Locally, most have been to the Mt. Airy Chipotle for fast Mexican food and and enjoyable hangout spot. However, lately the national Chipotle chain has earned concern because of an E Coli outbreak leading to 58 people getting seriously ill in nine different states. The majority of these illnesses occurred in November 2015.  No new cases have been reported in late December/early January. Many Americans are questioning the safety of Chipotle’s food.

Junior Mackenzie Domroe said, “I used to eat at Chipotle on a regular basis, but ever since I heard about the E Coli outbreak, I stopped going there, just to be safe.”

Chipotle’s first  reported illness happened in late October 2015 in the Seattle and Oregon area. At the time, local authorities were simply investigating cases of numerous people getting sick with what seemed to be E Coli like symptoms. After discovering that all the victims had eaten Chipotle, they reported E Coli to be the cause of these people’s illnesses.

In response, Chipotle shut down 43 restaurants around the Seattle and Oregon area and worked with health officials to the root of the E Coli spread.

Just when health officials and Chipotle thought they were starting to get rid of the problem, E Coli outbreaks due to Chipotle’s food had reached nine other states (California, Kansas, North Dakota, Oklahoma, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Illinois and Maryland.)  According to reports, the one Maryland victim ate at a Central Maryland location.

Founder and CEO of Chipotle Steve Ells nationally apologized for the E Coli outbreak. “The fact that anyone has become ill eating at Chipotle is completely unacceptable to me, and I am deeply sorry. As a result, we are committed to becoming known as the leader in food safety, just as we are known for using the very best ingredients in a fast food setting. I want to share with our customers specifics about some of the significant steps we are taking to be sure all of the food we serve is as safe as it can be.”

Even though Ell’s has publicly  apologized and said he is doing everything he can to find the source of the E Coli, many Americans don’t think he is doing enough. People are criticizing Ell’s for still keeping Chipotle’s doors open to the public without even knowing what caused the outbreak.

“I know I am not eating there until it is safe. It’s scary Chipotle is still open with people still getting sick from eating there,” junior Kennedy Todd said.

While that is a logical reaction, Chipotle’s food safety facts inform consumers that they serve 1 million guests each day, and with the volume of food involved, contaminated food has long since left the supply chain.

It is unusual for the cause of the outbreak to go unsolved for so long.  The CDC has determined that the cause is most likely a common ingredient.  The full report of the ongoing investigation is available.

The FDA and CDC are teaming up to research the serious E Coli outbreak. The FDA and CDC have discovered that the first wave of E Coli in Washington and Oregon is the same type of E Coli found in the other nine states. The type of E Coli found in Chipotle’s food is named Escherichia coli O26. With exception of the first wave of E Coli in Oregon and Washington, the E Coli found in the other nine states is a slightly different variation.

This E Coli outbreak has not only affected Chipotle’s reputation but also their revenue. Earlier reports of the first wave of E Coli in Washington and Oregon cost the company approximately two million dollars for shutting down 43 branches for only one week. Around this time of year Chipotle makes an average of $1.6 billion but now it has dropped to $1.1 billion from the E Coli cases. 

If Chipotle doesn’t have enough on their plates now, as of January 6th, Chipotle is under a criminal investigation for a Norovirus outbreak that happened last summer in California.  The Norovirus outbreak last summer contaminated 180 people’s food which caused them to get sick.  A different norovirus incident in Boston, also led to a recent lawsuit.

E Coli is very serious food borne illness that can potentially be deadly if not treated soon enough. E coli is also dangerous because the consumer cannot tell if the food is contaminated with it or not. E Coli is odorless, colorless and tasteless.

“In the future I hope Chipotle can find out what caused the E Coli. I would sure love to feel safe eating there, junior Mackenzie Domroe said.

Hopefully the FDA and CDC can find the root of this E Coli problem and people can eat at their favorite Mexican food chain without any worries.