NEW YORK (AP) – Chipotle says it has completed phasing out genetically modified ingredients from its food, making it the first national fast-food chain to do so.
The Denver-based chain had already been using mostly non-GMO ingredients, but was working on making final changes to its tortillas.
The Food and Drug Administration maintains that GMOs are safe, and most of the country’s corn and soybean crops are genetically modified to have certain traits like resistance to herbicides and plant diseases.
In recent years, however, activists have been calling for regulations that require labeling for foods that contain genetically modified ingredients. Many companies have responded to such concerns; Whole Foods has said all products in its stores that contain genetically modified ingredients will be labeled as such by 2018.
Chipotle co-CEO Steve Ells has said in the past that the company felt it was best not to use GMOs given the “lack of consensus” about their effects.