Fast-casual burrito chain Chipotle is working with data infrastructure giant Palantir on a "food safety risk platform" hosted on Palantir's flagship Foundry software, according to screenshots viewed by WIRED.
The platform analyzes factors like a store's health department scores, pest incidents, and employee illnesses to assign a food safety score — essentially the store's risk level. Chipotle spokesperson Erin Wolford confirmed the initiative but declined further comment.
The partnership comes amid a particularly disastrous period for food safety in the US. The FDA has identified more than 12,800 illnesses tied to foodborne outbreaks so far this year, most from a massive cyclospora outbreak connected to iceberg lettuce. While Chipotle was not directly impacted by that outbreak, in July it proactively stopped serving jalapeños from a particular supplier linked to a salmonella outbreak that sickened more than 430 people.
Palantir has substantial food-and-beverage industry offerings, with contracts with Tyson, General Mills, and Wendy's purchasing cooperative. The company's US commercial revenue reached $764 million in the most recent quarter, up 149 percent year-over-year.
The partnership also carries political complexity: Palantir remains best known for its government contracts, including work with ICE. In 2010-2011, Chipotle fired hundreds of workers following an ICE audit. In 2025, CEO Scott Boatwright acknowledged that employees would be impacted by the Trump administration's immigration enforcement.
