Chipotle, the fast-casual burrito chain that is surprisingly hard to hate, keeps getting greener. Perhaps to take attention away from the whole illegal employees thing (or to keep us from focusing on the whole chorizo made with chicken thing) the chain has announced that this year their food is going to be way local. In 2010 they served five million pounds of tomatoes, peppers, lettuce and the like sourced from within 350 miles. So naturally this year they say they are on track to serve ten million pounds of local produce to go along with their relatively ethically-raised meat.
Chipotle started serving local fare in 2008 and has been steadily increasing the amount it serves since. Of course, because it is local, not every Chipotle gets the fresh goodies, especially during the winter in colder climates. That's why the company does its sourcing by region. So, for example, in California the company sources things like lemons, cilantro and avocados that it simply can't source here. And that's probably a good thing. From what we hear the really local lettuce in these parts tends to taste like exhaust fumes...
