Chipotle Mexican Grill has removed jalapeños from some of its restaurants as part of an investigation into a salmonella outbreak that has sickened around 110 people in Minnesota. The company announced Tuesday that 75 of those affected had eaten at a Chipotle location. The jalapeños in question were supplied to several food retailers across multiple states, according to a company spokesperson.
Following the implementation of its ingredient traceability system, Chipotle identified the jalapeños as the likely source and took action. "Out of an abundance of caution, we proactively removed the jalapeños from our restaurants and replaced them with product from different growers," the spokesperson stated.
While the investigation is ongoing and its full scope across other states is not yet clear, Chipotle declined to name the supplier of the peppers. The news comes shortly after a separate cyclospora outbreak, linked to Taco Bell and involving a recall of iceberg lettuce by supplier Taylor Farms, has resulted in over 22,000 illnesses and two deaths.
On Tuesday, Chipotle's stock price fell by 10% following the announcement of the outbreak and the company's actions.