I recently attended Chipotle Cultivate in Phoenix, the first stop in the 2015 event schedule for Chipotle. This family-friendly, dog-friendly event is full of awesome music, to-die-for food, and interactive educational exhibits. Since I didn't bring my family or my pooch, I enjoyed the company of one of my best gal-pals and stalked strangers with dogs for my canine fix.

Some of the strangers I stalked at Chipotle Cultivate.

We enjoyed delicious local food and beverage, watched demos from world-renowned chefs, and listened to killer bands.

To me, one of the most impactful elements of the festival was the Factory vs. Farm exhibit. I've talked before about Chipotle's stellar ethics when it comes to the way their food is humanely raised, most recently highlighting the absence of carnitas in their restaurants. The Factory vs. Farm exhibit illustrated exactly why Chipotle has such high standards for their pork.

It's eye-opening to see such a warning when you are walking into an exhibit that will tell you the difference between factory-raised pork and farm-raised pork. Where does your food come from?

As we filed into the cramped quarters of the exhibit, we saw the conditions in which factory-raised pigs are forced to live. We not only learned about their deplorable environments, but about their health. For example the amount of antibiotics used in pork farming quadruples human antibiotic use in the U.S. When we eat conventionally-raised pork, that is passed on to us.

We viewed the conditions that factory-raised pigs face and learned some shocking facts. — We viewed the conditions that factory-raised pigs face and learned some shocking facts.

The exhibit housed some intense visuals and films and literature addressing how bad things are for factory-raised pigs. There's just nothing good about supporting that industry. From the mistreatment of the animals to the amount of stress hormones and antibiotics that are passed on to us in the meat, conventionally-raised pork is not something we should consume.

Thankfully, Chipotle has found a better way.

Upon exiting the Factory vs. Farm exhibit, we had the opportunity to discuss the industry with one of Chipotle's own pork suppliers. He answered questions about raising pigs responsibly and spoke to people one-on-one about the importance of sustainable farming practices.

I'm not quite sure where other than Chipotle Cultivate you could have such a full day. Learning and fun, all rolled into one, not to mention, you can bring your pooch! I've heard from Chipotle that the Phoenix Cultivate Festival was such a success, that it will be returning in 2016. I can't wait!

Chipotle Cultivate will be in Kansas City on July 18th and in Minneapolis on August 22nd.

Did you attend Chipotle Cultivate in Phoenix? Will you attend on Kansas City or Minneapolis? What are your thoughts on factory-raised vs. farm-raised pork?

pork

Factory raised pigs are confined to small pens and do not have the ability to move freely. They have very limited opportunity to express their natural behaviors. Because these conditions are so unhealthy for them, they are given large amounts of antibiotics to keep them from getting sick. Chipotle states that "according to the Union of Concerned Scientists, American pork producers use over ten million pounds of antibiotics per year to keep their confinement-raised pigs from getting sick. That's more than three times the estimated amount used to treat all human illness." Whoa!

By contrast, Chipotle sources it's pork responsibly. The pigs are raised outside or in large pens with ample roaming room. They are antibiotic-free, and fed an entirely vegetarian diet. Since 2001, Chipotle has sourced 100% of its pork from producers who follow these guidelines. Chipotle talks about going "back to the start," which is what they have done with their pork supply–obtaining it the way it was done before gigantic factory farms changed the entire industry. Check out their powerful video, Back to the Start:

You may have seen this sign at Chipotle recently. Good for them for refusing to lower standards!

I must have watched it a hundred times, and, still, it makes me cry every time.

But how do they know for sure that the pork they are getting is responsibly raised? They check. You may have noticed that Chipotle has recently been out of carnitas in many areas of the country. Chipotle checked, and when they discovered that their main pork supplier was not up to standards, they pulled carnitas from their stores until they can find one that meets their standards. Talk about responsible! Click here to read my post about why Chipotle is out of carnitas.

beef

Factory-raised beef suffers conditions similar to factory-raised pork. The cattle are crammed into small pens with little, if any, opportunity to move and are pumped full of antibiotics to keep them from getting sick from the abysmal conditions. They are not allowed to exhibit any of their natural behaviors.

Since 1999, Chipotle has purchased naturally raised beef. They admit that it has been an uphill battle to find suppliers to meet their standards. Typically these places are the mom-and-pop types, usually too small to handle the demands of an international chain. As time goes on, more and more suppliers are meeting Chipotle's high standards, but it has taken a lot of work. The good news? As the demand for naturally raised beef goes up, the supply goes up. Can you imagine how great it would be if all restaurants would make the same demands? Today, Chipotle sources 100% of their beef from ranches that meet or exceed their standards of being naturally raised. And if there is a shortage (which there occasionally is), they let their customers know.

chicken

Factory-raised chicken is an equally, if not more frightening, food source. Though by law, all chicken produced in the United States may not be raised with added growth hormones, factory-raised chickens are still given high levels of antibiotics. In order to get around the pesky growth-hormone ban, large suppliers have been using additives in their feed. One of these additives is arsenic, which makes the chickens grow faster. Do you want arsenic in your chicken?

Instead, Chipotle sources their chicken from suppliers who do not use antibiotics or feed additives. They say "we think arsenic sounds like poison."

Me, too!

When they do, on occasion, experience a supply shortage of naturally raised chicken, Chipotle notifies their customers.

dairy

You've heard about rBGH, right? A ton of dairy products now boast that they are "rBGH-free." But do we know what rBGH is? rBGH is short for "Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone," and you'll find its widespread usage in conventionally-raised dairy cows. rBGH is used to increase milk production. It's all about quantity, not quality. And it's not natural.

Of the dairy ingredients that are offered at Chipotle, none have been sourced from cows treated with rBGH. Their cheese, for example, comes from pasture-raised cows that have daily access to the great outdoors. The cows are fed an all-vegetarian, plant-based diet.

All of this is a lot to take in, but Chipotle hopes to illustrate and simplify this information in their Factory vs. Farm Exhibit at the Cultivate Festival. They hope that by educating restaurant-goers, people will demand food with integrity, and Chipotle won't be on it's own in this noble quest for higher standards for animals, the environment, and human health. Chipotle has an awesome Food With Integrity section on their web site that goes into even greater detail. There's even a FWI Facts page that showcases easy-to-Tweet and share facts about the industry. Here are a few FWI Facts they share:

Sustainable Farming: This method of farming uses techniques such as crop rotation, soil conservation, natural fertilization and polyculture planting. In livestock production, they use pasture-based systems, feed animals what their bodies are designed to digest, and treat their animals humanely. Sustainable farms produce foods that are tastier and more nutritions than foods produced on factory farms, while also preserving the long-term health of our environment.

The USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) does state that organic meat must come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. But organic meat or dairy products can often be produced on large factory farms where the animals can spend their entire life in confinement. Many people see organic food as natural, and in many ways this is true. But we've found that in some cases organic methods do not go far enough. That's why we are careful in selecting the farms we work with and deciding when working with an organic producer is appropriate for our needs.

Pigs raised naturally are more expensive than factory-farm raised pigs. In 1999, Steve Ells, or founder, chairman and co-CEO, started buying naturally raised pork and with that, kicked off our Food with Integrity philosophy.

There is so much to know, and so much to learn about Food with Integrity. I look forward to learning more about Factory vs. Farm at the Cultivate Festival and hope you'll join me!

What do you think is the most alarming thing about factory-raised meats?