Where Does Chipotle's Beef Come From?

Chipotle Mexican Grill is such a popular restaurant, you might wonder where it sources the ingredients for its burritos, bowls, and other foods; especially the tender and flavorful beef. While Chipotle uses many different cuts of steak for its beef dishes, there is one similarity between all of them; a commitment to using responsibly raised beef. It's difficult to know exactly where Chipotle gets its beef at a any given time because of its numerous suppliers, but generally it originates in Australia, New Zealand, Uruguay, Canada, and the U.S., though it may also get beef from other countries.

Considering the massive amount of beef Americans eat each year, which tops the list of beef-eating countries under Argentina and Uruguay, the dilemma becomes where Chipotle can get enough beef to meet customer's needs and still provide its signature high-quality food. According to an article in Supply Chain Digital, Chipotle follows a model called "Food with Integrity," that features strict quality standards while backing local suppliers. The company's strict supplier code of conduct says animals must be treated humanely, fed vegetarian diets, and raised without using growth hormones and non-medical antibiotics. 

In the past, according to a 2014 article in HuffPost, Chipotle sourced some of its grass-fed beef from suppliers in Australia. The restaurant had started leaning towards grass-fed beef for quality and health reasons, and at the time it couldn't obtain enough beef from its suppliers to meet demand. Since then, the sources and suppliers may have changed.

Beginning in the spring of 2018, according to Supply Chain Dive, the supply chain team was revamped, and as part of initiating new processes, the source for all of Chipotle's ingredients was reviewed. In addition to changing some of its suppliers, some back-of-the-house food preparation methods were improved, both in response to food safety concerns traced to raw food and handling that had occurred at Chipotle's restaurants. In the current supplier code of conduct, there's no indication that grass-fed beef is currently mandated by Chipotle Mexican Grill, though some sources suggest that a percentage of Chipotle beef is grass-fed.

You can observe the result of Chipotle's focus on quality sourcing and preparation practices in its flavorful menu items that include beef barbacoa and steak. Chipotle is one fast food restaurant that actually sous vides its beef, which is considered a safe cooking method and also provides the foundation for overnight marinating and then grilling for ultimate tenderness, which you can enjoy with your next delicious steak burrito.