Cases have now also been reported in California, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
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As of December 2, 2015, 52 people infected with the outbreak strain of STEC O26, of which 20 required hospitalization for their illness. Their sales are sure to have seen a considerable decrease even in states where cases of E. coli were not reported.
Chipotle has not yet said how sales have been affected by the bad publicity from the E. coli outbreak, but said it would provide a financial update before its presentation at the Bernstein Consumer Summit on Tuesday. Forty-seven of the 52 people sickened say they ate at Chipotle before falling ill.
More specifically, the Mexican fast food company has not eradicated a pathogenic strain of E. coli that has been making its customers sick for months. The company said that it had hired IEH Laboratories in Seattle to help it to improve its procedures. Reuters reports shares fell almost 8 percent after Chipotle estimated sales to have dropped 8 to 11 percent in the fourth quarter, a first in the company’s history.
Sales trends in Q4 “so far have been extremely volatile” with November comparable restaurant sales down 16%, the company said. The company will be implementing new testing on all of its produce before it gets sent to restaurants, including tests for shelf life. Finally, Citigroup Inc. restated a “buy” rating on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a report on Wednesday, September 16th.
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While the source of the outbreak remains unknown, investigators believe that a fresh produce ingredient might have been shipped from one location to several restaurants across the country. This program includes the process of testing the quality of food, especially the fresh produce, before sending it to their branches. Health officials from the U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say that people should always wash their hands meticulously with soap in order to prevent the disease. If a number of menu items share ingredients, it can be hard to pinpoint which is the culprit for the outbreak, he noted.
