Chipotle Pulls Key Ingredient After Salmonella Outbreak

Chipotle Mexican Grill has pulled jalapeños from some of its restaurants after the spicy topping emerged as a possible culprit in a salmonella outbreak that has left 110 people ill in Minnesota. The burrito chain said Tuesday it removed the peppers “out of an abundance of caution” and replaced them with “product from different growers” at some locations. The “health and safety of our guests and employees is our highest priority,” the company said, noting that the peppers were sent to several retailers across multiple states. State health officials said the outbreak was linked to several Mexican-style quick-service restaurants, not just Chipotle. “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 Minnesota Department of Health’s Foodborne Diseases Unit, said. The Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday it opened a traceback investigation of multiple ingredients on July 22 in response to a salmonella outbreak and would “provide additional information if and when there is an actionable public health update.”

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