In the last three months Chipotle has caused three major outbreaks of foodborne illness, first spreading salmonella to 100 California residents in August, then again to an additional 64 customers in Minnesota this September. And just this week an E. coli outbreak was traced back to the chain, sickening 37 people in Washington and Oregon. As a result, the company is being sued for $75,000 with claims of negligence regarding the E. coli case. 

In the wake of this turmoil, Chipotle has not only closed all of its stores in both Washington and Oregon but hired two food safety consulting firms to hopefully prevent future incidents. The fast-casual Mexican joint says that these firms, which includes Seattle-based IEH Laboratories and Consulting Group, will "improve upon the company's already high standards for food safety." 

However, despite claiming high standards, the chain has been harshly criticized for its seemingly lax practices. "Having three problems in a couple of months means that Chipotle is not paying attention to food safety like it should," Bill Marler, a Seattle food safety lawyer who garnered national attention from the 1993 E. coli outbreak at Seattle Jack in the Box restaurants, told the Associated Press. 

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In an effort to further prove its case, Chipotle explains that it is "moving aggressively" to address these food safety issues, including conducting environment tests in restaurants, food tests in both restaurants and distribution centers, and bringing in health department officials to conduct additional third-party tests. 

"The safety of our customers and integrity of our food supply has always been our highest priority," Steve Ells, co-CEO of Chipotle, wrote in an official company release. "We work with a number of very fresh ingredients in order to serve our customers the highest-quality, best-tasting food we can. If there are opportunities to do better, we will push ourselves to find them and enhance our already high standards for food safety. Our deepest sympathies go out to those who have been affected by this situation and it is our greatest priority to ensure the safety of all of the food we serve and maintain our customers' confidence in eating at Chipotle."TK 

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