“A review of Chipotle’s distribution records by state and federal regulatory officials was unable to identify a single food item or ingredient that could explain either outbreak”.
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Chipotle said last month it was confident that it has taken steps meant to increase food safety. “The investigation did not identify a specific food or ingredient linked to illness”, the CDC reported.
A subpoena demanding a wide range of documents relating to a norovirus outbreak at a Simi Valley, California, store was received in December, the Associated Press reported.
The CDC announced Monday that the outbreaks appear to be over and it has therefore closed a months-long investigation into the matter.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, most people infected with E. coli develop symptoms three to four days after contact with the germ. The chain shuttered 43 of its restaurants on November 1 after the initial outbreak with 22 people falling ill in Washington and OR, which quickly oozed across the nation like so much dripping queso.
The company’s latest guidance for same-store sales calls for a 14.6% dent in the fourth quarter, after initially guiding a dip in the range of 8% to 11%.
A Chipotle restaurant at Union Station in Washington is among those expected to receive the all-clear Monday when the CDC closes its investigation as to why people fell ill at the restaurants. The chain’s December sales were down 30%, according to a recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Illnesses linked to Chipotle food have also been reported in the Pacific Northwest and across the Northeast, including in Maryland, New York and New Jersey.
The CDC says it last received a report of an illness related to the outbreaks on December 1, 2015.
In most cases the brands made a full recovery in the years after the food-safety scares.
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“We are hosting a national team meeting to thank our employees for their hard work through this difficult time, discuss some of the food safety changes we are implementing, and answer questions from employees”, Chris Arnold, a spokesman, told CNBC. (Chipotle) develops and operates Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurants, which serve a focused menu of burritos, tacos, burrito bowls (a burrito without the tortilla) and salads.
