Chipotle responsible for more E. coli cases in US

In all, 43 of its restaurants were closed, including 14 across the Portland area and all of its Washington restaurants.

People should not assume a company that focuses on local and fresh ingredients – like Chipotle – is going to be immune from food safety issues, he said.

The recent E. coli outbreak now being investigated in Washington and OR, however, is the third food safety incident in less than three months that has been linked to Chipotle locations.

Chipotle now says eight restaurants, not six, have been tied to the E. coli outbreak in Washington state and Oregon.

“It is our greatest priority to ensure the safety of all of the food we serve and maintain our customers’ confidence in eating at Chipotle”.

Dr. Katrina Hedberg, State Health Officer, says, “people who have gotten sick have eaten both beef, chicken, as well as the tofu or vegetarian entrees so it doesn’t look like it’s likely a meat product”. In OR, three people have reported symptoms that health-care authorities link to E. coli.

Meanwhile, the Washington State Department of Health stated that E. coli illnesses has grown from 19 reported Washington cases to 25 as of today.

Epidemiologists are testing samples of human waste and any E. coli found in food samples, looking for DNA matches.

Health officials have urged anyone who ate at Chipotle as early as October 1 and suffered vomiting and bloody diarrhea to see their healthcare provider. The agency has received at least 100 calls and e-mails from people who recently ate at a Chipotle in the state and became ill. Health officials will not know for sure until they find the source of the E. coli. Minnesota Department of Health officials cited tomatoes as the cause of outbreak, which affected 64 customers.

State epidemiologist Dr. Scott Lindquist says he’s keeping an open mind about the extent of the outbreak, but is hopeful they have stopped the spread of the illness by closing Chipotle restaurants in Washington state and in the Portland, Oregon, area.

Chipotle has temporarily closed all 43 locations in Washington and Oregon.

In this case, identifying the supplier of any contaminated produce should be easier because Chipotle uses traceability software, made by the Durham, North Carolina-based FoodLogiQ company, and has promised its consumers that it can trace every box of fresh ingredients from farm to table, in real time. All state Chipotles are closed due to reports of an E. coli outbreak.

Health experts, however, believe the initiative increases the risk of foodborne infections because it eliminates the cooking process in food preparation, which could kill numerous pathogens that cause illnesses.

Many patients will develop watery or bloody diarrhea and abdominal cramps within 10 days of exposure to the Shiga toxin from the E. coli strain. The company had revenue of $1.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.22 billion.