2008 “Chipocrisy Tour” ready to roll!…

Posted on by CIW

CIW members and allies prepare to head west, call on Chipotle to live out the true meaning of its marketing slogan, “Food with Integrity”!

In the grand tradition of CIW “mini-tours” since 2001 (be sure to scroll to the end of this update for more on that tradition), the CIW is announcing the 2008 “Chipocrisy Tour,” set to begin at the end of this month in Austin, Texas, and wrap up at Chipotle Mexican Grill’s corporate headquarters in Denver, Colorado in early October.

The 2008 Tour will make its way through some of the most active and committed Fair Food communities in the country today. Beginning in Austin, the Tour crew will join with members of Fair Food Austin to celebrate the Whole Foods agreement with the community that helped make that ground-breaking accord possible. The Tour will then wind its way north through towns like Lawrence, KS, home of the incomparable Lawrence Fair Food, to Denver, where the fine folks of Denver Fair Food will lead the way. From Denver, the Tour heads to St. Louis, MO, Louisville, KY, and Ashville, NC, where fast-food giant Subway, too, will get a little of the Crew’s love with local actions and community meetings. Finally, the crew will head home again to Immokalee, wrapping up nearly two weeks of of intensive education and action around the true meaning of the term “sustainable agriculture.”

Chipotle has staked its claim as the sustainable agriculture leader in the fast-food industry. Its marketing slogan — “Food with Integrity” — is unambiguous.

Yet the company’s definition of “sustainable” is apparently unconcerned with the egregious exploitation of farm labor in Florida’s tomato fields. And you don’t have to take our word for it. Here’s the company’s vision of sustainable agriculture as defined by none other than Chipotle’s founder and CEO, Steve Ells:

“We decided long ago that we didn’t want Chipotle’s success to be tied to the exploitation of animals, farmers, or the environment.”

Should farmworkers be included in that definition? We think so, and in the language of this election season, that’s a debate we’re happy to have. So let the debate begin next week, with the 2008 Chipocrisy Tour, and may the best vision of sustainable agriculture win!

Check back soon for more tour details and for all the updates from the road starting next week.

In the meantime, for a sense of the history of CIW mini-tours and of what awaits our allies along the path of this coming tour, you can click on the following links: