Expect big changes coming to Chipotle

We have been the bearers of bad Chipotle news for awhile now. First, we regretted to inform you that Chipotle isn’t as good for you as we’d all thought, and then, when we dropped news about the E. Coli outbreak at Chipotle and the fact that ingredient that caused the outbreak was still untraceable. Now, we’ve got some more news: Chipotle has decided to alter some of their cooking methods, and these altered cooking methods are going to make the food less fresh.

It’s awesome that they’re focusing on food safety, but less awesome that their fresh ingredients are going to take a hit.

First, the onions are going to be dipped in boiling water before they are chopped to kill any bacteria that could be hanging out in those layers. And the raw chicken that used to be marinated in bowls is now going to be marinated in resealable plastic bags. Cilantro is going to now be added to the rice so that the heat can kill off any lingering infectious microbes. And lastly, certain ingredients like tomatoes and cilantro will be pre-chopped at a separate location so that they can be tested, just like the meat and chicken which will be tested at a separate location as well.

In the past, Chipotle publicly announced that they believed tomatoes tasted better when chopped in the restaurant as opposed to before shipping to the location. But after the outbreak, Chipotle co-CEO Steve Ells came at the idea from a different angle when being interviewed by CNBC last week. “If I’m eating a burrito that had tomatoes that were chopped in a central kitchen in the salsa or one that was chopped in house, I probably couldn’t tell the difference.”

Well, we sure hope he’s right.

(Image via Shutterstock)