, they plan on 100% organic products. In additon, Chipotle strives to support local farms and reduce travel costs for food, and therefore get their products locally, and not all from one source, which may lead to slight differences in the products. The lettuce is fresh and organic, never ever ever bagged, and heads are cut every morning. In most Chipotles, the grill is in sight, and you can see the orange salad spinner working for both the cut taco lettuce and the wider cuts of salad lettuce. The chips use sunflower oil, and the meats and such use soy bean oil. A lot of money is spent on Chipotle’s food, about 30% of total profits, whereas places like McDonald’s and Taco Bell use about 7% of the company’s profits on food. This is why Chipotle has ever produced 1 commercial, and has just recently started using radio commercials. With lines out the door, they don’t need advertising, the food speaks for itself.

    1. soybean oil is not good. Chipoltle should be applauded for listening and caring. There is still work to be done but that is ok. Progress is a great thing.

    2. Bailey, how do you personally know all of this is true? I doubt some of that, to say the least. There’s certainly enough organic food available throughout this country to supply large stores such as Whole Foods. It’s about the cost mostly. I doubt Chipotle will become completely organic (though they could).

      And when you said “chips made with sunflower oil and the meats and such use soybean oil”. Sunflower oil is good, but GMO corn chips are NOT, same with crunchy taco shells, and corn salsa –> Lots of Roundup Ready and BT genetically modified corn products being sold at Chipotle. Soybean oil is also GMO and soy is not really healthy as it’s been touted to be….the soybean oil at Chipotle is toxic GMO oil.

      Chipotle’s tagline is FOOD WITH INTEGRITY. Using so many ingredients with GMOs and other unhealthy ingredients is a disappointment. And it’s not living up to integrity to not even let people know what’s in the food they’re eating (thanks to Food Babe now we know the ingredients). Yes, I like Chipotle’s food too, but I thought they would be more committed to not using GMOs and other unhealthy ingredients. I don’t eat there much any more though I used to. When they market themselves as being one of the few chain restaurants focused on health and other issues, they should be called out on important issues such as being discussed here. They appear to have good intentions and I’m glad there are food companies who show interest providing in better, healthier food products, but some improvements are needed with Chipotle.

  23. Thank you for this report! Great to know about US Chipotles but did they mention international locations? I know the London location sources all produce locally but know little about the beans/oils/etc.etc. thanks!

  24. Without GM food our world would not be! Do we starve them? And I agree, if you are so worried about what your getting, stay home, buy organic and really really see what your missing in life. RELAX! We’ve been getting GM foods for years! There are so many other ingredients in food that you haven’t focused on. Sugar causes a ton disease, salt too….so if you want to eat natural foods, power to ya, but boring!! Way over the top!

    1. Quote: “Without GM food our world would not be! Do we starve?”

      Too funny! We’re going to starve without GMO corn and soy! (and GMO canola oil and sugar beets!!)

      Just RELAX! 🙂 We’ve been getting GMOs for the last 15 years! (out of how many billions of years?)

      Oh boy, I hope you will consider educating yourself about this issue.

    2. …”Without GM food our world would not be! DO WE STARVE THEN??”

      Too funny!! We are going to starve without our GMO corn, soy, canola, sugar beets (and all the other GMO food coming along)!

      RELAX, we’ve been getting GMOs increasing over the last 15 years! And we’re all so healthy! 🙂

      Oh boy. Please think about educating yourself about this topic.

  25. Thanks for your persistence….and the results! Pls clarify for me the difference between organic meat and without hormone &r antibiotic free meat. Thanks.

    1. Organic meat is also hormone and antibiotic free but in addition the animals were raised on organic feed which means non GMO feed.

  26. What irks me that I read in reporting are things like: ” The Mayo Clinic reported that this preservative increases hyperactivity in children.” Then, when I get to the cited article I read, “There’s no evidence that food additives cause attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but some studies show that certain food colorings and preservatives may increase hyperactive behavior in some children.”

    “May increase hyperactive behavior in some children” reads a lot differently than “The Mayo Clinic reported this preservative increases hyperactivity in children.” They did not report what you wrote; their findings simply use the word “may,” which is conditional. In other words, food colorings and preservatives MAY increase hyperactive activity in SOME children.

    Another pet peeve of mine deals with the stated conclusions of reports such as “A 40-calorie-per-day increase in trans fat intake can lead to a 23% higher risk of heart disease.” Great. That’s fine, but please tell us what the baseline rate was in the control group. 23% higher risk from baseline group that showed 1 in 10, 000 would get heart disease? Or, perhaps a 23% risk of higher heart disease in a group that had a one in 100,0000 risk to begin with.

    The point is the reader does not know the baseline, so there exists the possibility that the percentage increases sound their most damaging, if increases from an unknown base level are cited. It can border on bad journo practices, depending what is being reported on.

    Despite my quibbles expressed above, I compliment you on your investigative reporting on food issues.
    It’s my personal opinion that we, in the land of the free and the home of the brave” have been sold down the river by those that are in ostensible charge of food regulation, to a degree that exceeds what is allowed in Europe and other parts of the world. Our congresspeople sell us out with routine frequency, leaving Big Agra and their associated GMO acolytes to experiment on us as human lab rats. We should at least have truth-in-labeling to the extent that GM products are included in our foods. The U.S.A omits labeling of GMO products in our food, and it borders on criminality.

  27. When I was in Chipoltle the other day, I asked the guy if the corn was organic and he said yes all of our vegetables are organic. I asked, “Are you sure?” And he said “Yes.”

    But how do I really know? There are no signs that I can see. What do you know about their veggies?

    1. They use local, organic produce when possible. When I worked there, sometimes the avocados were organic. The cilantro was from a local farm, I believe. It just depends on what’s available in the area of the restaurant. I never had anything to do with the ordering of supplies, but it might be dependent upon what the supplier has. For instance, Chipotle would order # cases of avocados, and the supplier gives them organic one week, conventional the next.

      I find it hard to believe the corn is organic. Something like 90% of the corn grown in the US is GMO. The corn for the corn salsa comes in plastic tubs, and I don’t recall any info about whether or not it’s organic printed anywhere.

      1. The corn at Chipotle is not organic! In the chips, taco shells, and salsa etc. It’s all GMO — listed in their product ingredients (now we know) http://www.chipotle.com/en-us/menu/ingredients_statement/ingredients_statement.aspx

        That employee was wrong and misinformed saying “all the vegetables are organic.” I have enjoyed the peppers & onions fajita veggies and they are NOT organic. And BTW, conventional green peppers are known to contain a large amount of pesticides. It is good that some of the ingredients (mostly veggies) are organic, but improvements are still needed.

  28. Hi, I was wondering if you can post a list of items or ingredients from Taco Bell? I thought I saw something about the new breakfast burrito, but maybe it was a different site because now I can’t find it. I have a 15 year old and I thought by him seeing a post on how bad the food is he might think again when he gets mad that I won’t take him. I know when you can see it, it makes things easier to understand. Thank you SO much for your website. I just found it a couple weeks ago and I love it. I think my anxiety has gone up a lot though! LOL There are SO many things that we shouldn’t eat. I just wish there were more restrictions on the chemicals they put in food. Thanks again for all your hard work!!

    1. Sausage and egg burrito:

      Waffle
      Water, Enriched Wheat Flour (Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Modified Food Starch, Contains 2% Or Less Of The Following: Egg Whites, Sugar, Soybean Oil, Leavenings (Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate, Monocalcium Phosphate), Natural And Artificial Flavor, Whole Egg Powder, Buttermilk Powder, Salt, Soy Flour, Potassium Sorbate. CONTAINS: MILK, EGGS, WHEAT, GLUTEN, SOY

      Sausage Crumble
      Pork, Water, And Less Than 2% Of The Following: Salt, Sugar, Spices, Caramel Color, Tomato Paste (Tomato Paste, Salt, Citric Acid), Sodium Phosphate, Lemon Juice Powder (Corn Syrup, Lemon Juice, Lemon Oil), And Spice Extractives.

      Eggs
      Whole Eggs, Butter Flavor (Liquid And Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Salt, Soy Lecithin, Natural And Artificial Flavor, Beta Carotene (Color), TBHQ And Citric Acid Added To Protect Flavor, Dimethylpolysiloxane, An Anti-foaming Agent Added). Contains Less Than 1% Of The Following: Salt, Citric Acid, Pepper, Xanthan Gum, Guar Gum. CONTAINS: EGGS, MILK AND SOYBEANS

      Sausage and bacon burrito:

      Waffle
      Water, Enriched Wheat Flour (Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Modified Food Starch, Contains 2% Or Less Of The Following: Egg Whites, Sugar, Soybean Oil, Leavenings (Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate, Monocalcium Phosphate), Natural And Artificial Flavor, Whole Egg Powder, Buttermilk Powder, Salt, Soy Flour, Potassium Sorbate. CONTAINS: MILK, EGGS, WHEAT, GLUTEN, SOY

      Sausage Crumble
      Pork, Water, And Less Than 2% Of The Following: Salt, Sugar, Spices, Caramel Color, Tomato Paste (Tomato Paste, Salt, Citric Acid), Sodium Phosphate, Lemon Juice Powder (Corn Syrup, Lemon Juice, Lemon Oil), And Spice Extractives.

      Eggs
      Whole Eggs, Butter Flavor (Liquid And Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Salt, Soy Lecithin, Natural And Artificial Flavor, Beta Carotene (Color), TBHQ And Citric Acid Added To Protect Flavor, Dimethylpolysiloxane, An Anti-foaming Agent Added). Contains Less Than 1% Of The Following: Salt, Citric Acid, Pepper, Xanthan Gum, Guar Gum. CONTAINS: EGGS, MILK AND SOYBEANS

      Bacon
      Fully Cooked Bacon Topping (Smoke Flavor Added). Cured With: Water, Salt, Sodium Phosphates, Sodium Erythorbate, Sodium Nitrite, Smoke Flavoring. May Contain: Sugar, Brown Sugar, Dextrose, Sodium Ascorbate, Flavoring.

      Cinnabon Delights
      Dough: Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Niacin, Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Water, Eggs, Shortening (Palm Oil And Soybean Oil With Mono And Diglycerides, Soy Lecithin), Sugar, Non Fat Dry Milk, Yeast, Salt, Natural And Artificial Flavor, (Mono And Diglycerides, Sodium Alginate, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate), Enzymes. Icing: Sugar, Cream Cheese (Pasteurized Milk And Cream Cheese Cultures, Salt, Stabilizers [Carob Bean Gum And/Or Xanthan Gum And/Or Guar Gum]), Margarine (Liquid And Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil And Cottonseed Oil, Water, Salt, Whey [Milk], Soy Lecithin, Mono And Diglycerides, Artificial Flavor, Beta Carotene [Color], Vitamin A Palmitate Added), Water, Corn Starch, Corn Syrup Solids, Cellulose Gum, Natural And Artificial Flavor, Lactic Acid, Potassium Sorbate (Preservative). CONTAINS: EGGS, WHEAT, SOYBEANS, MILK

      Source:
      http://www.tacobell.com/nutrition/ingredientstatement

  29. I noticed your Twitter account says you’re from Charlotte, NC, and the closest location of a restaurant I’d like to find out more about is 1 hour 23 minutes away in High Point, NC, so you might not be able to make the trip. I frequented them in Charleston, SC for many years until their employees considered me a regular, to a point where they would modify their menu procedures especially for me.

    Their name is Barberitos, a collaboration of the owner and CEO’s name Downing Barber and the word burrito. They are very similar in concept to Moe’s or Chipotle. I have trusted them for years due to their “we roll farm fresh” slogan, as well as their self proclaimed offering of lower calorie options, despite Tex Mex fare having a high calorie, high fat reputation. Their 7 under 7 (grams of fat) menu is especially a godsend for someone like me making an effort to eat (and live) healthier.

    Their website doesn’t divulge much other information on nutrition or ingredients, besides which of their menu ingredients use wheat, soy, milk, eggs, fish, peanuts, tree nuts, and (unfortunately) MSG. Chipotle ranch, one of my favorite sauces of theirs which I have always been informed was “prepared in house,” is the only product to contain MSG.

    Now that I have found out the above for the first time (to my dismay), I wonder what else we customers are not hip to about Barberitos’ food. I appreciate your efforts in advance if you do have the funds to travel such a distance.

  30. Couldn’t get the contact form to work, so posting this question here.
    I read your investigation some time ago about Chipole. I honestly haven’t been back since then, though I really loved their salads. Just couldn’t do all the bad ingredients anymore. I just read on VegNews they have a new product in Colorado. I would love to know your thoughts on it. I’m hoping they are developing more healthy options with new products. You can read the brief article here: http://vegnews.com/articles/page.do?pageId=6176&catId=8
    Thanks so much for all your hard work!!

  31. Thank you, Food Babe! I have been going to about 3 different local Chipotle restaurants in my area. I though it was OK to order the veggie burrito bowl since I am a vegetarian. I thought all veggie offerings in most restaurants are healthy. Now I know differently. There is healthy vegetarian and now, I know, unhealthy vegetarian. Thanks again!

  32. Your research does it include all Chipotles or just in New York? How do I find out if the Chipotles on the west coast are using the same ingredients as in New York?

  33. Responses are slow because they don’t want to deal with annoying health nazis like you – they have money to make, not chicks to appease. Get a job please.

  34. Chipotle pinto beans are now vegan. Here are the ingredients from their website;

    Beans, Pinto
    Pinto Beans , Water, Yellow Onion, Chipotle Chile, Rice Bran Oil, Cumin, Garlic, Oregano , Black pepper, Bay Leaf, Salt, Citrus Juice, Kosher Salt

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

food babe with grocery cart - footer image