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Tag: chipotle guacamole

  • Chipotle Guacamole Gone? Don’t Panic Yet

    No need to panic yet, people.

    Chipotle guacamole is not going anywhere anytime soon. A restaurant spokesman confirmed that the reports that Chipotle will no longer carry the side are “way overblown”.

    The company said in its most recent FEC filing that costs of food items like avocados, beef, dairy and chicken went up in 2013 and could rise even more in 2014.

    “Alternatively, in the event of cost increases with respect to one or more of our raw ingredients, we may choose to temporarily suspend serving menu items, such as guacamole or one or more of our salsas, rather than paying the increased cost for the ingredients,” the filing said.

    Those words seemed to leap out from the pages, sending people into a panic after word got out.

    The twitterverse went nuts following reports that Chipotle would not be serving the green stuff and it seems people started to take the threats of global warming way more seriously.

    Chipotle spokesman Chris Arnold said the news “is way overblown” and the filing is just routine.

    “As a public company … we are required to disclose any potential issues that could have potential impact on our business, and we do that very thoroughly,” he said.

    Image via Twitter, RYOT News

  • Chipotle Guacamole at Risk Due to Climate Change

    According to Chipotle’s annual report released last month that was recently highlighted by the liberal blog ThinkProgress, guacamole could be removed from the menu as a result of global warming.

    The restaurant chain said it uses 97,000 pounds of avocado per day (which amounts to 18 tons per year), and almost 70 pounds in just one batch of guacamole.

    While scientists said the avocado industry is currently fine, negative climate change could dramatically affect the crop. Scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, for example, predict that warmer temperatures will cause a 40 percent drop in avocado production in California over the next 32 years.

    Chipotle warned investors that severe climate changes could eventually affect the availability and prices of some of the guacamole’s ingredients and the company may not be willing to pay the bill if that is the case.

    “Increasing weather volatility or other long-term changes in global weather patterns, including any changes associated with global climate change, could have a significant impact on the price or availability of some of our ingredients,” Chipotle said in its annual report.

    “In the event of cost increases with respect to one or more of our raw ingredients we may choose to temporarily suspend serving menu items, such as guacamole or one or more of our salsas, rather than paying the increased cost for the ingredients,” read the report.

    Chipotle did recognize the menu change could have a negative impact on the restaurant chain.

    “Any such changes to our available menu may negatively impact our restaurant traffic and comparable restaurant sales, and could also have an adverse impact on our brand,” noted the company.

    Chipotle’s commitment to local, organic, and sustainable farming practices is another reason it may be more vulnerable in the event of an increasing climate shift. Chipotle’s food producers are generally smaller operations and may not be as able to survive poor farming conditions without raising prices, which has already been practiced over the past two years, the company said.

    “For instance, two years of drought conditions in parts of the U.S. have resulted in significant increases in beef prices during late 2013 and early 2014,” the company said, noting that further  increases in the price of beef could affect its decision to remove guacamole from its menu.

    Severe drought has put a strain on farming practices in California, the state in which the most Chipotle restaurants are located, at 288. The company is committed to working with local and sustainable farmers within 350 miles of the restaurant locations, so the drought in California has had quite an impact on costs because local producers are not always equipped to operate under poor weather conditions without increasing prices.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Chipotle Guacamole: It’s Still On The Menu

    Climate change gets blamed for a lot of things and now it is being blamed for a possible guacamole shortage that could cause restaurants like Chipotle to remove the item from their menu. Climate change has caused a major drought in California, where most of the avocados used in guacamole in the United States are grown.

    The drought has led to poor yields of avocados and other crops grown in California. As a result, shipments of the produce are behind and many restaurants are not getting the avacodos within a timely manner or at all. Chipotle recently said that as supply and demand goes, the less avocados there are, the higher their price. If the restaurant chain can not afford to take on the extra cost, they will just remove the guacamole from the menu.

    “In the event of cost increases with respect to one or more of our raw ingredients, we may choose to temporarily suspend serving menu items, such as guacamole or one or more of our salsas, rather than paying the increased cost for the ingredients,” the company said in a recent 10-K filing.

    Chipotle uses 97,000 pounds of avocado per day and it takes at least 72 pounds of avocados to make just one batch of guacamole. If they do not receive a large enough shipment of avocados, they may not be able to keep up with customer demands. Chipotle brags about using local foods and since the restaurant chain has the most restaurants in California, that is where they buy their avocados.

    The company has reassured customers that they have not removed guacamole from the menu yet and may not have to after all. Although the company released the information in a recent report, they claim that they have made similar reports in previous years and not removed any items from the menu.

    Do you think Chipotle will have to remove the guacamole from their menus?

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Chipotle Guacamole May Come Under Threat

    Chipotle Guacamole May Come Under Threat

    Chipotle has made responsible food sourcing a part of their business model, releasing an award-winning ad last year that cleverly combined animation with a haunting version of “Pure Imagination” by Fiona Apple and showed us how making the wrong choices regarding ingredients can have a lasting impact on our bodies and the land. Now, they’re worried that changing global climates may have a negative effect on the things they put into their food, and are warning customers that they may have to suspend some items from their menu as a result. Specifically, their famous guacamole and salsas.

    The burrito chain announced in an annual report last month that the terrible drought blanketing California may impact their ability to procure certain ingredients, namely those found in their guacamole and salsa.

    “Increasing weather volatility or other long-term changes in global weather patterns, including any changes associated with global climate change, could have a significant impact on the price or availability of some of our ingredients,” Chipotle said in the statement. “In the event of cost increases with respect to one or more of our raw ingredients we may choose to temporarily suspend serving menu items, such as guacamole or one or more of our salsas, rather than paying the increased cost for the ingredients.”

    But spokespeople for the restaurant say that the warning is simply a measure to ensure their customers are aware of what’s going on. More than likely, a slight price increase is all we’ll see.

    “This is nothing more than routine risk factor disclosure. The sky is not falling,” said spokesman Chris Arnold. “I wouldn’t read too much into this.”

    Image via YouTube