Life

Guess What's Finally Returning To Chipotle?

by Eliza Castile

Have you felt something missing from your life over the past six months but couldn't ever quite place what was wrong? Do you find yourself waking up in the middle of the night craving salty, delicious pork goodness that can only be found in, say... Chipotle's carnitas option, which has been tragically scarce this year? If so, I'm happy to say that your troubles are finally over because Chipotle carnitas is back, people! THIS IS NOT A DRILL. You may commence your celebratory chair-dance now.

If you're among the many, many Americans mourning the loss of delicious, slow-roasted pork covered in cheese and beans, it's probably been a tough year for you. Since January, everyone's favorite provider of gargantuan burritos has struggled to find a carnitas supplier that meets their commitment to "food with integrity." According to Cosmopolitan, more than a third of Chipotle's locations have been forced to remove carnitas from the menu as a result, ruining the Friday lunch orders of burrito, taco, and burrito bowl enthusiasts across the country.

Finally, however, the burrito gods have smiled upon us. Earlier this week, Chipotle announced that it has managed to find a carnitas supplier in the most unlikeliest of places: The United Kingdom.

Chipotle will now be purchasing its pork from Karro Food, a U.K.-based meat company, Grub Street reports. Although a Chipotle spokesman admitted to Bloomberg that the company does use antibiotics "when necessary to keep an animal healthy," the company wrote on its website that it is "excited about the quality of the meat" from Karro. A spokesperson emphasized, however, that this is merely a short-term solution while the company continues to search for a domestic pork supplier.

"Upwards of 95 percent of pork produced in this country is conventionally raised, so the available supply that meets our high standards is relatively small," the Chipotle spokesperson told CNN Money.

The first shipment is already on its way to Florida, and Bloomberg reports that the company hopes to have carnitas back on all menus by the end of 2015, which is totally fine by me. I'm just happy to see carnitas back on the menu at all. Can I get a "YAAAAS?"

<img width="805" alt="movie animated GIF " src="http://media.giphy.com/media/hDLrS6Z0oO33a/giphy.gif" height="415" class="article-body-image" title="Image: http://media.giphy.com/media/hDLrS6Z0oO33a/giphy.gif"/>Images: chipotleuk/Instagram; Giphy (2)