Chipotle tied to another E. coli outbreak across three states, says CDC

But on Monday (Dec. 21) more bad news arrived: The CDC said it is investigating “another, more recent outbreak” of E. coli linked to Chipotle’s restaurants.

In addition to these confirmed cases, the CDC is also investigating an additional five cases in Kansas, North Dakota, and Oklahoma to see if these cases are related to the larger outbreak.

Another reported case in Pennsylvania involves a person who did not report eating at a Chipotle in the week leading up to November 14, when the illness started.

The resident reported having eaten at a Chipotle on Shawnee Mission Parkway in Shawnee, Kansas, in the week before becoming ill.

Three of the ill individuals ate at a location in Oklahoma and two ate at a Kansas location.

For the larger outbreak, 53 people had been reported sick, with 46 of them saying they ate at a Chipotle. “We are now in the process of implementing those programs…”, Chris Arnold, Chipotle communications director, said in an email to CNN, emphasizing that the CDC does not know whether the new cases are linked.

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.

The restaurant chain is also increasing food safety training of its employees and making improvements to its ingredient testing.

Arnold added that the company thought the illnesses were connected to the larger, previously reported outbreak, and was working with the government investigations. Mr. Ells this month said the chain is now dicing, sanitizing and hermetically sealing tomatoes, cilantro and lettuce in a central kitchen where they are tested for microbes and then shipped to restaurants.

A Chipotle spokesman told CNBC on Monday that the company is “confident” it can achieve a level of food safety risk that is near zero.

Anyone who becomes ill with diarrhea within a week at eating at Chipotle should contact a health care provider. That was followed by a norovirus contagion at a Brighton location that sickened more than 140 Boston College students.

Chipotle has been forced to go overboard as it tries to stop a further spread of the outbreak.