First Test Results Fail To Link Chipotle To E. Coli Outbreak

Food safety sleuths have still not cracked the E. coli outbreak traced to Chipotle but the lawsuits have started. Officials are still trying to determine whether the people sickened in this outbreak in Washington and Oregon ate the same meal at Chipotle, or a common ingredient, that could be the source of the food poisoning.

A second Washington woman and an Oregon man who contracted E. coli after eating at a Chipotle franchise are suing the Mexican restaurant chain.

The number of Washington residents tied to the Chipotle E. coli outbreak remains at 28, while Oregon health officials reported a 13th case on Friday.

Washington took one person off its list on Thursday after lab tests showed one case of E. coli was not connected with the bigger outbreak. A fake news report was going around on Twitter, stating that was the case.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, Shiga toxin-producing E. coli has an incubation period of anywhere from one to 10 days, but sufferers typically experience symptoms three to four days after exposure.

But, it has voluntarily closed all locations in Washington state and in the Portland, Oregon, area just to be safe.

"If I was the Chipotle CEO, I would be having my food-safety team in my office yesterday asking, 'What happened and what do we need to do to make sure this doesn't happen again", Marler said. Tracing a food source back to the supplier should be easy in this case. Scientists believe the microorganism responsible was carried on fresh produce such as lettuce or tomatoes, Dr. Kathy Lofy, a state health officer for Washington, told a news conference earlier this week. They were hospitalized at a Seattle children's' hospital for about a week, he said. In California, health workers said norovirus sickened almost 100 customers and employees at a Chipotle restaurant in Simi Valley in mid-August. Now the company Insiders own 3.82% of Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. shares according to the proxy statements. Most of its restaurants also feature outdoor patio space.

The company says it has 1,931 locations, and each restaurant brings in about $2.5 million in revenue a year on average.

Unfortunately, using additive-free ingredients means that food products do not contain preservatives, which are used to help prevent bacteria such as E. coli from flourishing. Most are harmless, but a few can cause serious problems. The last thing I want is for people to get sick from food that they have eaten.

The restaurant chain said it is replacing all food items in the restaurants that were closed and batch testing a few ingredients before resupplying.