Chipotle Mexican Grill’s GMO-Free Claims

August 2016: A federal judge dismissed some of the claims in this lawsuit. The judge allowed claims based on Chipotle’s advertising statement that it uses “Only NON-GMO Ingredients” to move forward, but dismissed claims related to other statements because the named plaintiff did not adequately plead that she saw or relied on them. The judge also dismissed claims based on meat and dairy products finding that the definition of “non-GMO” presented in the complaint (i.e., that the products were not from animals that consumed GMO-containing feed) is “implausible” and the complaint did not show that a significant portion of the public would be misled. The judge did not dismiss the claims based on corn, flour, and soy products.

March 2016: A class-action lawsuit was filed against Chipotle Mexican Grill for allegedly marketing its menu as GMO-free when, in reality, some ingredients in menu items are not GMO-free. For example, Chipotle’s meat and dairy products come from animals that feed on GMOs, and their soft drinks are also made with GMOs. (Pappas et al v. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc., Case No. 16-cv-612, S. D. CA.)

For more information about other class-action lawsuits filed against Chipotle and TINA.org’s coverage of the company, click here.