Darien Health Director: Training Important for Chipotle Safety

Some observations during recent inspections at two Darien Chipotle locations indicated that there may have been deficiencies in training.

Health Director David Knauf told the Darienite that it’s not a question of food sources, but training practices. Knauf spoke to Chipotle corporate in Denver about training practices, but said he wasn’t sure about everything the training program covers.

Related: Darien Chipotle Restaurants Get Poor Health Ratings

The chain has been hit by outbreaks of e. coli. As of Dec. 18 there were 53 cases linked to Chipotle across the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. None of the cases were in Connecticut.

A norovirus outbreak at a location near Boston College sickened 136 people, according to ABC News. The Boston health inspector ate at the restaurant as a show in confidence in sanitary conditions.

Chipotle said on its website that it is examining everything from farms that source ingredients to cooking techniques used at restaurants to ensure food safety. The company has worked with a food safety consulting group and will perform more frequent in-house and third-party food safety audits at restaurants.

Image via Michael Saechang/Flickr Commons