Chipotle Mexican Grill, which has six restaurants across London, including Soho, Baker Street, Islington and The City, has gained gluten-free accreditation from Coeliac UK for all of its sites in London.
Chipotle’s food menu features just one gluten-containing item: a large flour tortilla used to wrap its burritos, and a smaller version used for soft shell tacos. Those following a gluten-free diet can easily omit the tortilla and enjoy a burrito bowl, crispy corn tacos or a salad.
Chipotle has worked closely with Coeliac UK, the national charity for people living without gluten, for a number of months during the accreditation process, which included a series of audits and staff training on the preparation and serving of gluten-free food.
James Dannatt, marketing manager, Chipotle in Europe, commented, ‘We are delighted to achieve gluten free accreditation from Coeliac UK. We saw an opportunity to work with the charity to help us put measures in place to make Chipotle in London a safe place for those with coeliac disease to enjoy our food. We now have a golden stamp of approval.’
According to Coeliac UK, one in 100 people in the UK has coeliac disease, although only 24% of these are currently diagnosed, and once diagnosed the only treatment for the condition is following a gluten-free diet for life.
Sarah Sleet, chief executive of Coeliac UK said: ‘We know eating out safely is a top concern for people with coeliac disease. We are working with the hospitality industry to help them deliver good quality menu choices for people with coeliac disease and we are delighted Chipotle is recognizing the importance of catering for this market by gaining accreditation from Coeliac UK.’
Chipotle, which hails from the USA where it operates over 2,300 restaurants, opened its first restaurant outside North America, at Charing Cross Road in central London, back in 2010. Chipotle has been instrumental in establishing a new kind of thinking about fast food in the US, what it calls ‘Food with Integrity’, and it continues to bring the same food philosophy to London.
Chipotle has been recognised by Compassion in World Farming at the annual Good Animal Welfare Awards and has received a Good Chicken Award and a Good Pig Award; Chipotle was praised for its approach to the sourcing of its raw ingredients but in particular for its commitment to using free-range pigs for its pork carnitas and RSPCA Freedom Food certified poultry for its chicken dishes. And now, Chipotle in London has proudly achieved gluten free accreditation from Coeliac UK.