Chipotle Mexican Grill announced Tuesday it has removed jalapeños from some of its restaurants, following a salmonella outbreak that public health officials are investigating as potentially linked to the peppers.
In a brief statement, the fast-casual chain maintained that the "health and safety of our guests and employees is our highest priority," and confirmed its awareness of authorities probing the source of a salmonella outbreak impacting several food service retailers.
The company added that it pulled the jalapeños out of an abundance of caution and "replaced them with product from different growers." Chipotle did not specify how many of its restaurants were impacted, nor the origin of the previous peppers.
The Minnesota Department of Health confirmed Tuesday it is investigating a salmonella outbreak tied to several Mexican-style, quick-service restaurants, with jalapeños as the suspected source. Officials identified 110 cases in the state. Chipotle accounted for the majority of those where impacted consumers were interviewed, having eaten at the chain between mid-June and mid-July, but did not account for all of them.
“Based on all the evidence so far, the food that made people sick was served at other restaurants as well,” Carlota Medus, senior epidemiologist supervisor in the MDH's Health Foodborne Diseases Unit, said in a statement.
Medus added that the chain had been cooperative over the course of the investigation — and that given the measures the company had put in place, his department was not concerned about the chain at this time. Still, he said that it was “too soon for us to know if the outbreak is ongoing” and that it's possible contaminated food is being served elsewhere.
Minnesota's Health Department noted that other states are contributing to the investigation, without elaborating further. And on the federal level, MDH added that the Food and Drug Administration is conducting the traceback probe, covering but not limited to jalapeños.
The FDA did not immediately respond to The Associated Press' request for further information Tuesday.
Shares of California-based Chipotle Mexican Grill plunged more than 9 percent in afternoon trading, erasing the gains made in July. Chipotle’s stock has fallen 6.7% since the start of the year.
