Pandering to Public Opinion? Scientists Criticize Chipotle

An announcement last week that Chipotle Mexican Grill will no longer use ingredients containing GMOs was regarded largely as a move to charm consumers rather than offer genuine health benefits.

Critics say the fast-food chain’s decision to use GMO-free corn in its tortillas and GMO-free plants as the basis for its cooking oil creates the misleading perception that GMOs are dangerous in spite of vast evidence to the contrary. It also overlooks the reality of what’s served at restaurant chain—soft drinks that contain genetically modified corn syrup and beef, pork, and chicken from animals that ate genetically modified plants.

Reaction was swift from the agricultural community and reinforced by media such as the Wall Street Journal, National Public Radio, Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, and bloggers focused on business, agriculture, and marketing.

Chipotle, which has more than 1,700 locations in North America and Europe, released a statement in response to the criticism that said, among other things, that the use of GMOs was not making its food better, and that it believed concerns about GMOs were valid.

Among organizations that have declared GMOs safe are the National Academy of Sciences, the World Health Organization, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. S