Coli Outbreak, Chipotle Mexican Grill’s Shares Drop 8%

Chipotle’s E. Coli outbreak has now involved nine states, as the Mexican restaurant continues to be involved in new outbreaks, according to CNN.

Despite the massive press relations debacle Chipotle is facing following a series of E. coli outbreaks, the fast food chain has remained steadfast behind its so-called “diarrhea burrito”.

“As a restaurant company, nothing is more important to us than serving our guests food that is delicious and safe to eat”, Chipotle said. That was up from the six states and 45 illnesses as of late November. In addition, cases were reported from Illinois, Maryland and Pennsylvania for the first time, bringing the number of states affected to nine. However, majority of the cases were reported in November. A total of 52 people have been infected, however, only 47 of them ate at a Chipotle restaurant a week before experiencing symptoms. The agency has not yet determined the ingredient responsible.

“While no cause has been identified, none of the ingredients that were in our restaurants at the time of this incident are still in our restaurants”, Chipotle spokesman Chris Arnold said in an email. The illness was mostly confined to the western states.

An estimated 48 million Americans get sick each year from foodborne diseases.

The company, founded by Steve Ells, has hired IEH Laboratories in Seattle to help restructure their system. It said it will implement testing of all produce before it is shipped to restaurants and enhance employee training for food safety and handling.

Comparable restaurant sales are anticipated to fall between 8% and 11% for the 2015 fourth quarter after comparable store sales dropped 16% in November. The process is akin to looking for a needle in a haystack, but they’re working towards finding the source of the problem. The company noted that its local produce program accounts for a “relatively small percentage” of the produce it uses.

This means that there could be changes in Chipotle’s produce suppliers, who may not be able to meet the new standards. The incidence of E. coli has been increasing recently, which has become cause for concern for many Americans. Investigators said that the outbreak of the infectious disease could even widen.