Chipotle Lawsuit Charges False Advertising With Its GMO-Free Menu
Chipotle faces a class action lawsuit claiming the company's "Food With Integrity" campaign is no more than a litany of false advertising.
Filed in California, the New York Daily News reports the suit specifically charges that the chain's claims and advertisements of serving a GMO-free menu are "false and misleading."
As part of its current and ongoing campaign, Chipotle has proudly claimed bragging rights on being the first major restaurant outlet in the U.S. to serve a menu devoid of genetically modified ingredients.
In her lawsuit, California resident Colleen Gallagher maintains the company's menu was never free of GMOs and alleges that the "meat products come from animals which feed on GMOs such as soy and corn." The dairy products the company uses, such as the sour cream and cheese, are also alleged to come from farms that feed animals with GMOs.
In addition, the suit alleges that the company also sells soft drinks made with corn syrup, another GMO product.
"Consumers today are very concerned about what they eat, and restaurants know that consumers place a premium on food that is considered to be healthy or natural," said attorney Laurence D. King in a statement.
"As a result, Chipotle's advertising in its stores should have accurately informed customers about the source and quality of its ingredients and should not mislead consumers that they are serving food without GMOs when in fact they are," he later added.
As recently as April, Chipotle claimed it requested that company suppliers commence planting non-GMO corn varieties for its corn tortillas and replaced the soybean oil it previously used for its chips and tacos shells with sunflower oil.
Soon after Chipotle began waging its high-profile publicity campaign, other fast food chains and food manufacturers like Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and Campbell Soup Company also began removing artificial ingredients from their food products in hopes of appealing to more health-conscious consumers.
Meanwhile, Chipotle recently announced plans to commence delivering to as many as 40 college campuses across the country.
Subscribe to Latin Post!
Sign up for our free newsletter for the Latest coverage!