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U.S. NEWS A3
Tuesday 2 February 2016
CDC says Chipotle-linked outbreak of E. coli appears over
MARCY GORDON borne outbreaks, for two
AP Business Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — Looks to eight days after swallow-
like it’s safe to bite into that
burrito. ing the germ, according to
The federal agency that
monitors public health says the agency. Most infected
the outbreak of E. coli ill-
ness linked to Chipotle people get diarrhea and
restaurants that sickened
60 people appears to be abdominal cramps.
over.
The Centers for Disease The Chipotle episode be-
Control and Prevention
said Monday the most re- gan last summer when the
cent illness reported to the
agency started on Dec. 1. chain was tied to food-
Although the CDC closed
its investigation, the source borne illnesses in California
of the illness that spread to
14 states is still unknown. and Minnesota, though
Chipotle executives say
they may never be able to those cases didn’t get as
identify what made people
sick. much attention.
Denver-based Chipotle
Mexican Grill Inc. undertook Then, at the end of Oc-
an aggressive revamping
of food preparation meth- tober, E. coli cases were
ods at its more than 1,900
locations. But the outbreak reported in Oregon and
drove the company’s stock
down by 26 percent over Washington, prompting the
the past three months and
it warned in December of company to shut down 43
a potentially sizeable hit to
profits. restaurants in those states.
Its stock rallied following
the CDC announcement, YouGov Brand Index said
closing Monday up $19.67,
or 4.3 percent, at $472.64. customer perceptions
“We are pleased that the
CDC has concluded its in- about Chipotle sank to their
vestigation, and we have
offered our full cooperation lowest level since it began his Sunday, Dec. 27, 2015, file photo, shows a Chipotle restaurant in Union Station in Washington.
throughout,” the company The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday, Feb. 1, 2016, that the E. coli out-
said in a statement. It add- tracking the company in break at Chipotle restaurants appears to be over, and that they are closing the investigation.
ed that it’s confident that
changes in its preparation 2007. That was before ad- Associated Press
methods mean all its food
is “delicious and safe.” ditional cases popped up
People usually get sick from
Shiga toxin-producing E. in seven more states.
coli, the bacteria common-
ly associated with food- In November, Chipotle
sales plunged 16 percent.
Then, an unrelated noro-
virus outbreak sickened
dozens of students at Bos-
ton College. And in De-
cember, the CDC reported
five more cases of E. coli
the previous month linked
to Chipotle, which it said
might be part of a different
outbreak.
The company disclosed last
month that it’s been sub-
poenaed by federal pros-
ecutors and the U.S. Food
and Drug Administration as
part of a criminal investiga-
tion. It has also said it plans
to open stores at 3 p.m. lo-
cal time on Feb. 8 to hold
meetings with employees
to discuss changes con-
cerning food-safety mea-
sures. The chain also plans
to increase its marketing
and direct-mail offers this
month.q
