Chipotle Mexican Grill has been touting a campaign called “G-M-Over It,” and called itself, “the first national restaurant company…to cook only with non-GMO ingredients.” A recently filed class action suit says otherwise. Plaintiff Leslie Reilly of Florida has filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of herself and others similarly situated. The class period is from September 10, 2011 to the present, when Chipotle allegedly purposefully misrepresented to its consumers that its food contains only non-GMO ingredients. Yet, the suit asserts, Chipotle’s meat products come from animals that feed on GMO products, including corn and soy. The sour cream and cheese Chipotle serves come from dairy farms that feed their animals GMOs.
GMO is a “genetically modified” or “genetically engineered” organism, a plant or animal whose genetic material has been altered in an unnatural way. According to the suit, Chipotle is unfairly advertising products made with non-GMOs, since animals that are fed GMO products cannot be considered GMO-free. The marketing campaign appears to target environmental and health conscious consumers who are willing to pay more money for a GMO-free food product. The suit alleges Chipotle intentionally conceals and/or fails to disclose that not all of its food is GMO-free in order to optimize sales.
The FDA has stated that a whole food product called “GMO-free” is misleading if even one ingredient comes from a genetically modified organism. According to Florida law, where the suit was filed, Chipotle’s marketing and advertising are false, unlawful, and misleading, for inferior or undesirable ingredients or for products that contain ingredients not disclosed. The plaintiffs in the class action suit claim that they have been damaged by Chipotle’s deceptive and unfair conduct, and that they paid premium prices for a worthless and misbranded product they would not have otherwise consumed had they known the true ingredients.
Article Type: LawsuitTopic: Consumer