cross-posted at annoyedomnivore.wordpress.com
On the heels of Carl’s Jr.’s announcement in mid December that they would offer a clean, non-industrial burger to its menu, Chipotle Mexican Grill let it be known last week that they were dropping pork products from their menu. The difference between the two decisions is that where Carl’s Jr. did market research in an attempt to bolster their bottom line, Chipotle Mexican Grill made a political decision, and dropped a product. CEO Steve Ells has temporarily pulled carnitas from their menu, citing the failure of their supplier, as Miller Tabak analyst Stephen Anderson said, “to comply with the company’s pig housing standards.” And where the Carl’s Jr. move appears to have made a huge impact on the way beef will soon be produced in this country and was largely applauded, Ells decision was perceived as a negative, with the value of its stock falling, albeit temporarily. The reaction could also stem from the fact that CKE Restaurants Holdings, the parent company of Carl’s Jr., rakes in about $1.3 billion in profits, whereas Chipotle earns roughly $758 million.
Nevertheless, this move by a smaller fast food chain will contribute to the growing consumer demand for sustainable products. And as people become more aware of not just how pigs are raised but what the health consequences are from eating industrial pork, they are more likely to demand changes in current farming practices. Currently, as with beef, demand for humanely raised organic pork exceeds supply. Chipotle Mexican Grill still has at least 1,800 restaurants nationwide and thus has the ability to encourage more humane treatment of pigs and cattle. As I stated last week, Chipotle has also decided it must import grass-fed, humanely treated beef from Australia, as it is now sometimes forced to sell conventionally raised beef as humanely raised cattle are often difficult to source. Chipotle’s decision has raised a few eyebrows, but Chris Arnold, a Chipotle spokesman, said “we would rather not serve pork at all than serve pork from animals [conventionally raised]. Replacing the supply we have lost…will take some time, but it is important to us to maintain our high standards for pork, and we will continue to see some shortages while we work to increase the available supply.”
Niman Ranch, a consortium of U.S. family farmers committed to “humane animal raising standards,” already a supplier to Chipotle, recently announced they will increase their supply of fresh pork to the chain. This is a temporary fix, however, as Niman will draw from an emergency reserve. Chipotle has declined to publicly name the suspended supplier, but intends to resume a business relationship if that supplier improves living conditions for its pigs. In the interim, Niman says it is “working with our family farmers on a long term basis to help encourage them to grow more animals, which will result in increased supply in the long run.” Chipotle and Niman alone cannot alter the current overall condition of industrial pig farming. But efforts to reverse the long term practice of confining pigs to crates where they are unable to move has gained popularity among consumers, causing Target, McDonald’s and Campbell Soup, among others, to refuse pork raised in this manner from their pork supply chains. And despite the drop in stock price immediately after Chipotle’s “no more pork” announcement, switching from conventionally raised pork to those humanely raised in 1999 caused carnitas sales to double, even as the price increased by one dollar. And while there are currently not enough organic pig farmers in the U.S., the Rodale Institute has initiated a 333 acre organic farm in Pennsylvania that raises, among other things, organic pigs. The farm serves as a demonstration on how to convert from conventional practices to organic farming. Chipotle’s is hopefully just on an increasingly longer list of businesses that push for organic farming practices. That they have long been in the business of raising consumer awareness is laudable and will contribute to future change.
Recipe of the Week
I was awarded the giant ham bone from our Christmas gathering (a Niman Ranch product), and decided to make ham stock. It takes far less time than chicken stock and enhances bean soup immensely.
Ham Stock
1 ham bone
1 whole onion, skin and all, quartered
4 or five celery stalks, untrimmed
2 carrots
Put all the ingredients in a large pot and just barely cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to a simmer for at least two hours. Strain. Take the meat off the bone and freeze for later use in soup.