Chipotle, the much beloved burrito chain that sets that standard for what fast food can (and should) be, has made the groundbreaking announcement that it's now GMO-free. This is the culmination of a long road for the Mexican food chain in its quest to provide better food for its customers.
Chipotle has always been a trailblazer in serving food that is environmentally conscious. The company serves more local produce than any other in the United States and is so committed to using only proteins from humanely-raised animals, that it chose to take its carnitas off the menu rather than serve pork from factory farms. Chipotle was also the first U.S. restaurant to voluntarily disclose GMO ingredients in its food in March 2013, and pledged at that time to move to non-GMO ingredients for all of its food.
Now, Chipotle is making good on that promise, working with farmers to plant non-GMO corn varieties for their corn tortillas, and replacing soybean oil with sunflower and rice bran oils, both extracted from non-GMO crops. The only item left in the company's food roster that have any artificial additives are their tortillas, and the company is working on a new process with the bread lab at Washington State University to develop a new system to make the staple.
If that news has got you wanting a burrito pronto, you don't even have to leave your house in certain parts of Miami, Miami Beach, and Coral Gables, because Postmates, the Uber of food, has partnered with Chipotle to deliver your lunch.
Postmates launched quietly in Miami back in September, but it wasn't until they partnered with Chipotle late last week that heads started turning.
The delivery service, available only in Coral Gables, Miami, and Miami Beach, is available 24 hours a day and works like Uber for groceries: You place your order online or through the Postmates app. Once accepted by a courier, they will send contact information and fetch your order. Deliveries cost a minimum $5 plus a 9 percent service fee, based on the purchase price of your items.
According to Postmates communications manager Heather Luntz, Chipotle is only the tip of the iceberg, when it comes to having things arrive at your doorstep."We will pick up and deliver from any place that will prepare a to-go order. This means morning coffee from Starbucks, dinner from Prime Italian, groceries from Whole Foods or even a prescription from the pharmacy — all available for on-demand delivery. If you don't see a spot in the featured places list in our app, you can search for a restaurant by name or address and then add a custom order."
That means that you can get a Starbucks latte, a Chipotle burrito, and an iPad (seriously, the Apple store on Lincoln Road is listed on their site) delivered to your home or office. Also available are condoms, Ben & Jerry's, and Bacardi rum, which could come in handy on a rainy Saturday afternoon.
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