Restaurant giant Chipotle Mexican Grill is endorsing the Colorado ballot measure that mandates labeling of genetically engineered food.
Proposition 105 would require some foods sold in Colorado to carry labels if they contain genetically modified organisms, or GMOs. The measure would not apply to restaurant food. However, Denver-based Chipotle last year began disclosing GMO ingredients on its online menu. In-store menus are not labeled.
“Fundamentally, we believe that people have a right to know what’s in the food they eat,” Chipotle chairman and co-CEO Steve Ells said in a statement. “Consumers want this information, and we are already giving it to them. But well-funded opposition groups continue to fight labeling efforts, with opponents putting their own profits ahead of consumer preferences.”
Chipotle spokesman Chris Arnold said the chain has not contributed to Proposition 105 because corporate policy prohibits political funding. Co-CEOs Ells and Monty Moran were not listed as contributing personally on campaign filings through Sept. 29.
Chipotle has some food items made with GMO corn, but is working to fully convert to non-GMO corn by the end of the year. Some meats are from animals fed with GMO ingredients, which Arnold said is the “next step” in the chain’s conversion.
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