Chipotle Norovirus Outbreak News
On January 7, 2016, Chipotle Mexican Grill received a subpoena from a federal grand jury as the first step in an investigation of the Chipotle norovirus outbreak at its Simmi Valley, California restaurants. This investigation will be jointly carried out by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigations, in an effort to analyze the cause of the food poisoning outbreak, as well as Chipotle’s response to the epidemic.
As Doug Beach, the manager of the Community Services Program at the Ventura County Environmental Health Department, told NPR, the noro virus outbreak sickened 189 Chipotle customers, and 18 Chipotle employees.
CONTACT THE WEINBERG LAW FIRM FOR A FREE FOOD POISONING LAWSUIT EVALUATION
If you or a loved one are diagnosed with food poisoning, are awaiting medical confirmation of infection, or have a question regarding a food poisoning lawsuit, you can request a free legal case evaluation by submitting the “Free Legal Case Evaluation Form” found on this page. You can also call The Weinberg Law Firm toll free at 1-877-934-6274. Our phones are answered 24/7.
Chipotle Norovirus Outbreak and Past Outbreaks
This legal action in response to the Chipotle norovirus outbreak represents just one out of many cases of mass food poisoning linked to Chipotle Mexican Grill:
• In August, 2015, 64 Chipotle patrons in Minnesota were sickened in an outbreak of Salmonella later sourced to tomatoes served at the chain.
• In October, 52 people were sickened in Washington and Oregon by a different strain of E. coli.
• In November, 2015, 22 cases of E. coli food poisoning in Washington and Oregon were connected to the restaurant, causing the company to temporarily close 43 restaurants.
• That December, in Brighton, Massachusetts, 141 Boston College students reportedly contracted a norovirus after visiting a Chipotle restaurant.
• According to the FDA, as of December, 2015, 53 people in nine states had been sickened by one strain of E. coli.
Chipotle Norovirus Outbreak Details
Noroviruses are a group of viruses that cause acute gastroenteritis, or “stomach flu,” in humans.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), noroviruses cause approximately 23,000,000 cases of gastroenteritis in the United States each year.
The most common symptoms of norovirus infection include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach cramping. Children may experience more vomiting than adults. Additional symptoms include low-grade fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, and a general sense of fatigue.
Symptoms usually begin 24- 48 hours after consuming contaminated food or water. Although an infected individual may feel very sick, symptoms usually last for only one or two days.
