Thursday morning, a new, controversial ad campaign hit the press. New Yorkers were likely the first to see it, because its inaugural imprint was in The New York Post, in the form of a full-page ad. And it isn’t at all kind to Chipotle.
The ad — which features a flexing, overweight male, looking directly into the camera, smiling, almost snidely — mocks the notion that eating at Chipotle is a healthy life choice. “Eat two ‘all natural’ Chipotle burritos a week and you could gain 40 pounds in a year,” the ad says, oozing with sarcasm. At the very top, large block letters read ” ‘Chipotle’ Healthy” in large block letters.
The link — — leads to a single-page website. Within it, Chipotle’s slogan, “Food with Integrity,” is altered so it says “Food with Hypocrisy”; its commitments to sustainability, antibiotic-free meat and GMO-free food are disparaged. Sofrito, the website quips, is a word the chain “made up for tofu.”
The campaign is funded by the Center for Consumer Freedom, a nonprofit organization that lobbies on behalf of the food companies. The group’s mission is perhaps most clearly evident in those it deems its adversaries.
“A growing cabal of activists has meddled in Americans’ lives in recent years,” CCF says. “They include self-anointed ‘food police,’ health campaigners, trial lawyers, personal-finance do-gooders, animal-rights misanthropes, and meddling bureaucrats.”
Chipotle, CCF claims, falls firmly into that family of enemy activists. “A lot of what Chipotle says about its food is based on misconceptions,” said Will Coggin, CCF’s director of research. “We launched this campaign because we wanted to take this stuff head on.”
Specifically, Coggin points to the chain’s self-aggrandizing statements about its food. “They’ve built up this idea that somehow their food is better for you, that it’s healthier for you,” he said. “We’re not going to take it.”
Chipotle, for its part, is neither surprised by the attack nor impressed by it. “What they’re saying, what they’re accusing us of, it’s nothing new,” said Chris Arnold, Chipotle’s director of communications.
Chipotle has earned both praise and skepticism in its ascent to the upper echelon of the fast-food world. The company’s mission, which is centered on a commitment to sourcing the most ethical ingredients possible, has proven an honest one.
Earlier this year, when it became clear that a pork supplier wasn’t meeting the company’s standards, Chipotle took the fall, and stopped serving pork at hundreds of restaurants around country. The act was met with applause.
Chipotle’s announcement that it would no longer serve foods containing genetically modified organisms, however, was far less popular. Much of the media accused the chain of irresponsible fear-mongering.
There is reason to believe CCF’s intention might be less pure than their statements make it seem. After all, it was founded by Rick Berman, a lawyer and lobbyist famous for arguing on behalf of big food companies and against big health initiatives.
Shady or not, the public attacks are likely to pick up speed and prominence.
“Oh, there is more to come,” Coggin said. “But I won’t say anymore, I can’t talk about it at this time.”
