Chipotle Sued By Customer For False Advertising, Food Allegedly Contains GMOs

By Staff Reporter

Sep 01, 2015 06:00 AM EDT

Chipotle Mexican Grill is under scrutiny lately after a customer is questioning the restaurant's claim of a Genetically Modified Organism (GMO)-free menu.

As reported by the Daily Mail, a Californian woman named Colleen Gallagher is suing the Mexican restaurant chain claiming that the GMO-free menu advertisement they circulated on April 27 of this year is false.

The restaurant is noted for being the first national chain that boasts using only ingredients free of the often controversial GMOs.

Galagher, the plaintiff of the case, also claims that Chipotle violated the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act because of false and misleading food labelling, which deceived customers into paying more for food.

Chipotle's famous claim of "G-M-Over it" is now being questioned by Gallagher. She even further added that "In fact, Chipotle's menu has never been at any time free of GMOs."

Spokesman for Chipotle Chris Arnold, as of this time, declined discussing the allegations but said they are planning to contest the said lawsuit, NBC News has learned.

Many diners in the United States were reportedly willing to pay a more premium price for food that they perceive to be more natural or organic, a claim backed up by retail data research.

According to Newsweek, Chipotle's website states a disclaimer about the GMO content in its food, stating that "most animal feed in the U.S. is genetically modified, which means that the meat and dairy served at Chipotle are likely to come from animals given at least some GMO feed." They further added that many of their beverages sold in their restaurants may contain genetically modified ingredients.

However, complainant Gallagher argued that most Chipotle customers are unlikely to read these disclaimers and will usually rely on the company ads.

The lawsuit seeks class action status and unspecified damages. The case is named Gallagher v Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, No. 15-03952.