Should I be happy or sad that Chipotle is being sued for claiming to eliminate GMOs from its menu?
Back in May of 2015 I read an article on Mother Jones about Chipotle getting rid of GMOs. As a skeptic who has closely followed the science regarding genetic modification of food (or genetic engineering if you prefer) I recognized that Chipotle was cynically jumping on the anti-GMO bandwagon. And I wasn’t the only person to reach that conclusion as this article shows.
This is the message I sent to Chipotle via their web site:
Regarding your announcement to remove GMO ingredients from your menu: I won't eat again in your restaurants until you rescind that boneheaded decision. I expect a company with your values to not be driven by ignorant fear-mongering by people who think dihydrogen-monoxide is a deadly chemical because it sounds scary.
Their reply to me contained all of the usual tropes such as “there are many who disagree [that GMOs are safe]”. Their reply also focuses on the use of genetic engineering to make plants tolerant of glyphosate but only in a superficial manner. Their closing paragraph stresses that they have simply decided to “take a cautious approach to GMOs” and stress that many other companies such as Ben & Jerry’s are eliminating GMO ingredients from their products. In other words, “don’t hate us we’re just doing what every other money grubbing company thinks will boost profits”.
So I am happy to see Chipotle being sued over their bogus claim that they are in fact eliminating GMOs from their food. However, I am ambivalent because the person filing the lawsuit believes GMOs are a clear and present danger. So I can’t decide if I want them to win or lose the lawsuit. The plaintiff is a loon. The defendant is a cynical corporation. Both are working to make the future of the world bleaker.
I applaud Chipotle’s efforts to improve the treatment of the chicken, cows, and pigs that ultimately become the protein in the food they serve. But their stance on GMOs is not supported by science or an ethical evaluation of what is best for the future of every person living on this planet.