Back to the Drawing Board

I wasn't feeling too ardent towards any particular topic for tonight's blog.  I even typed in "trending now" on Google and still nothing elicited my inner blog.  Then I tried YouTube.  I decided to watch the Chipotle commercial that made headlines at the Grammy Awards the other night.  If you haven't seen it yet, it is worth a view.

First, the Grammy Awards are still on TV?  I thought they stopped airing that silly award ceremony back when Whitney was getting beat downs by Bobby.  (Ok... that was in poor taste). No surprise then to hear that a commercial stole the show. 

Second,  I love Chipotle.  When it comes to fast food burritos, they are tops. 

As far as the commercial goes, it appeals to the sentimentalist in all of us while subtly taking a shot at "Big Farma" or "Big Pharma" depending on how you look at it.  It is no secret that eating food products that have not been sprayed with pesticides, injected with chemicals or drugs is healthier for everyone.  But is it any better for us if the pigs roam free before they fill the burrito?

In an official statement from the American Society of Animal Science (ASAS), Chipotle is accused of taking liberties with their advertisement. 

"The video contrasts a dismal “factory farm” with cheerful, Chipotle-approved grasslands where pigs run free. In an effort to sell their products, Chipotle misrepresents the real conditions and science behind large scale food production."

This isn't the first time a TV commercial represented a fantasy land.  Remember "Bud Bowl"? It used claymation to make us think beer bottles could play football.  Don't forget the eTrade baby and the Coca-Cola Polar bears.  So I don't thing Chipotle did anything wrong. In fact, for those in the audience who don't care to question the farmer of the cute pink cartoon pigs, Chipotle is a modern day champion for under-privileged slaughter house animals everywhere.

Chipotle's website claims it uses ingredients that are "naturaly raised".  I am not sure how this applies to their black beans but here is how it relates to the animals that we eat in their burritos.

"'naturally raised' is “the way animals were raised 50 years ago before huge factory farms changed the industry.”

The ASAS argues:

"the systems that fed the world 50 years ago are not sufficient to feed the world today."

What Chipotle doesn't tell you is in order for them to stay profitable while"naturally raising" their swine, they soon will charge you $9 for the same burrito you can purchase at other Mexican fast food establishments for $3.  You say, "Finbags, isn't the extra $6 dollars worth your health?"  I say, if it is, I will make my burrito at home.  And when that happens,  Chipotle says,  "it is time to take our commercial back to the drawing board."