Chipotle Will Pay A $25 Million Fine In Relation To Foodborne Illness Outbreaks That Sickened Over 1,000 People
Chipotle has agreed to pay a $25 million fine in regards to foodborne illness outbreaks from 2015-2018 that sickened more than 1,100 people, the Justice Department announced Tuesday.
The chain has entered an agreement with the Justice Department where it will not only pay the fine, which the department called the "largest ever in a food safety case," but it also agreed to an improved food safety program.
“This settlement represents an acknowledgment of how seriously Chipotle takes food safety every day and is an opportunity to definitively turn the page on past events and focus on serving our customers real food made with real ingredients that they can enjoy with confidence,” said chairman and CEO of Chipotle Mexican Grill Brian Niccol in a statement regarding the agreement.
According to the statement by the Justice Department, the company was involved in at least five foodborne illness outbreaks between 2015 and 2018 connected to restaurants in the Los Angeles area, as well as in Massachusetts, Virginia, and Ohio. Chipotle agreed this was true.
As part of the agreement, Chipotle has agreed to work with its Food Safety Council which formed in 2017 "to evaluate the company’s food safety audits, restaurant staffing, and employee training, among other areas, to mitigate the issues that led to the outbreaks."
In its own statement, Chipotle outlined some of the changes it has made since the outbreaks began, including wellness checks for each employee before they start their shift, detailed traceability of each ingredient in the supply chain, and enhanced food preparation and food handling practices designed to reduce food safety risks.
"All of these efforts have led to a robust food safety culture that Chipotle believes is one of the finest in the industry as evidenced by Chipotle leading the industry with the lowest number of violations on independent health department inspections," the statement concluded.
You Might Also Like
