WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) announced that it has taken a number of immediate steps to assist investigators as they conduct their review of E. coli incident in Oregon and Washington. Chipotle said it cooperates fully with investigation. According to the regulators, total of 35 cases of illnesses are linked to Chipotle restaurants.
Meanwhile, the Washington State Department of Health stated that E. coli illnesses has grown from 19 reported Washington cases to 25 as of today. Of the 25 cases, 23 reported having been at Chipotle restaurants before getting sick.
The Oregon Health Authority reported that a total of 12 cases of Shiga toxin E. coli linked to eating at Chipotle restaurants in the Portland Metro area, up from three cases that were first reported October 31.
Chipotle issued a statement today that it is immediately closing 43 restaurants in Oregon and Washington state out of an abundance of caution and conducting additional deep cleaning and full sanitization of its restaurants in the area. The company said it is also replacing all food items in the restaurants it closed.
The company also retained two preeminent food safety consulting firms, including Seattle-based IEH Laboratories and Consulting Group, to help assess and improve upon its already high standards for food safety.
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