A recent report from Minnesota's department of health has revealed the Mexican food chain Chipotle has been linked to an outbreak of salmonella that has been plaguing the state.
The department reports that since Sept. 2, 45 cases of salmonella have been reported. Of the 34 people interviewed from the group, nearly all ate or likely ate at Chipotle locations in the state between mid- to late August, according to CNBC.
Upon being notified of the link, Chipotle offered its full cooperation and adjusted the sourcing for one produce item under investigation, which it declined to identify.
"Chipotle has been extremely proactive in collaborating with investigators to quickly control the outbreak and identify its source," epidemiologist for the Foodborne Diseases Unit of the Minnesota Department of Health Dana Eikmeier stated, according to Yahoo! News.
Chipotle Communications Director Chris Arnold issued a statement, asserting that "The safety and well being of our customers is always our highest priority."
"Since being contacted by the Minnesota Department of Health regarding a possible connection to this issue, we have offered our full cooperation to assist in their investigation, and replaced our entire supply of the suspect ingredient in Minnesota to ensure that it continues to be safe to eat in our restaurants," Arnold added. "While this issue in Minnesota does not present an ongoing risk to consumers, we are committed to working with health department officials while they look to determine a cause."
Investigators are still working to identify which specific item led to the outbreak but believe the "ongoing transmission at Chipotle as part of this outbreak has ended."
As the investigation continues, investigators will be looking to see if the item in question arrived contaminated or if it became contaminated while in the restaurant. It's noted that if an item came uncooked and was used in a salad there would be no way for the restaurant to know it was contaminated to begin with. If so, Chipotle wouldn't necessarily be held responsible for the outbreak.
