Chipotle removes jalapeños from some restaurants after Salmonella outbreak, probe targets supply chain

Chipotle said Tuesday it removed jalapeños from some restaurants after identifying the ingredient as a potential common link in a Salmonella outbreak that public health officials are investigating.

The move comes after The Wall Street Journal reported that Minnesota health officials are investigating an outbreak of Salmonella associated with jalapeños served at Mexican-style quick-service restaurants, with Chipotle a focus of the investigation.

According to the Journal, the Minnesota Department of Health has identified 110 cases of Salmonella Javiana tied to the outbreak. Of the 84 people interviewed after becoming ill, 89% reported eating at Chipotle between mid-June and last month, citing Carlota Medus, senior epidemiologist supervisor in the department’s foodborne diseases unit.

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In a statement Tuesday, Chipotle said it is aware that public health authorities are investigating “the source of a Salmonella outbreak in the supply chain impacting several food service retailers.”

“The health and safety of our guests and employees is our highest priority,” the company said.

Chipotle said it immediately activated its ingredient traceability system after learning of the potential outbreak and identified jalapeños from a common lot as a potential shared ingredient.

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“Out of an abundance of caution, we proactively removed the jalapeños from our restaurants and replaced them with product from different growers,” the company said.

The Journal also reported that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is conducting a traceback investigation involving jalapeños and other potential sources.

“We have a robust ingredient traceability system,” Laurie Schalow, Chipotle’s chief corporate affairs and food safety officer, said in the company’s statement.

The latest investigation revives memories of Chipotle’s 2015 food safety crisis, when separate E. coli outbreaks linked to meals at the chain sickened 60 people across multiple states. A separate Salmonella outbreak in Minnesota that year was traced to tomatoes served at a single Chipotle restaurant. The incidents prompted the company to overhaul its food safety program and strengthen measures, including ingredient traceability.

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FOX Business has reached out to Chipotle and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for additional comment.

Chipotle shares fell 7.3% Tuesday, according to the Journal.