Of the 52 people infected, the CDC says 47 reported eating at a Chipotle Mexican Grill in the week before the illness started.
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Chipotle, which is known for touting the quality of its ingredients, also said Friday it was tightening its food standards.
Though the investigations are still going on to find out which specific food is linked to illness, but CDC epidemiologist, who is leading the investigation revealed in an interview that “probably it isn’t a meat” because numerous people who were infected by food poisoning were vegetarians. This product was used to make the Costco rotisserie chicken salad eaten by ill people in this outbreak. In October, the company had forecast sales at established locations would be up in the low- to mid-single digit percentages for 2015. Earlier this year, the fresh-Mex chain got some fame after Hillary Clinton chose to stop there for lunch, then it gave its hourly employees paid leave and sick time, and finally, it publicly revealed the recipe for their infamous gauc.
To prevent another E. Coli outbreak and other foodborne disease, Chipotle launched their brand new food safety program. Of these, 128,000 are hospitalized and 3,000 die, according to the CDC. The company will be implementing new testing on all of its produce before it gets sent to restaurants, including tests for shelf life.
Chipotle said Friday that store closures and bad publicity linked to the outbreak have slammed its sales.
Last month, in an update on its website, CDC quoted: “The epidemiologic evidence available at this time suggests that a common meal item or ingredient served at Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurants in several states is a likely source of this outbreak”.
Chris Arnold, a spokesman for Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc., said the company’s local produce suppliers may not all be able to meet the new standards.
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Shares of the company’s stock have dropped 25 percent since mid-October. The company noted that its local produce program accounts for a “relatively small percentage” of the produce it uses. The incidence of E. coli has been increasing recently, which has become cause for concern for many Americans. Investigators said that the outbreak of the infectious disease could even widen.
