Chipotle Mexican Grill Faces Continuing Food-Safety Problems

The Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurant chain, just bouncing back from an E. coli outbreak that forced the temporary closing of 43 of its restaurants in Washington and Oregon, now faces additional food safety problems.

On December 10, health officials closed a Chipotle Mexican Grill location in Seattle, citing repeated food safety violations within the past year, CNBC reports. And an outbreak of norovirus linked to a Chipotle restaurant near Boston College has sickened 141 people.

The E. coli outbreak across nine states sickened 52 people. Symptoms of E. coli infection, caused by the Escherichia coli bacteria, vary but can include severe stomach cramps, diarrhea, and vomiting. Most people recover from the illness within five to seven days, but the infection can be severe or even life-threatening, especially for older people and young children. Some people develop kidney and other complications and require hospitalization.

The Seattle Chipotle restaurant’s permit was suspended after health inspectors found ingredients on a food line used to fill online orders were not being kept hot enough. The items included chicken, brown rice, shredded beef, and fajita vegetables. This was the restaurant’s third critical violation in 12 months, according to CNBC.

Boston College, in a statement on December 9, said health officials had confirmed that the foodborne illness outbreak was caused by norovirus. Nearly all cases involved to students who had eaten at the Chipotle restaurant the previous weekend, CNBC reports. Norovirus is highly contagious and has been the culprit in a number of illness outbreaks on cruise ships. An individual can get norovirus from an infected person, from contaminated food or water, or by touching contaminated surfaces, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The virus causes stomach and/or intestinal inflammation (acute gastroenteritis), with symptoms including stomach pain, nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting.

On average, norovirus causes 19 to 21 million cases of acute gastroenteritis annually, making it the leading cause of illnesses from contaminated food in the country, according to the CDC.

Norovirus illness can be serious, especially in young children and older adults and there is no medication to treat norovirus. Because this is a viral illness, antibiotic treatment does not help. Vomiting and diarrhea can lead to dehydration, which, in turn, can lead to serious health problems, the CDC says. To avoid dehydration, persons with norovirus should drink plenty of fluids to replace fluids lost through diarrhea and vomiting. Severe dehydration may require hospitalization for treatment with intravenous (IV) fluids.

 

 

 

from Parker Waichman http://www.yourlawyer.com/blog/chipotle-mexican-grill-faces-continuing-food-safety-problems/