Chipotle says that there’s no “quick fix” to the current pork shortage, which has forced some of the chain’s locations to temporarily remove carnitas, or shredded pork shoulder, from the menu.
“I think the biggest misconception is that there is a quick fix to this. Given constraints to our current pork supply and the timelines needed to raise more pigs, there isn’t a quick fix,” spokesman Chris Arnold told the Epoch Times via email.
Strict Standards
Pigs take about six months to raise. Chipotle’s standards for pork require suppliers to raise pigs outside or in deeply bedded pens with plenty of straw, without antibiotics, and on a vegetarian diet.
The company boasts on its website that it has sourced 100 percent of its pork since 2001 from producers who follow these guidelines. “We believe pigs that are cared for in this way enjoy happier, healthier lives and produce the best pork we’ve ever tasted,” it says on the site.
The pork shortage was highlighted by Bloomberg earlier this month, about three months after Chipotle cut ties with a major supplier after a routine audit uncovered problems.
Fewer than 5 percent of the pigs in the United States currently meet Chipotle’s standards. Because the company only uses the shoulder, suppliers have to find buyers who are willing to pay a premium price for the rest of the pigs.
