Food safety standards are having a welcome change at Chipotle after the recent outbreak of E. coli on their foods. Over a dozen people have been infected through their goods.
IEH Laboratories Hired For Better Food Safety
The company, founded by Steve Ells, has hired IEH Laboratories in Seattle to help restructure their system. The E. coli outbreak has so far been associated with restaurants in Oregon, Washington, California, Minnesota, New Mexico and Ohio. The company will be implementing new testing on all of its produce before it gets sent to restaurants, including tests for shelf life.
This means that there could be changes in Chipotle’s produce suppliers, who may not be able to meet the new standards. This could cause some hardships on both sides of the business. There’s also been no official report on how much the company has lost in sales after the scandal broke out. Chipotle declared that they will provide a full financial update before the Bernstein Consumer Summit.
43 People Were Infected with E. coli From the Outbreak
Chipotle has been rigorously examining their products to fish for the ingredient that caused the outbreak. The process is akin to looking for a needle in a haystack, but they’re working towards finding the source of the problem. The incidence of E. coli has been increasing recently, which has become cause for concern for many Americans. It’s only right that Chipotle does its part in helping the efforts.
Food safety is probably the most important part of running any kind of restaurant or food-related business, and Chipotle has been sloppy making sure that their customers get the best experience possible. Their sales are sure to have seen a considerable decrease even in states where cases of E. coli were not reported. It’s yet to be seen how Chipotle will handle the scandal backlash.
