Chipotle E. Coli Outbreak Has Spread To Six States

Weeks after Chipotle closed at least 50 restaurant locations due to an E. coli outbreak that sickened dozens, the Tex-Mex casual chain has released an update. With help from the CDC, the number of Chipotle-related illnesses has officially been reduced from 50 to 37.However, in addition to the affected restaurants in Washington and Oregon, Chipotle has also confirmed E. coli illness cases from restaurants in Turlock, Calif., one in Akron, Ohio, one in Amherst, New York, and another in Burnsville, Minnesota.

The 25 percent reduction was tied to careful testing by food safety experts, who determined that the other 13 cases had stemmed from other restaurants in the region. 

Chipotle has also confirmed that they have undertaken methods to deep clean the effected restaurants replacing ingredients in those establishments, changing food preparation procedures, providing all necessary supply chain data to investigators, and surveying employees to be sure none have had any symptoms of illness.

The fast casual food chain has also reiterated its commitment to food safety and cleanliness, and believes that there is little reason to believe that the outbreak will spread further.