Coli outbreak linked to Chipotle spreads to IL

On Friday, in response to the E. coli outbreak, Chipotle announced that it will tighten its safety standards.

Federal officials say the bacteria outbreak linked to the restaurant chain now has 52 cases in nine states. The majority of illnesses have been reported from Washington and OR during October 2015. Some of the measures include the implementation of high-resolution testing of all fresh produce in which a series of DNA-based tests will check quality and improving employee training.

Bad news for Chipotle fans.

“Seven more ill people have been reported from California (1), IL (1), Maryland (1), OH (2), Pennsylvania (1), and Washington (1)…two of these illnesses started in October, five started in November”, said the CDC on Friday in a statement. The most recent sick individual began feeling ill on November 13.

Nevertheless, Chipotle investors may be about to get one sickening fourth-quarter earnings report as the popular Mexican fast-food chain deals with an E. Coli outbreak that just won’t seem to die.

“Reporting on these cases can take time, and what we are seeing now is that reporting lag”, Chipotle spokesman Chris Arnold told BuzzFeed News. Nine out of 10 people interviewed reported eating at a Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurant in the week before their illness started. That adds seven new illnesses and three more states – Illinois, Maryland and Pennsylvania. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and twenty-one have assigned a buy rating to the company.

Investigators said the outbreak could widen again as local agencies upload data.

Chipotle shares in after-hours trading on Friday. Shuts 43 Restaurants On Health Risk” published on November 02, 2015 as well as Investorplace.com’s news article titled: “Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc.: “CMG Stock Is Begging to Bounce” with publication date: “November 09, 2015. “The investigation is still ongoing to identify common meal items or ingredients causing illness”.

There is an increasing tendency among restaurants to use fresher, unprocessed food. The remaining states have reported three or fewer instances of illness, according to the CDC. The firm’s revenue was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter a year ago. Only about 40 percent of reported foodborne disease outbreaks from 2002 to 2011 were solved, according to the watchdog group Center for Science in the Public Interest.