To prevent another E. Coli outbreak and other foodborne disease, Chipotle launched their brand new food safety program.
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Chipotle shares, which closed down 0.7 percent during the regular session, slid another 6.2 percent to $561.20 in extended trading. Forty-seven of the 52 people sickened say they ate at the popular burrito chain before falling ill. Of the three most recent illnesses reported in November, only one ill person reported eating at Chipotle in the week before their illness began on November 10, said the CDC.
The list of states where E. coli outbreaks have been reported include California, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Washington.
The Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has confirmed the E. coli exposure occurred at a Central Maryland location. It said it hired IEH Laboratories in Seattle to help improve its procedures and that it would implement testing of all produce before it is shipped to restaurants.
Shares of the company’s stock have dropped 25 percent since mid-October.
“This provides additional evidence that illnesses outside the Pacific Northwest are related to the illnesses in OR and Washington”, the CDC said. They have not yet identified a single food source or menu item as the culprit. Twenty people sickened in the outbreak had to be hospitalized, according to the CDC. Another feature will be “end-of-shelf-life testing where ingredient samples will be tested to ensure that quality specifications are maintained throughout the shelf life of an ingredient”.
Spokesman Chris Arnold said the case in Pennsylvania had no connection to Chipotle.
The outbreaks have prompted the company to revamp the food safety and food handling practices at all of its restaurants and throughout its supply chain, the company said in a press release today.
The CDC explained that investigators are studying the sequence of the bacterial DNA of the E. coli strain in order to find out where the epidemic comes from.
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Investigators said the outbreak could widen again as local agencies upload data.
