Washington Woman Sues Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. Over E.Coli Infection

The source was most likely a fresh food product because it probably could not be traced to one sick individual or one instance of cross-contamination of food since the cases are connected with various restaurants, said Marisa D'Angeli, medical epidemiologist with the Washington State Department of Health.

Among the cases, three were hospitalized, Katrina Hedberg, MD, state health officer with OHA's Public Health Division, said during a media briefing today. The Associated Press heard as much from Allen Adamson of New York marketing consultancy BrandSimple, who "says people have many fast food options and if they are anxious about the safety of food they will avoid a chain until they're certain the problem has been resolved".

The majority of the cases in Oregon have been in the Portland metro area, however, Hedberg confirmed a few cases have been reported in Columbia, Benton and Deschutes counties.

A salmonella outbreak linked to tomatoes sickened dozens of people in Minnesota beginning in August.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc is now linked to 12 confirmed cases of E. coli food poisoning in Oregon, state health officials said on Tuesday.

The recent outbreaks linked to Chipotle have tarnished its reputation for being a restaurant chain with healthy, unprocessed ingredients. They've asked Chipotle to turn over information about its food suppliers so officials can determine where the product came from.

The company said also is doing its own tests in its restaurants and distribution centers, in addition to those done by state health officials.

The chain of casual Mexican restaurants has closed 43 restaurants in the two states while health officials work to determine the specific cause of the outbreak. "Our deepest sympathies go out to those who have been affected by this situation and it is our greatest priority to ensure the safety of all of the food we serve and maintain our customers' confidence in eating at Chipotle". Charmaine Denise Mode, a pharmacist from Kelso, Washington, ate at a Chipotle restaurant in Vancouver, Washington, on October 21 and started feeling nauseated four days later with "severe diarrhea", according to the lawsuit against Chipotle. This makes the food more susceptible to infection than, say, a larger chain like McDonald's or Taco Bell that uses bigger suppliers. Signs include diarrhea, bloody diarrhea and vomiting. Victims had E. coli bacterial illness.

In August, a Chipotle restaurant in Simi Valley, Calif. was temporarily closed after 80 customers and 18 employees reported systems of Norovirus.

Marler also said that people should not assume a company which focuses on local and fresh ingredients is going to be immune from food safety issues.

The company's stock fell 2.5 percent to close at $624 on Monday.