Sadly for Chipotle fans out there, last month the food chain had to close 43 restaurants in OR and Washington State after health authorities linked an E. coli outbreak to six restaurants in the region. Each year, norovirus causes 19 million to 21 million illnesses.
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In all, 52 people have become ill, majority reported eating food from Chipotle within the week before their symptoms began.
Last August, Health officials claim that the Norovirus was to be blamed for sickening just under a hundred customers who dined at the Mexican chain restaurant in Simi Valley, California.
The outbreak of sickened eaters appears to have started in July, when five people in Seattle contracted E. coli after eating at a local Chipotle, according to Public Health – Seattle & King County.
Healthy people usually recover from both norovirus and E. coli-related illnesses within a week or so, but people with weakened immune systems, as well as elderly individuals and very young children are at more serious risk.
“Unfortunately, Chipotle’s future was stained with an event similar to McDonald’s food-safety scandal in China previous year”. Now, industry experts warn it could face a permanent red mark even if the latest spate of setbacks proves temporary.
“When we reopen, the restaurant will be completely sanitized, and every single employee will have been tested and assured that they do not have norovirus”, Ells said of the Cleveland Circle location. “It’s a risky position for Chipotle to be in now”.
The chain’s website has included updates on the E. coli outbreak, but nothing on the Boston norovirus as of Thursday midday, she noted, though that outbreak has been limited to one restaurant. Chipotle has about 2,000 locations.
“It was clear that Chipotle, who preaches the concept of “food with integrity” and hygienic food, can not go wrong in their own game”, said the note.
The health concerns led to the company’s CEO, Steve Ells, to address the issues this morning on the “Today Show”.
“I want to know what did they really do to improve the food safety in the four walls?” he said.
“We’re thinking about the safety and the quality of our ingredients, to put in place practices that will not enable this to happen again, practices that are so ahead of industry norms today, we will be the safest place to eat, and that is our commitment”, said Ells. Its stock price, meanwhile, has fallen by almost 30 percent since the outbreak was first detected. (NYSE:CMG) develops and operates Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurants, which serve a focused menu of burritos, tacos, burrito bowls (a burrito without the tortilla) and salads.
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“Everybody needs to be able to provide the customer with evidence that it’s safe”, he said. “It’s company wide, all over the country, which means it’s a problem”. The most recent case happened November 13. Symptoms include stomach pain, nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting.
