Salmonella Outbreak Sickens 21; Linked To Colorado Burrito Chain

FORT LUPTON, CO -- A Weld County family restaurant chain temporarily closed its Fort Lupton and Dacono locations Feb. 22, after the being linked to a Salmonella outbreak with 21 confirmed cases, according to the Weld County Department of Health and Environment.

Burrito Delight restaurants were determined to be the source of the outbreak, which expanded from 8 to 21 confirmed cases this week, including 12 people who reportedly ate food from Burrito Delight at Aims Community College in Greeley at two catered events.

As of Monday, Salmonella cases linked to Burrito Delight were reported in five counties. Weld County had 14 cases; Larimer County had three; Boulder County had two cases and there were one case each reported in Morgan and Adams County, the health department said. Four people have been hospitalized.

Nine people were confirmed to have Salmonella who ate food at an Aims event Feb. 13, and three people who dined at a Feb. 6 event had confirmed cases.

"We've reached out to more than 470 people who attended those events at Aims to ask them to fill out a survey," said Kelly Martinez, the county's health communications supervisor.

Additionally, five cases of Salmonella were reported in customers who dined in at the restaurant, and four cases reported for people who took carryout food to go.

Twenty of the confirmed cases, as of Tuesday, were traced to the Fort Lupton location at 1230 Denver Ave. One case was linked to the Dacono location at 819 Carbondale Dr.

The state's department of health and environment contacted the Weld County Department after four or five Salmonella reports from customers at Burrito Delight earlier in the month. The health department inspected the Fort Lupton location Feb. 22 and rated the restaurant "fair." The restaurant had received a "marginal" rating in September, 2017 and had been re-inspected in October.

Inspectors Feb. 22 reported finding evidence of employees drinking during shifts with open cups, eggs stored in a manner that might cause cross contamination, refrigerated food temperature higher than 41 degrees and evidence of rodents or insects, according to the inspection report.

The company, Burrito Delight, LLC, has been registered as owned by Jose Lezama with the Colorado Secretary of State's office since 2007. Patch.com was unable to contact anyone at the restaurant for comment.

The restaurant's owners were "very cooperative and are working with us to identify the sources of the outbreak," Martinez said.

In order to reopen, the restaurant must perform a series of steps, Martinez said.

No employee who has a confirmed case of Salmonella may work at the restaurant, including those in a five-week quarantine to see if symptoms arise. Both locations must go through a thorough disinfection process and the whole restaurant must be sanitized under the supervision of a food safety consultant, Martinez said. Any food left in storage must be thrown out, she said.

At this point, there is no danger to the public because both restaurants are closed, the Weld County health department said.

According to the Weld County health department:

Symptoms of Salmonella illness include diarrhea, upset stomach, fever, and occasionally vomiting.
Symptoms typically last 4 to 7 days, and most people recover on their own. Anyone who suspects they
became ill should contact their health care provider. For some people, the diarrhea may become so
severe that they require hospitalization. Symptoms typically appear 6-72 hours after eating
contaminated food and will typically last for 4 to 7 days without treatment. However, in severe cases,
the symptoms may last longer.

Anyone in Northern Colorado who became sick with Salmonella in February should the Weld County Health Department Salmonella triage line at 970-400-2374.

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