CDC reports more recent outbreak of E. coli cases at Chipotle

A case of E. coli illness has been reported in Johnson County, along with one in North Dakota, both involving people who ate at the Chipotle Mexican Grill in Shawnee, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment said Monday. The CDC says that reports to PulseNet of new illnesses in the older outbreak have “slowed substantially” since the peak of the outbreak in October 2015. Arnold added that the company thinks the illnesses are connected to the larger, previously reported outbreak. “Again, given the lag between when the illness is contracted and when the symptoms arise, and how quickly they turn over their produce, it may be impossible to actually link it to a specific item”. All five individuals said they ate at a Chipotle the week before they got sick.

Since August, Chipotle has been mired in one food safety issue after another.

Chipotle shares have plunged 22% since the reports of the first outbreak in early November and are 34% below the all-time high they hit in August. Chipotle said these cases were unrelated to the E.coli outbreak.

They’ve identified five illnesses in Kansas, North Dakota and Oklahoma caused by a rare strain of E. coli. The investigation remains ongoing, the C.D.C. said. “We do the same thing today, even with almost 2,000 restaurants, and we are working harder than ever to ensure that our food is safe and delicious”.

As sales faltering in recent weeks, Chipotle last week took out full-page ads in 61 newspapers around the country apologizing for the illnesses and reassuring customers of its commitment to tightening its food safety standards.

CMG closed Monday’s trading at $522.01, down $19.07 or 3.52 percent on a volume of 3.10 million shares.

JPMorgan has downgraded Chipotle after a second outbreak of E. coli tied to its restaurants.

The agency also said that a new case of E.coli was reported in Pennsylvania, but noted that the person had not eaten at a Chipotle restaurant.

“While it is never possible to completely eliminate all risk, this program eliminates or mitigates risk to a level near zero, ” he said earlier this month.

Ells made $25 million in 2013 and $28.9 million in 2014 – way more than CEOs at peer companies and more than 1,000 times the median Chipotle worker.

The CDC has been unable to single out the exact cause of the E.coli outbreak because of the way Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. This takes the case count to 53 ill people in nine different states.