Chipotle’s food poisoning woes continue unabated as the company faces another major outbreak of food poisoning, this time among the students of Boston College. Local health officials confirmed yesterday that a massive outbreak of norovirus among Boston College students was linked to the Chipotle restaurant where the students ate over the preceding weekend. So far, at least 120 Boston College students have reportedly become sick, up 50% from the count just two days ago of 80.
This outbreak comes on the heels of a major outbreak of norovirus at Chipotle’s Simi Valley location in California, where the Food Safety lawyers at Ron Simon & Associates represent dozens of victims in an outbreak in which 80 victims have been identified, including 13 of the employees. It also comes on the heels of: a large multi-state outbreak of E. coli also linked to Chipotle restaurants, with victims in 9 states which forced the closure of restaurants from Portland to Bellingham, in Oregon and Washington states; a smaller E. coli outbreak with five victims linked to one Seattle-based Chipotle; and an outbreak of Salmonella in Minnesota, also linked to Chipotle restaurants. So far, there is no epidemiological link to these previous outbreaks, even though they are all tied to the same fast-growing chain of Chipotle restaurants.
Chipotle, in the face of tumbling stock prices, has announced a renewed commitment to safe food handling and promised additional training of its staff.
Meanwhile, in Boston, officials are focusing on norovirus even as tests for E. coli have not yet been completed. Norovirus is a virus that is easily spread in the face of poor personal hygiene and the failure to employ well established food preparation, storage, and serving practices. The beginning of winter also coincides with norovirus season, and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 20 million cases of acute gastroenteritis can be expected this year alone in the U.S., leading to about 60 thousand hospitalizations and as many as 800 deaths, disproportionately among children and the elderly.
So far, no single cause of these various Chipotle outbreaks has been determined, but according to food poisoning lawyer Ron Simon, in each instance, there have been significant breakdowns in proper food handling, serving or storage, including allowing sick employees to continue to work at the Simi Valley location. “Our investigation into each of these outbreaks, on behalf of the many victims we represent, will be thorough,” promises Ron Simon. Simon’s office has set up a Chipotle Claim Center that can be reached at 1-888-335-4901.
