SUPPLIER INTERVENTION

OUR PROCESS TO MITIGATE FOOD SAFETY RISKS BEFORE INGREDIENTS REACH CHIPOTLE

We actively partner with our ingredient suppliers to implement rigorous food safety standards above and beyond regulatory requirements. We have designed these additional controls to reduce or eliminate food safety risks before ingredients ever enter our kitchens.

Our policy requires our food suppliers to:

• Implement a series of preventive food safety systems, including HACCP plans and advanced technologies to further control food safety risks.

• Document the effectiveness of the food safety process interventions which are used within harvesting and processing operations.

• Routinely verify the effectiveness of their food safety interventions by using microbiological testing methods recognized by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

We emphasize to our suppliers that the first step of food safety is the design of safe processes that Chipotle’s Supplier Food Safety Team then verifies through on-site inspections and, where applicable, microbial testing. Many times, these visits are unannounced. While we do require and collect third-party audits throughout the supply chain, we want to maintain awareness and ensure internal visibility to facility practices. We also want to share best practices across our ingredient suppliers so that all suppliers are being held to the same standards and receiving credit for the food safety investments they make.

FARMER SUPPORT AND TRAINING

FOOD SAFETY FUNDING AND TRAINING FOR LOCAL FARMERS

We recognize that many small and mid-sized farms may not be equipped to sell to large organizations like ours, and we know that oftentimes significant investments are needed. Through our Local Grower Support Initiative, we provide training and funding to small, local growers so that they can implement programs to meet our high standards of food quality and safety. We cover the cost of facility improvements/design for food safety as well as provide food safety recordkeeping templates and tools to help comply with new regulatory requirements (e.g., Produce Rule). This allows partnering growers the chance to scale their business while keeping food safety at the forefront of their growth. 

ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY

ADVANCED TOOLS THAT ELIMINATE PATHOGENS WHILE MAINTAINING FOOD QUALITY

We utilize several advanced technologies in our commissaries and restaurants to improve the safety of our raw ingredients without affecting nutrition or taste.  These technologies are novel methods for preparing foods in a QSR concept, and we are proud that we are able to devote resources to these methods in the name of food safety.  We utilize these technologies at all of our restaurants globally.

Sous Vide: A process by which foods are placed in a vacuum-sealed package and heated at low temperatures for extended periods of time. It is a method of cooking employed by many of the world’s great chefs. It is also a recognized and validated intervention for controlling harmful bacteria. We use the sous vide process at the commissary level for our steak so that we can prevent raw beef from ever entering our restaurants. Our sous vide process is performed under continuous USDA inspection and monitored using sophisticated data collection, including continuous temperature monitoring.  After the steak has been heated at a low temperature for a precise amount of time, it is seasoned and grilled in our restaurants. The result is steak that is safe, smoky, tender, and flavorful.

Blanching: As fresh jalapeños are an ingredient in many of our dishes, we have incorporated a blanching step into our restaurant handling process.  Before jalapeños can be diced, they are blanched according to well-defined procedures, while keeping crew member safety in mind.  This process has been scientifically validated to reduce bacterial loads.

ENHANCED RESTAURANT PROCEDURES

PROTOCOLS FOR HANDLING INGREDIENTS AND SANITIZING SURFACES IN OUR RESTAURANTS

We maintain a clean environment in our restaurants and employ safe food handling practices. In 2018, we enhanced our already strong sanitation and HACCP systems designed to ensure restaurant sanitization and food preparation practices. The HACCP systems identify the critical processes that must be controlled and monitored in order to ensure food safety. The senior manager on duty during each shift is designated the Food Safety Leader and is responsible for checking that all food safety procedures are carefully followed. In each restaurant, the Food Safety Leader is tasked with monitoring the daily HACCP logs across 13 critical control points to provide consistent data collection and the greatest possible assurance of our food’s safety. These enhanced procedures help to ensure hazards are controlled in our restaurants and that the restaurants themselves do not become a source of contamination. Moreover, we employ robust food safety procedures when it comes to cleaning and sanitization. In 2018, we also introduced and fully implemented the Purell Handcare and Surface Sanitation program. We use a natural treatment that reduces many harmful bacteria and viruses from the restaurant environment.

WELLNESS CHECKS

In order to prevent employees from working while sick, it is our policy that the Food Safety Leader conducts a Chipotle Wellness Check with each team member immediately after they clock in for work, or before they enter the kitchen if the employee is not paid hourly. Our policy further requires the Food Safety Leader to ensure that the Chipotle Wellness Check is documented and that each employee has stated that they are healthy to work and free of symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, and nausea, consistent with FDA guidelines. Our policy also requires that all visitors who enter the back of house at Chipotle also receive a Chipotle Wellness Check. Chipotle also offers the availability of trained nurses for consultation with any employee who may feel ill in order to determine whether they should be excluded from work, with full pay. 

FOOD SAFETY CERTIFICATION

MANDATORY CERTIFICATION FOR MANAGERS AND FIELD LEADERS

We are dedicated to providing our employees the training and support they need to ensure food safety is always a top priority. We require our in-restaurant management teams to be trained and certified in food safety by ServSafe, a specialized, nationally recognized third-party program. ServSafe provides online or in-person courses and exams to all Kitchen Managers, Service Managers, Apprentices, General Managers, and Restaurateurs. Participants learn detailed information about food safety, temperature control, cleaning and sanitizing, cross-contamination control, and safety regulations.

In addition, we train our Field Leaders (leaders responsible for the operational oversight of 5-10 stores in a given region) in the HACCP system certified by the International HACCP Alliance. All Field Leaders are required to provide evidence that they can create a HACCP plan. 

Each quarter, all restaurant team members receive Quarterly Food Safety Training which covers the Food Safety Seven and the company’s key food safety priorities. Chipotle’s “Food Safety Seven” include: work healthy, work clean, keep produce safe, cook food to correct temperatures, hold hot and cold foods at specified temperatures, maintain sanitary conditions, and call for help when needed. Along with a recap of the seven principles, team members receive training on additional topics related to food safety as determined by Chipotle’s internal Food Safety team.

RESTAURANT INSPECTIONS

EXTENSIVE INTERNAL AND THIRD-PARTY FOOD SAFETY INSPECTIONS

We conduct rigorous point-by-point inspections of hundreds of items within our restaurants, including illness policy awareness, temperature controls, food handling and labeling, equipment inspections, procedure validations, and crisis management procedures. Using a software tool which allows for real-time visibility into task completion rates, our Field Leaders complete a comprehensive monthly review of our food safety standards at each restaurant. In addition to the monthly evaluation, our Field Leaders also complete an Owners’ Path assessment at each of their visits to a restaurant during which they audit the location against our food safety standards. Food safety inspections and audits provide regular, real-time feedback on the performance of each restaurant, allowing us to identify both best practices and areas that could use improvement. The inspections and audits are a part of Chipotle’s commitment to continuous improvement of food safety controls. Following the food safety incidents in 2015, we have significantly increased the number of internal and third-party inspections, which complement mandatory state and local health department inspections. Additionally, we partner with an independent food safety audit division of Ecolab, called EcoSure, to provide rigorous quarterly food safety audits of every Chipotle restaurant in the United States and Canada. Finally, Chipotle’s Restaurant Food Safety and Field Food Safety teams conduct food safety audits of restaurants. Our inspections and audits are then augmented by a centralized review of every health inspection conducted by local government officials, which are shared with our operations teams for swift action.  We also have the ability to target our focus on restaurants with low scores, or repeat violations over time, by deploying internal food safety teams to assist and resolve potential issues.

INGREDIENT TRACEABILITY

ADVANCED ELECTRONIC SYSTEM TO ENHANCE OUR TRACEABILITY PROGRAM

Our traceability program allows us to identify the menu-item ingredients that have traveled from the supplier—down to the lot code—to each restaurant. Our suppliers identify each food item we track with a unique Global Trade Item Number (GTIN); each case of ingredients is then labeled with a barcode containing the GTIN, lot number, and pack date or use-by date. As cases of food move from the supplier to our distribution centers, then on to our restaurants, employees scan the barcoded labels for all refrigerated food in each delivery. This process allows us to trace an individual lot through the supply chain. Chipotle is among the first major restaurants in the U.S. to digitally track items in this way, which serves as a powerful tool in supplementing our food safety program. It helps ensure that we are able to research and act on food safety and quality concerns quickly and thoroughly, knowing where particular ingredients are at a given time as well as where they’ve been.

"The ability to trace our food electronically from supplier to restaurant at the lot code level is a powerful enhancement to our food safety program."

- Kerry Bridges, Vice President of Food Safety

ADVISORY COUNCIL

GROUP OF INDUSTRY EXPERTS ADVISING ON AND REVIEWING OUR PROCEDURES

In order to ensure our food safety program is as robust as possible, it’s critical to supplement our internal expertise with independent external guidance. In 2016, we established the Food Safety Advisory Council comprised of industry-leading food safety experts. By combining our own Food Safety team with an esteemed group of specialists, we’re working to ensure the program will continually evolve and improve.