Minnesota salmonella outbreak: Chipotle pulls jalapenos as precautionary measure; 110 cases reported so far

Chipotle Mexican Grill revealed on Tuesday (local time) that it is pulling jalapenos which are linked to an outbreak of salmonella in Minnesota from some of its restaurants and replacing the same with products from another supplier.

Chipotle issued a statement in this regard, wherein it said that “health and safety of our guests and employees is our highest priority”. It added that the peppers have been pulled out of an abundance of caution from all of their locations where a common lot was distributed earlier.

While Chipotle did not mention where the initial lot of peppers came from, it did say that the ones under the scanner were sent across several states to a number of retailers.

Associated Press reported that the Minnesota Department of Health did confirm on Tuesday that it was probing a salmonella outbreak tied to a number of Mexican-style quick-service restaurants, having zeroed in on jalapenos as the suspected source. 110 cases have been identified in the state. Most of the cases, but not all, were traced back to Chipotle outlets, the health department said, citing customers who ate at the chain sometime between mid-June to mid-July.

“Based on all the evidence so far, the food that made people sick was served at other restaurants as well,” Carlota Medus, senior epidemiologist supervisor in the Minnesota Department of Health’s Foodborne Diseases Unit, said in a statement, AP reported.

Medus said that Chipotle has been cooperating through the course of the investigation, and considering the measures it has put in place in response to the outbreak, health officials are not concerned about the chain currently.

However, she did say that it was “too soon for us to know if the outbreak is ongoing” or whether other places are serving the contaminated food.

“Out of an abundance of caution, we proactively removed the jalapenos from our restaurants and replaced them with product from different growers,” Chipotle said in their statement, adding, “The Minnesota Department of Health has confirmed it has no ongoing concerns with Chipotle. We are cooperating with public health authorities in their efforts.”

FDA investigating ‘multiple ingredients’

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has said that it is examining ‘multiple ingredients’ in the wake of the outbreak. It also said that Chipotle is cooperating with the authorities. The FDA issued a statement that read, “At the same time, Chipotle, in coordination with state partners, proactively began reviewing its supply chain. FDA appreciates the company’s cooperation with the investigation and will provide additional information if and when there is an actionable public health update,” as per CBS News.

Shares of Chipotle fell $3.28 or 8.8% on Tuesday in the wake of the outbreak.