Chipotle to Invest Up to $10 Million to Help Suppliers Grow Safer Food
Chipotle will spend up to $10 million on an initiative to help its smaller suppliers produce safer meat and vegetables, company founder, chairman and co-CEO Steve Ells said.
Ells made the announcement during Chipotle's companywide meeting Monday morning, parts of which were broadcast on live video streaming service Periscope.
The money will be used to provide help with education and the implementation of Chipotle's new food safety standards, he said. Those new standards include DNA testing on all ingredients before they are shipped to restaurants.
"It's important for us to support small and medium-sized farmers whenever we can. However, it may be difficult for some of our small suppliers to meet our new food safety standards," Ells said.
Chipotle restaurants nationwide were closed until 3 p.m. in local time zones for the meeting, where executives talked to staff about food safety outbreaks, including cases of E. coli, salmonella and norovirus that have hit Chipotle in the last several months. Stores typically open at 11 a.m.
Chipotle offered a coupon for a free burrito, bowl, salad or tacos to those who went for lunch on Monday when the restaurants were closed.
Ells made the announcement during Chipotle's companywide meeting Monday morning, parts of which were broadcast on live video streaming service Periscope.
"It's important for us to support small and medium-sized farmers whenever we can. However, it may be difficult for some of our small suppliers to meet our new food safety standards," Ells said.
Chipotle restaurants nationwide were closed until 3 p.m. in local time zones for the meeting, where executives talked to staff about food safety outbreaks, including cases of E. coli, salmonella and norovirus that have hit Chipotle in the last several months. Stores typically open at 11 a.m.
Chipotle offered a coupon for a free burrito, bowl, salad or tacos to those who went for lunch on Monday when the restaurants were closed.