CDC Expected to Declare End to Chipotle E. Coli Outbreak, Sources Say
January 31 2016 - 8:50PM
Dow Jones News
The E. coli outbreak that sickened more than 50 Chipotle Mexican
Grill Inc. customers in nine states last year is expected to be
declared over as soon as Monday, according to people familiar with
the government's investigation.
Investigators haven't been able to pinpoint the ingredient
responsible for the contamination, these people said.
When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declares an
outbreak to be over, that means its investigation is closed, a CDC
spokeswoman said.
Chipotle's sales and stock price have been slipping since news
of the outbreak began surfacing in the Pacific Northwest in late
October. The outbreak spread to more states as customers across the
country reported having gotten sick after eating at Chipotle
restaurants. No deaths have been reported, but 20 of the 53 people
made ill were hospitalized.
It has been more than two months since any new illnesses linked
to Chipotle have been reported, according to the CDC's latest
update on the outbreak, which was issued Dec. 21. Chipotle
executives in mid-January told investors that they were hopeful the
CDC would soon declare an end to the outbreak.
The burrito maker also has grappled with a norovirus outbreak
that sickened about 140 people in Boston in December. And the chain
said it received a federal grand-jury subpoena in December seeking
information about an August norovirus outbreak at a Simi Valley,
Calif. Chipotle that is linked to a federal criminal
investigation.
Now, Chipotle must reassure customers that it is safe to eat at
its restaurants. The company has said it is planning an advertising
and social-media campaign next month to woo back customers.
Write to Jesse Newman at jesse.newman@wsj.com and Julie Jargon
at julie.jargon@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
January 31, 2016 20:35 ET (01:35 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2016 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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