E. coli Outbreaks Linked To Chipotle Spreads To 3 More States

Since the last update on November 20 when the CDC reported 45 sickened in 6 states – California (2), Minnesota (2), NY (1), OH (1), OR (13), and Washington (26), seven more ill people have now been reported from California (1), Illinois (1), Maryland (1), OH (2), Pennsylvania (1), and Washington (1) adding Illinois, Pennsylvania and Maryland to the mix.

The outbreak was initially limited to Chipotle locations in Washington and OR, where locations were closed as a precaution during the initial investigation. Additional cases were later reported in California, Minnesota, New York and Ohio.

Chipotle’s full-year guidance calls for a same-store sales increase in the range of a low to mid-single digit percentage.

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

The E. coli outbreak started in the Northwest in October. “The one case in Pennsylvania is one that did not eat at a Chipotle”. On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control reported that the outbreak has spread from six states to nine in all.

Chipotle informed that shares have dropped 8 percent to $518 in extending trade, warning that sales could tumble 8 to 11 percent for the fourth quarter from a year earlier.

Chipotle’s stock slid more than 7 percent in after-market trading.

According to the CDC, the most recent illness happened in the middle of November.

According to the CDC, this kind of E. coli “live in the guts of ruminant animals” and infections start when you swallow the bacteria – “in other words, when you get tiny (usually invisible) amounts of human or animal feces in your mouth”.

Chipotle spokesman Chris Arnold said in an email that “none of the ingredients that were in our restaurants at the time of this incident are still in our restaurants”. Some of the features of the new program include: the use high-resolution testing on all fresh produce. It also added that ingredients likely to have been connected to E. coli are no longer in Chipotle’s restaurants or supply system.

Stay on topic – This helps keep the thread focused on the discussion at hand.