Has Chipotle Finally Found A Solution To Its Carnitas Shortage?

Is Chipotle's pork shortage nightmare about to come to an end? Ever since January, when Chipotle announced that they would be dropping carnitas from their menus temporarily due to animal welfare concerns, the national burrito chain has struggled to find a suitable replacement source of pork. For a while, Chipotle thought that longtime Chipotle friend and supplier Niman Ranch would be able to step up to the plate, but one farm could not keep up with customer demand.

However, it now looks like Chipotle has seen the end of the tunnel. The fast casual chain has teamed up with large-scale UK pork distributor Karro Food Group, and plans to have carnitas back in all stores by the end of 2015, according to CNNMoney.

"It has always been our preference to get our pork (and other meats) from domestic suppliers, but right now the supply simply isn't available," a Chipotle spokesperson told CNNMoney. "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."

Since Karro Food Group is based overseas, this will be a temporary solution as Chipotle looks for domestic suppliers. The Daily Meal has contacted Chipotle for more information.