Search results for "sustainable fast casual chains" overwhelmingly suggest that Chipotle takes the crown, typically ranking in the top spot.
Chipotle presents itself as focused on sustainability — but leaked accounts from employees often tell a different story, as a recent post on r/Chipotle demonstrated.
What's happening?
Reddit's r/Chipotle invites customers and employees alike to post, and a user from the latter group shared an image depicting what appeared to be a shameful amount of food waste.
In the attached photograph, a self-identified Chipotle employee was seen pushing a shopping cart laden with cardboard boxes.
The user's title indicated the cart contained 12 boxes of chicken, and the poster provided additional details.
"Due to 'excessive skin' on some of these [batches] of chicken, we have to throw the rest of them away by the order of the top management," they wrote. "Talk about waste."
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The photo alone indeed showed what seemed to be a tremendous amount of frivolous food waste — and comments from fellow Chipotle workers did little to alleviate that impression.
"Some managers pour bleach on top of the discarded chicken in the dumpster to prevent workers from taking them home," a user claimed.
"It's a shame these weren't given to a local food pantry or non-profit like Sharing Excess," another lamented.
"That's criminal," one person remarked.
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Heck yes 👍 "This happened a few months back, too. Chipotle is super picky about quality," a fourth replied.
Why is Chipotle's food waste a problem?
As commenters lambasted Chipotle's alleged food waste, rising grocery prices and food inflation were constantly in the news.
In September, NPR reported that food prices continued to spike, citing tariffs as a contributing factor.
On Oct. 2, Axios said that an increasing number of Americans struggled to "afford their groceries" versus this time last year. Prices for ground beef and coffee were up year-over-year, by 12.8% and 20.9%, respectively.
At the same time, the U.S. Department of Agriculture abruptly discontinued its report on food insecurity — not long after the American Public Health Association (APHA) warned that the problem was "getting worse."
Even under less fraught economic conditions, food waste isn't just about food that could have been eaten.
Landfilled food waste is a significant source of methane pollution, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, accounting for approximately 58% of unintentional planet-warming pollution.
Discarded food comprises 24% of all solid waste in American landfills, according to the EPA.
Is Chipotle doing anything about this?
Chipotle's "Sustainability" page detailed the chain's general environmental policies and goals, but it addressed food waste in brief, vague terms.
In response to an earlier article by The Cool Down, Laurie Schalow, Chipotle's Chief Corporate Affairs and Food Safety Officer, noted:
"As part of our mission to Cultivate a Better World, we prioritize minimizing food waste at every stage of our operation. Employees are trained to prepare fresh food in small batches throughout the day, ensuring optimal quality while minimizing overproduction. In addition, precise inventory management and meticulous forecasting helps us purchase only what is needed for each restaurant."
She continued: "Through our Harvest Program, we divert edible food from landfills by partnering with local charities to donate food from our restaurants and distribution centers. In 2024, we donated more than 405,000 pounds of food through the Harvest Program."
What's being done about food waste more broadly?
Composting, which occurs at some Chipotle locations, is a great alternative when food donations aren't feasible.
More Chipotle employees speaking out could pressure the chain to better prevent avoidable waste.
For consumers, spending strategically to encourage brands to improve also helps.
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