Chipotle closed 43 restaurants in Oregon and Washington due to an E. coli outbreak in the region.
Six restaurants are connected to 22 E. Coli cases. But management decided to close more “out of ‘an abundance of caution.’”
“We are working with health department officials to determine the cause of this issue,” explained a Chipotle spokesman “We offer our deepest sympathies to those who have been affected by this situation.”
The situation is hard for college students to swallow.
“For college students especially,” said Jody Luk, a junior at the University of Washington. “We’re always struggling to get more money. So with the amount of food they give us and the price, it’s like the best bang for your buck.”
Officials discovered 19 cases in Washington and three in Oregon. Public health physician Dr. Marisa D’Angeli told the media 17 of those cases in Washington ate at Chipotle. Eight people required hospitalization.
Reuters reported this is the “third outbreak of food contamination at Chipotle.” The other cases involved salmonella and norovirus.
Chipotle boasts that their restaurants use “fresh, unprocessed foods,” but “experts say it raises the risk of foodborne illness because cooking kills pathogens that cause illness.”
The health agency is urging anyone who ate at the restaurants to visit a doctor.
“Health officials want people who have eaten at a Chipotle between October 14 and 23, and become ill with vomiting and bloody diarrhea, to see their health care provider and mention this outbreak,” they wrote on their website.