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Chipotle to source local produce

DENVER Chipotle Mexican Grill, with more than 730 units nationwide, said it plans this summer to buy at least a quarter of its produce from local small and mid-size farms.

The company said it would source romaine lettuce, green bell peppers, jalapenos and red onions from local farms when seasonally available.

“This is another way we are changing the way the world thinks about and eats fast food,” said Steve Ells, founder, chairman and chief executive of Chipotle. “Great chefs like Alice Waters [of Chez Panisse in Berkeley, Calif.] and Dan Barber [of Blue Hill in New York City] pioneered the idea of serving locally sourced food. Now we are taking it to a much larger scale so everyone can eat better.”

Kirk Holthouse of Holthouse Farms in Willard, Ohio, said in the company’s announcement that his farms would provide peppers and lettuce to Chipotle restaurants in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

“Chipotle is the first national restaurant that has made a conscious effort to support the local economy where their restaurants are located,” Holthouse said. “My hat is off to them, and we are hoping the program is a boost to the local farming economy and our bottom line.”

Chipotle has spent the past year building a network of local farmers who could provide produce for restaurants in their corresponding region. The company helps coordinate delivery logistics with each farm.

Chipotle said its other produce items, including organic beans, avocados and herbs, are not part of the local farms program.

Chipotle’s “Food With Integrity” initiative also includes meat from animals fed a vegetarian diet and raised in a humane way without antibiotics or added hormones. All of the chain’s pork and chicken comes from these sources, as does 60 percent of its beef. In addition, Chipotle’s cheese and sour cream are made with milk from cows that are not treated with synthetic bovine growth hormones. And about 30 percent of the chain’s black beans and pinto beans are organically grown.

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