Chipotle’s sales slump as E. coli outbreak expands

According to the CDC, the E. coli outbreak affected more than 50 people in nine states – California, Minnesota, Ohio, New York, Oregon, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Washington.

People usually get sick from Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, the bacteria commonly associated with food-borne outbreaks, for two to eight days after swallowing the germ, according to the CDC.

Food safety standards are having a welcome change at Chipotle after the recent outbreak of E. coli on their foods. 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.

The CDC had said in late November that additional cases could be reported for illnesses that started after October 31.

Until now, after all the effort exerted by different agencies, it has not yet been confirmed as to what ingredient is the source of this outbreak. However, he commented about the new reported E. Coli cases.

Chris Arnold, Chipotle’s spokesman, preferred to keep mum about the company’s stock movement. Five people were hospitalized and two were treated for hemolytic uremic syndrome, a type of kidney failure. While that may be good for nutrition, experts say it raises the risk of food-borne illness because cooking kills pathogens. Earlier this year, the fresh-Mex chain got some fame after Hillary Clinton chose to stop there for lunch, then it gave its hourly employees paid leave and sick time, and finally, it publicly revealed the recipe for their infamous gauc. Chipotle declared that they will provide a full financial update before the Bernstein Consumer Summit. Its shares have dropped 25 percent since mid-October.

Chipotle said Friday it tested ingredients before, but that it is moving to testing smaller batches and a larger number of samples.

The New York Times reported about how the stocks of Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. The company noted that its local produce program accounts for a “relatively small percentage” of the produce it uses.

Chipotle also discussed some of the new measures it’s undertaken to improve safety and quality, including more extensive food testing and improved training.

Chipotle said Friday that store closures and bad publicity linked to the outbreak have slammed its sales.