Steritech Presents Chipotle with the Excellence in Food Safety Award

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Steritech, a food safety and operational assessments company, hosted the Excellence in Food Safety awards on Sunday. The awards, which were part of the Fast Casual "Top 100 Movers and Shakers" ceremony held in Chicago, honored Chipotle as this year's winner of food safety excellence. MOD Pizza and Five Guys were also recognized at the event, both receiving honorable mention awards. This was the fifth year for the awards.

Fast casual restaurants nationwide submitted nominations for the award, which were chosen and interviewed by a third-party research and assessment firm. The criteria included exhibiting foundational food safety behaviors, such as senior leadership commitment and engagement, food safety communications, defined standards and procedures, training, key performance indicators and scorecards, oversight programs and positive recognition.

"At Steritech, we believe food safety should be talked about daily and recognized often," said Doug Sutton, President of Steritech. "This award recognizes those brands that go above and beyond, ensuring food safety is not just another checked box in day-to-day procedures, but is instilled into the company culture through an investment into their people and processes."

Winner of The 2023 Excellence in Food Safety Award - Chipotle

Founded in 1993, Chipotle set out on a mission to serve customers real and fresh foods. With more than 3,200 locations, Chipotle is dedicated to serving freshly prepped meals from a carefully crafted 53-ingredient menu. Through a multi-tiered approach, their commitment to food safety goes beyond simply using fresh ingredients.

At Chipotle, food safety starts with the suppliers and how the food is raised and follows it through every employee level to ensure the safe handling and preparation of each food item. In addition to its Food Safety Advisory Council, Chipotle has a dedicated food safety section on the company website and invests in local and small business suppliers to help meet the brand's rigorous food safety standards, creating a winning recipe for food safety excellence. These food safety enhancements along with the company's sustainability initiatives and commitment to freshness earned top honors in the 2023 Excellence in Food Safety awards.

"Chipotle is a stand-out when it comes to food safety," said Sutton. "Their impressive food safety initiatives exemplify every aspect of Steritech's seven pillars to building an excellent food safety culture and we are honored to present them with this award." 

Honorable Mention - MOD Pizza

Founded in 2008, MOD Pizza may be the youngest of the three finalists, but its food safety program is established well beyond its years. With more than 600 locations and counting, MOD Pizza has an aggressive growth plan fueled by a strong foundation and commitment to food safety. In addition to a thorough training system, support from senior leadership and dedicated food safety communications, every store location is equipped with a food safety playbook that clearly outlines and defines "The MOD Way" to achieving food safety excellence. This playbook to success has earned MOD Pizza an honorable mention in the 2023 Excellence in Food Safety awards.

Honorable Mention - Five Guys

A veteran of achieving food safety excellence, Five Guys earned its fourth Excellence in Food Safety award in five years. Founded in 1986, Five Guys has nearly 1,800 locations spread across the globe. With a targeted approach to food safety, Five Guys franchisees have the ability to develop custom food safety and operational checklists based on the restaurant's unique needs. Five Guys uses communication, training and technology to advance the company's food safety commitment, building a food safety culture worthy of a finalist spot in the 2023 Excellence in Food Safety awards.