National Advertising Division Finds Certain Sustainability Claims for Chipotle Mexican Grill Supported; Recommends Modification of Others

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New York, NY – March 15, 2022 – The National Advertising Division (NAD) of BBB National Programs determined that Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. provided a reasonable basis for the following claims related to its sustainability practices:

• A Chipotle burrito “could make our farmers . . . more organic . . . less carbon emitting.”
• “Water Saved: We’re sourcing from farms with sustainable agriculture practices that save more water primarily through greywater reduction.”
• “Improved Soil Health: Ingredients sourced from farms with sustainable agriculture practices, like planting over crops, can improve soil health.”
• “We commit to divert 50% of waste from landfills during 2020.”

However, NAD recommended that the advertiser modify the claim “Reduced Carbon Emissions: From Farm to foil, we’re reducing greenhouse gas emissions by optimizing our supply chain, compared to conventional ingredients” to make clear the parts of its supply chain that have reduced carbon emissions.

NAD also recommended modification to claims related to the advertiser’s Real Foodprint sustainability program, to clarify that the metrics shown in Chipotle’s mobile app, email receipts, and account profiles are based on average sustainability assessment, not a consumer’s specific purchase.  

The claims at issue were challenged by NAD as part of its independent routine monitoring of truth and transparency in U.S. national advertising. 

Claims Regarding Real Foodprint

Chipotle runs a sustainability program called Real Foodprint that aims to inform consumers about how much more environmentally friendly each ingredient in their Chipotle meal is as compared to “conventional” ingredients. For example, after consumers purchase food using Chipotle’s mobile app, they have the opportunity to view the gallons of water saved, grams of less carbon in the atmosphere, square footage of improved soil health, and milligrams of less antibiotics used for each ingredient. 

NAD assessed two broad environmental claims related to Real Foodprint, which appear on the Chipotle website:

• “With Real Foodprint, you’ll see how the Chipotle difference is real. From how ingredients are raised, grown and cared for, Chipotle’s impact on real food and the planet starts at the source.”
• “Foodprint calculates an average sustainability impact across each of our 53 real ingredients based on our leading sourcing standards as compared to conventional ingredients.”

NAD found that these claims reasonably convey the message that Real Foodprint metrics are specific to each customer’s order and show the precise impact reduction for the meal consumed. 

In support of its Real Foodprint claims, the advertiser relied on an analysis provided by HowGood, a third-party SaaS data platform independent from Chipotle with a database on food and personal care product sustainability. NAD concluded that although the HowGood analysis provided a reasonable basis for the Real Foodprint claims, in certain contexts the claims communicate a level of personalization beyond the support provided.

Therefore, NAD recommended that the advertiser modify its Real FoodPrint claims to clarify that the metrics shown in Chipotle’s mobile app, email receipts, and account profiles are based on average sustainability assessment and not a consumer’s specific purchase.

Aspirational Claim

NAD determined one of the messages reasonably conveyed by the claim that a Chipotle burrito “could make our farmers . . . more organic . . . less carbon emitting” is a forward-looking aspirational message that Chipotle is in fact engaged in genuine efforts towards these goals. 

Based on the evidence in the record, NAD found that Chipotle has made significant efforts at achieving the goals that its suppliers would be “more organic” and “less carbon emitting.” For example, Chipotle makes large purchases of organic ingredients, which help bolster the market for organic food products as a whole, and indicated its intent to continue to do so in the future. In addition, reducing carbon emissions is a focus of the advertiser’s sustainability efforts, as shown for instance by the fact that Chipotle sources a significant portion of the beef it uses from grass-fed, grass-finished animals, which reduces carbon emissions when compared with animals raised on conventional farms.  

NAD concluded that the advertiser provided support for these aspirational claims as communicated in the context of the “Can A Burrito Change the World?” television commercial.

Specific Sustainability Claims

NAD determined that Chipotle provided a reasonable basis for the following claims:

• “Water Saved: We’re sourcing from farms with sustainable agriculture practice that save more water primarily through greywater reduction.”
• “Improved Soil Health: Ingredients sourced from farms with sustainable agriculture practices, like planting over crops, can improve soil health.”
• “We commit to divert 50% of waste from landfills during 2020.”

NAD determined that one reasonable takeaway from the claim “Reduced Carbon Emissions: From Farm to foil, we’re reducing greenhouse gas emissions by optimizing our supply chain, compared to conventional ingredients” is that Chipotle is reducing greenhouse gas emissions throughout its entire supply chain. However, the advertiser submitted no evidence of how far conventional ingredients are typically transported, nor did it provide any evidence demonstrating that its cooking processes, for example, have any reduced carbon emissions compared to any competitors.

Therefore, NAD concluded that the advertiser did not support the broad message reasonably conveyed and recommended that the “farm to foil claim” be modified to make clear the parts of its supply chain that have reduced carbon emissions.

In its advertiser statement, Chipotle stated that it “although we disagree with aspects of NAD’s analysis regarding the messaging communicated by our Real Foodprint tool, we support the NAD’s self-regulatory process and as a result, are committed to implementing the changes to comply with NAD’s recommendations.”

All BBB National Programs case decision summaries can be found in the case decision library. For the full text of NAD, NARB, and CARU decisions, subscribe to the online archive.

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About BBB National Programs: BBB National Programs is where businesses turn to enhance consumer trust and consumers are heard. The non-profit organization creates a fairer playing field for businesses and a better experience for consumers through the development and delivery of effective third-party accountability and dispute resolution programs. Embracing its role as an independent organization since the restructuring of the Council of Better Business Bureaus in June 2019, BBB National Programs today oversees more than a dozen leading national industry self-regulation programs, and continues to evolve its work and grow its impact by providing business guidance and fostering best practices in arenas such as advertising, child-directed marketing, and privacy. To learn more, visit bbbprograms.org.

About the National Advertising Division: The National Advertising Division (NAD) of BBB National Programs provides independent self-regulation and dispute resolution services, guiding the truthfulness of advertising across the U.S. NAD reviews national advertising in all media and its decisions set consistent standards for advertising truth and accuracy, delivering meaningful protection to consumers and leveling the playing field for business.