Salmonella Outbreak Tied To Chipotle, Other Restaurants

Officials have identified 110 cases of salmonella in Minnesota as part of an outbreak tied to several Mexican-style, quick-service restaurants — including Orange County-based Chipotle — with jalapeños as the suspected source.

"The health and safety of our guests and employees is our highest priority," Chipotle said Tuesday in a prepared statement.

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"We are aware that public health authorities such as the Food and Drug Administration and the Minnesota Department of Health are investigating the source of a Salmonella outbreak in the supply chain impacting several food service retailers in Minnesota and other states."

The company, upon learning of a possible outbreak, identified jalapeños as a potential common ingredient from a common lot as well as the restaurants where the lot was distributed, according to the statement. The suspect jalapeños were removed from Chipotle locations and replaced with product from different growers, "out of an abundance of caution," the company said.

"The Minnesota Department of Health has confirmed it has no ongoing concerns with Chipotle," according to the statement. "We are cooperating with public health authorities in their efforts."

Chipotle, which is headquartered Newport Beach, made up the majority of cases where officials were able to interview impacted consumers — who ate at the chain between mid-June and mid-July — but not all.

"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.

On the federal level, the FDA is conducting a traceback probe, covering but not limited to jalapeños. The FDA on Tuesday confirmed it initiated its traceback investigation "of multiple ingredients" on July 22, in response to a cluster of salmonella illnesses identified by both state officials and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Symptoms of salmonella poisoning include diarrhea, fever, severe vomiting, dehydration and stomach cramps. Most people who get sick recover within a week. Infections can be more severe in young children, older adults and people with weakened immune systems, who may require hospitalization.

Other Outbreaks

Chipotle has been battered by larger outbreaks in years past — notably between 2015 and 2018, when a string of E coli., norovirus and food poisoning illnesses sent sales plunging. The company has since boasted stronger food safety practices.

The latest salmonella outbreak arrives at a tough time for restaurant-goers and the dining industry nationwide. A handful of fast-casual chains are still wrestling with the fallout of a separate, wider cyclospora outbreak linked to shredded lettuce that has sickened thousands of Americans. Chipotle hasn't been tied to or named by government investigations into those cyclospora illnesses.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.