Former Chipotle Employee Details Animal Abuse and Inhumane Practices

Former Chipotle manager Rachel Zieglar saw animals living in inhumane conditions in one of the chain’s supplier farms — despite its claim to only serve “food with integrity.”

“I was responsible for training employees to tell people there was no animal cruelty in our meat. I was proud to tell our customers that we were serving ‘food with integrity,’” she explained. “But then I noticed something odd. Our suppliers were changing back and forth all the time.”

Zieglar said the names on supplier forms were from big factory farms that the company said they were no longer using. When she confronted her boss about why they weren’t telling customers, she said he got angry and told her to “just follow the talking points.”

Deciding to take matters into her own hands, Zieglar took an address from one of the boxes and drove to the plant.

“I was expecting to see a pasture with birds outdoors, like what I saw in our training videos. And instead the place was a huge fortress,” she said. “And from the moment I walked in, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.”

Zieglar said she saw thousands of chickens crammed into the space, many of which were deformed. There were also bloody feathers and severed body parts around the farm. Though she says her actions could have legal consequences, she says she couldn’t stay silent and is urging people to sign a petition regarding Chipotle’s cruel practices.

“I’m asking Chipotle’s CEO to give customers the right to know, to open the barn doors, and to rescue the sick and suffering animals,” she said.

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