Health authorities are investigating whether jalapenos used by the Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurant chain are the source of a salmonella outbreak that has sickened at least 110 people in Minnesota, in a case that also involves other fast food establishments and keeps the fresh produce supply chain under review.
Although there is still no definitive confirmation about the responsible food, the company preventively withdrew the jalapenos distributed in restaurants that received a batch considered suspicious and replaced them with products from other suppliers.
The investigation focuses on a common ingredient that would have been distributed to different restaurants in several states. According to Chipotle, the decision to remove the jalapenos was made after detecting that they could be part of the same batch linked to the outbreak.
"As part of our established health and safety protocols, upon learning of a possible outbreak, we immediately activated our ingredient traceability system and were able to identify jalapeños as a possible common ingredient coming from a common batch, as well as the restaurants where it was distributed. Out of an abundance of caution, we proactively removed jalapeños from our restaurants and replaced them with products from other producers," the chain reported in an official statement.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) confirmed that it opened a traceback investigation into “multiple ingredients” on July 22 after state officials and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) detected a cluster of salmonellosis cases.
The goal is to reconstruct the distribution chain to identify contaminated food and determine where the contamination occurred. The agency specified that the investigation remains open and that it will only make public the identification of a product when there is sufficient evidence to establish a direct link to the outbreak.
In Minnesota, the Department of Health reported that of the 84 people interviewed so far, 75 said they had eaten at a Chipotle restaurant between June 14 and July 14, while others reported having eaten at different Mexican-style restaurants.
Authorities stressed that this data does not prove that Chipotle is the origin of the outbreak, but rather helps identify possible ingredients shared between different establishments.
Salmonella is a leading cause of foodborne illness in the United States. According to the CDC, the infection usually causes diarrhea, fever, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting between six hours and six days after consuming a contaminated food. Most patients recover in less than a week, although young children, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems face a higher risk of developing serious complications.
