The Chain Gang

Turns Out Nobody Actually Cares If Chipotle Is Unhealthy

Just a little midday snack.
Just a little midday snack. Photo: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Now that the New York Times ran its not exactly shocking calorie exposé on Chipotle, there is no unlearning the fact that your thrice-weekly burrito habit probably isn’t the best thing for your health. And yet, now that the cold, hard facts have circulated so widely online, nobody really seems to care. From the company’s standpoint,
Chipotle spokesperson Chris Arnold explains to Bloomberg their attitude toward calorie-counting: Food is “something to be enjoyed. Not a science experiment aimed at engineering away calories or grams of fat.” And besides, it’s people’s own fault if their gut-buster burritos clock in at 2,000 calories, since they “choose exactly what ― and how much ― they eat.”

And as for those customers, a recent Nielsen survey of Americans — also reported by Bloomberg — concluded that low-calorie food is just the 16th most important factor that people consider when deciding what to eat. Sixteen! This news bodes well not just for Chipotle, but for the success of bacon-wrapped pizza as well.

[Bloomberg]

Turns Out Nobody Actually Cares If Chipotle Is Unhealthy