Students have been tested for both E. coli and norovirus, though the results won’t come back for several days.
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“We do not have any evidence to suggest that this incident is related (to) the previous E. coli incident”. But he noted the E. coli cases are “all the more damaging” for Chipotle because of its “Food With Integrity” slogan. The school said it was working with health authorities to investigate the cause.
“Norovirus is usually transmitted from the feces to the mouth, either by drinking contaminated food or water or by passing from person to person”, according to Foodborne Illness.
All of the affected students said they dined at a single Chipotle restaurant located on 1924 Beacon St. over the weekend, an official from Boston College confirmed.
The Boston College students, including members of the men’s basketball team, were thought to have been the latest victims of the Tex-Mex chain’s food safety scare.
The Massachusetts Department of Health said the norovirus caused an outbreak that sickened at least 80 Boston College students, including some basketball players, who ate at a nearby Chipotle restaurant.
City officials said they are still trying to determine what caused the outbreak, but the company is blaming it on norovirus. The virus is very contagious and can spread quickly in places such as daycare centers and cruise ships, the agency says.
MA was not among the nine states where health officials identified occurrences of E.coli, which started from October 19 through November 13.
Since then, Chipotle said it has “taken aggressive steps” in response, such as setting stricter health standards for its produce suppliers, stepping away from its promise to buy food locally and testing the produce.
Earlier this month, the company issued a statement indicating its commitment to become an industry leader in food safety by taking aggressive actions to implement industry-leading food safety and food handling practices in all of its restaurants. Chipotle now expects sales at established locations to fall as much as 11 percent in the fourth quarter.
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Shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) traded down 1.6769% on Monday, hitting $542.4978. That would mark the first time the company has posted a decline since it went public in 2006. During the summer, almost 100 (80 customers and 18 employees) at a Simi Valley Chipotle were sickened by norovirus.
