Chipotle opens transparency into ingredient sustainability

Chipotle Mexican Grill is teaming up with Bill Nye the Science Guy to educate customers about how its meals impact the world around them.

The quick-serve eatery is launching Real Foodprint, a new a digital sustainability impact tracker that compares average values for each of Chipotle's 53 real ingredients to their conventional counterparts against five key metrics: less carbon in the atmosphere (measured in grams), gallons of water saved, improved soil health (measured in square feet), organic land supported (measured in square feet), and antibiotics avoided (measured in milligrams).

At the order confirmation screen on the Chipotle app and website, customers will receive data on these five metrics, computed based on averages for the ingredients included in their order. The tracker compares Chipotle's ingredients and sourcing standards to an industry average, and the metrics provide a snapshot of computed environmental savings across categories. Customers can use the simulator on the Real Foodprint site to share their order's tracker results on Twitter. 

Chipotle is collaborating with former children’s TV host and public science educator Bill Nye the Science Guy to demonstrate how Real Foodprint works. In a TikTok video, Bill explores the environmental savings data computed for his favorite Chipotle order, a burrito bowl with white rice, black beans, chicken, roasted chili-corn salsa, and Queso Blanco. Bill Nye's burrito bowl is now available in the Chipotle app and Chipotle.com for a limited time. 

Metrics for Real Foodprint are provided by HowGood, an independent research company with the world's largest sustainability database for products and ingredients. HowGood aggregates information from Chipotle's suppliers and over 450 unique data sources, including peer-reviewed scientific literature, industry findings, and research from government and non-governmental organizations, to evaluate the average impact of Chipotle's 53 real ingredients on the environment and animal welfare. Chipotle is the first restaurant retailer to partner with HowGood.

"Beyond asking people to make the right choice for the climate based on a carbon label, we are demonstrating the impact of our sourcing practices through data computed based on the ingredients in our customers' orders," said Caitlin Leibert, head of sustainability, Chipotle. "While our customers can make good choices for the planet by simply eating at Chipotle, the radical transparency provided by Real Foodprint also holds us accountable to improve our practices and source more sustainably over time. It is the combination of transparency for our guests and Chipotle's commitment to higher standards that make Real Foodprint so impactful."

Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. had over 2,700 restaurants as of Sept. 30, 2020, in the U.S., Canada, U.K., France, and Germany, and is the only restaurant company of its size that owns and operates all its stores.