As of Monday, 30 Boston College students, including eight men’s basketball team players had fallen sick to gastrointestinal symptoms after eating at Chipotle, though newer reports put that total at 80, or nearly 30 more people than the previous count from the E. coli outbreak.
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Chipotle said that it has been working with local health officials to investigate the matter.
On Monday, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc.’s (NYSE:CMG) Boston outlet was closed down temporarily, following claims from several Boston college students.
Over the past few weeks, Chipotle has been linked to multiple E.coli cases in restaurants across the country. “To regain the trust of others, they will need to be more diligent and proactive in their strategies to maintain stronger practices to avoid food safety issues and E. coli within their supply chain”. They are now investigating as to what caused the outbreak of gastrointestinal illness of the students.
In a statement to ABC News, Chipotle spokesperson Chris Arnold said, “We agree with health officials that it is likely a norovirus, which seems very consistent with the pattern here”.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said late last week the outbreak of E. coli tied to Chipotle has sickened 52 people in nine states so far.
The news pulled Chipotle shares down 6.3% to $517, during after-hours trade, as investors are wary of the restaurant’s closure taking a toll on Chipotle’s sales.
On Monday, Boston College students received alerts revealing about the suspected food poisoning. The stock is down almost 25 percent in the quarter to date. “According to the CDC, there are approximately 20 million cases a year, making them the leading cause of gastroenteritis in the U.S”.
Chipotle shares closed down 1.7 percent at $542.24 Tuesday. Chipotle, which prior to the E. coli outbreak had been a standout among restaurant-chain stocks, said it was stepping up measures to try to avert future problems with bad or spoiled ingredients.
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In its annual report, Chipotle has noted it may be at a higher risk for outbreaks of food-borne illnesses because of its “fresh produce and meats rather than frozen, and our reliance on employees cooking with traditional methods rather than automation”. The company has said it is tightening its food safety standards.
