Chipotle (CMG +1.29%) said today in a press release today that using responsibly raised and antibiotic-free beef is still the company's current policy.
Chipotle founder and co-CEO Steve Ells said in a statement: "We decided to start serving meat from animals that have never been given antibiotics or added hormones more than a decade ago. And we continue to be committed to the elimination of antibiotics that are used to promote growth in livestock being raised in confinement operations."
A Bloomberg article posted today quoted Chipotle spokesman Chris Arnold as saying the company is looking into using meat from cattle that had been treated with antibiotics. In an email to NPR, Arnold later said, "I gave Bloomberg incorrect information."
In Chipotle's press release today, the company stressed that while it's looked into the possibility of using animals that had been treated with antibiotics only when needed for the animals' health, "that protocol has not been implemented." The company is evaluating its "never-ever" antibiotic policy for cases in which animals are ill. Ells said in the statement, "We are certainly willing to consider this change, but we are continuing to evaluate what's best for our customers, our suppliers, and the animals."
