Mexican fast-casual chain Chipotle has launched a new feature on its digital ordering platforms to give customers a “sustainability impact tracker” of their meals.
The tracker will use key metrics to create a “Real Foodprint” score that compares “Chipotle's ingredients and sourcing standards to an industry average, and the metrics provide a snapshot of computed environmental savings across categories,” the company said in a release.
Caitlin Leibert, Chipotle’s head of sustainability, said the new tool demonstrates “the impact of our sourcing practices through data computed based on the ingredients in our guests' orders.” The tool also “holds us accountable to improve our practices and source more sustainably over time.”
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The chain, which has more than 2,700 locations worldwide, has long marketed based on the ingredients it uses in the production of its burritos, tacos, and other menu items, frequently boasting about their interpretation of superior sourcing and products.
The five metrics — less carbon in the atmosphere, gallons of water saved, improved soil health, organic land supported, and antibiotics avoided — are scored for all 53 of Chipotle’s ingredients. The company says the tracker will display “the difference between average data for each ingredient based on Chipotle’s sourcing standards and conventional, industry average standards.”
Earlier this month, a similar effort was announced that would flag “climate-friendly” dishes on restaurant menus that are produced in line with the goals necessary to meet the Paris Climate Accords. Panera Bread is the first company that used “Cool Food Meals” badges on its digital menus.
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