Chipotle eliminates preservatives in tortillas
Chipotle Mexican Grill has announced that it has eliminated added colors, flavors, and preservatives in all the ingredients it uses to prepare its food.
Chipotle Mexican Grill has announced that it has eliminated added colors, flavors, and preservatives in all the ingredients it uses to prepare its food. This applies to all Chipotle restaurants in the United States and does not include beverages.
The popular fast-casual chain began working two years ago to remove unnecessary additives and preservatives from the tortillas it uses to make burritos, tacos, and chips. The new recipes for corn and flour tortillas now contain between two and five ingredients, respectively. For example, the new flour tortillas are made using only flour, water, canola oil, salt, and yeast. The corn tortillas used for the chips are made only with corn masa flour and water.
“We never resorted to using added colors or flavors like many other fast-food companies do simply because these industrial additives often interfere with the taste of the food,” said Steve Ells, Chipotle founder, chairman, and CEO. “However, commercially available tortillas, whether they are for us or someone else, use dough conditioners and preservatives. I’ve been on a quest for a better-tasting tortilla for years, and we finally achieved a tortilla made the way you would make them at home, and they are simply delicious.”
With the introduction of its new tortillas, the company now touts only “51 real ingredients” used to prepare all of its food. In addition, the company has released a “visual ingredient statement” that visually depicts the ingredients in each of its menu items.