Chipotle Signs Agreement with CIW to Join Fair Food Program

[Future Harvest - CASA]

CHIPOTLE SIGNS AGREEMENT WITH CIW
TO JOIN FAIR FOOD PROGRAM

DENVER, October 4, 2012 – Chipotle Mexican Grill and the Coalition of
Immokalee Workers (CIW), a farmworker-based human rights organization,
have reached an agreement that brings Chipotle’s commitment to
sustainable food to the CIW’s Fair Food Program. The agreement, which
will improve wages and working conditions for farmworkers in Florida
who pick tomatoes for Chipotle, comes in advance of the winter tomato-
growing season, when most of the nation’s tomatoes come from growers
in Florida.

The Fair Food Program provides a bonus for tomato pickers to improve
wages and binds growers to protocols and a code of conduct that
explicitly include a voice for workers in health and safety issues,
worker-to-worker education on the new protections under the code, and
a complaint resolution procedure which workers can use without fear of
retaliation. The Program also provides for independent third party
audits to ensure compliance.

“With this agreement, we are laying down a foundation upon which we
all – workers, growers, and Chipotle – can build a stronger Florida
tomato industry for the future,” said Gerardo Reyes of the CIW. “But
more than this, today’s news marks a turning point in the sustainable
food movement as a whole, whereby, thanks to Chipotle’s leadership,
farmworkers are finally recognized as true partners -- every bit as
vital as farmers, chefs, and restaurants -- in bringing ‘good food’ to
our tables.”

“Chipotle has an unmatched track record driving positive change in the
nation's food supply and is continuously working to find better, more
sustainable sources for all of the ingredients we use — sources that
produce food in ways that demonstrate respect for the land, farm
animals, and the people involved,” said Chris Arnold, communications
director at Chipotle. “We believe that this agreement underscores our
long-standing commitment to the people who produce the food we serve
in our restaurants.”

Chipotle becomes the 11th company to join the CIW’s Fair Food Program,
which is designed to create a sustainable tomato industry through
respect for the rights and concerns of all involved. The Fair Food
Premium paid by participating buyers like Chipotle is used to help
participating growers improve wages and working conditions for Florida
farmworkers.

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About Chipotle
Steve Ells, founder, chairman and co-CEO, started Chipotle with the
idea that food served fast did not have to be a typical fast food
experience. Today, Chipotle continues to offer a focused menu of
burritos, tacos, burrito bowls (a burrito without the tortilla) and
salads made from fresh, high-quality raw ingredients, prepared using
classic cooking methods and served in a distinctive atmosphere.
Through our vision of Food With Integrity, Chipotle is seeking better
food from using ingredients that are not only fresh, but that—where
possible—are sustainably grown and naturally raised with respect for
the animals, the land, and the farmers who produce the food. A
similarly focused people culture, with an emphasis on identifying and
empowering top performing employees, enables us to develop future
leaders from within. Chipotle opened with a single restaurant in 1993
and currently operates more than 1,300 restaurants. For more
information, visit Chipotle.com.

About CIW
The CIW (www.ciw-online.org) is a community-based farmworker
organization headquartered in Immokalee, Florida, with over 4,000
members. The CIW seeks modern working conditions for farmworkers and
promotes their fair treatment in accordance with national and
international human rights standards. The CIW’s Campaign for Fair Food
has won unprecedented support for fundamental farm labor reforms,
through the Fair Food Program, from retail food industry leaders. The
Fair Food Program taps the unique powers of all the elements of our
country's food industry:

of consumers, to demand the highest ethical standards for food
production;
of food retailers, to use their tremendous buying power both to demand
higher labor standards of their suppliers and help raise farmworkers
out of poverty through a price that supports sustainable production;
of growers, to continuously improve their operations and meet consumer
demand, keeping pace with an evolving marketplace, and,
of farmworkers, to help expose and fix the worst abuses and apply
their unique knowledge toward modernizing, and humanizing, our farm
labor system.