“A swift and decisive local response is key to containing foodborne illness outbreaks and the effectiveness of these actions is amplified when local and state officials can benefit from federal expertise at the CDC”, she wrote. It is the same bacteria that was the cause of the outbreak in OR and Washington. At least one foodborne illness victim has filed a lawsuit.
Advertisement
Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. had, by choice, closed all 43 restaurant outlets when there were reports of an outbreak linked to their food in October.
The restaurant chain said no cause has been established between the outbreak and any ingredient. These measures include detailed cleaning of the restaurants, tossing all eatables and having a thorough check up of all employees for E. coli infection.
“We’ve seen a few companies come back with business that was as good or better than it was before a crisis”, Prince said Tuesday.
The Washington State Department of Health (WSDH) yesterday cited the Food and Drug Administration as the source of the testing information.
All fresh produce will be carefully rinsed and sanitized.
Meanwhile, the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) yesterday said Chipotle has agreed to its criteria for reopening restaurants, such as pre-testing high-risk foods and rinsing and sanitizing all fresh produce.
The company says it tested the food prior to restocking and is instituting additional safety procedures in all of its 2,000 restaurants to ensure robust food safety standards.
Immediately closing 43 restaurants in OR and Washington out of an abundance of caution, although the incident was limited to 11 restaurants.
The company says so far it has received 900 test results, none of which showed E. coli.
The Oregon Health Authority tested dozens of samples.
Marler said Chipotle has issues with food safety.
That’s why the most recent Chipotle-related outbreak attracted widespread media attention, while the smaller case wasn’t reported, Duchin said. Incubation period for E. coli is typically three to four days after exposure, but may be as short as one day or as long as 10 days, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In preparation for the reopening, health inspectors on Tuesday scrutinized every Chipotle branch across Washington.
Chipotle restaurants in Washington and OR might reopen this week after new E. coli testing. A lot of them reported eating at Chipotle locations before becoming ill.
Last week the chairman and co-CEO of Chipotle, Steve Ells, said in a statement, “The safety of our customers and integrity of our food supply has always been our highest priority”.
Advertisement
“We have also retained two of the nation’s best food-safety scientists to work with us to assess practices and find additional areas for improvement”, Chipotle spokesman Chris Arnold said.
