Chipotle jalapenos investigated as possible source of salmonella outbreak
Health officials are investigating jalapenos served at Chipotle restaurants as a possible source of a recent salmonella outbreak, the company confirmed to ABC News on Tuesday.
Chipotle told ABC News the ingredient was distributed to several food service retailers across multiple states. The company said it removed the jalapenos from select restaurants.
"We have a robust ingredient traceability system and, upon learning of a potential Salmonella outbreak in the supply chain impacting several food service retailers, we proactively identified jalapenos as a potential common ingredient from a common lot, removed them from the restaurants where they had been distributed, and replaced them with product from different growers," Laurie Schalow, Chipotle's chief corporate affairs and food safety officer, said in a statement.
Salmonella are bacteria that can cause a common foodborne illness called salmonellosis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Infections tend to occur more in the summer, when warmer weather presents ideal conditions for the bacteria to grow, the agency states.
Symptoms of a salmonella infection may include watery diarrhea, stomach cramps, headache, nausea, vomiting, and a loss of appetite, according to the CDC. Symptoms can start anywhere from six hours to six days after infection and can last from four to seven days, the agency says.
Health officials in Minnesota told ABC News they are looking into at least 110 salmonella cases in the state as part of the outbreak and said Chipotle has been "fully" cooperating with their investigations.
The officials said that among the 84 cases interviewed so far, 75 reported eating at Chipotle between June 14 and July 14. Others reported eating "at a variety of other Mexican-style restaurants," they added.
"It is too soon for us to know if the outbreak is ongoing. Given the measures Chipotle put in place, we are not concerned about Chipotle; but it is possible that the outbreak is ongoing if the contaminated food item is being served elsewhere," Carlota Medus, senior epidemiologist supervisor in the Minnesota Department of Health Foodborne Diseases Unit, said in a statement.
The Food and Drug Administration said it began a traceback investigation of "multiple ingredients" two weeks ago in response to a cluster of salmonella illnesses and is working to find out what people may have consumed and identify potential contamination sources.
"FDA initiated its traceback investigation of multiple ingredients on July 22 in response to a cluster of Salmonella illnesses identified by state officials and the CDC," the agency said in a statement. "At the same time, Chipotle, in coordination with state partners, proactively began reviewing its supply chain."
The agency said it "appreciates" Chipotle's "cooperation with the investigation" thus far, adding that it will "provide additional information if and when there is an actionable public health update."
The Minnesota Department of Health said it expects the number of salmonella cases to potentially increase in the coming days, noting that "it takes us a while to detect cases in surveillance."
"Our investigations often start with speaking to persons diagnosed with a foodborne illness that were reported to the health department as part of our surveillance," the department said. "We'd like to ask the public to please answer our calls. The information they provide is critical to solving outbreaks quickly."
ABC News has reached out to other state health departments and the CDC for comment.
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