Here’s Why People Are Mad At Chipotle — Again

After weathering controversies relating to GMOs and food poisoning, we thought Chipotle was on the way back to a reputation made mostly of gigantic burritos. And it turns out, they are, but not in a good way. As MyNewsLA reports, three California customers allege that those big burritos aren't appropriately labeled in terms of calories — and they've even filed a class-action lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court to settle the issue. The plaintiffs claim the chain's in-store advertising is misleading people into thinking the food is way healthier than it actually is. In particular, the plaintiff's cite a sign with a picture of a chorizo burrito and "300 calories" written underneath. But, as anyone who's eaten a Chipotle burrito will tell you, there is no way that thing has only 300 calories. In fact, if one were to actually order the burrito as pictures (cheese and all) it would tally closer to 950 calories, according to Grub Street. Apparently unrelated to the suit, Chipotle has clarified on Twitter that the 300 calories refers only to the chorizo in the burrito, not the whole thing. In fact, according to the chain's own calorie calculator, just the tortilla alone would get you to 300 calories. As misleading as the calorie information on certain signs may (or may not) be, this still doesn't mean the burrito is inherently "bad" for you. If you were somehow under the impression that those big burritos weren't going going to come with a hefty calorie count, well, let this be your newsflash. But still, please, don't let it sway you if you're in the mood for a burrito. There are way more important things to consider when it comes to your lunch choices than calories alone. For example, consider the nutrition of the burrito on the whole: the fiber provided by the beans, the protein offered by the chorizo, and so on. As long as you're eating intuitively — that is, listening to your appetite, and your body's hunger and fullness signals — you will know when you've had your fill of calories based on your body's response. ...And now we're suddenly really in the mood for a burrito.