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 The outbreak expanded with new Chipotle-linked E. coli cases
reported in California, Ohio, New York and Minnesota, the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
The CDC said 45 people got sick from the E. coli O26 outbreak
strain, and of those, 43 reported eating at Chipotle. Sixteen people
have been hospitalized and no deaths have been reported.
Chipotle's tagline is "Food with Integrity", and it has a reputation
for serving healthy, fresh food. This outbreak, the company's third
food safety lapse this year, has been a black mark for the popular
chain that saw its shares tumble 12.3 percent to $536.19 on Friday.
The outbreak also speaks to changing consumer tastes. U.S. diners
are demanding more fresh, less processed foods. While such products
are generally healthier, cooking and other types of processing can
kill pathogens that make people sick.
 The source of the food contamination has not yet been found, but
some investigators and experts suspect produce or another perishable
item. High heat kills E. coli, and it is unlikely that all of the
affected restaurants undercooked meat.
COAST TO COAST
The Chipotle outbreak was first identified in Seattle, Washington
and Portland, Oregon, and the company closed all 43 of its
restaurants in those markets on Oct. 31.
Last week, Chipotle reopened those units after deep-cleaning the
properties and replacing food.
Chipotle, which also has hired food safety consultants, is testing
food and changing food preparation procedures, and said it is taking
similar actions at the other restaurants linked to the outbreak.
The new reports of illness were tied to Chipotle restaurants in
Turlock, California; Akron, Ohio; Amherst, New York; and Burnsville,
Minnesota.
Due to the timing of visits - in late October and on Nov. 6 - and
the average time of illness onset, Chipotle does not believe it is
necessary to close those restaurants, company spokesman Chris Arnold
said.
The number of cases could go higher as state and federal
investigators check to see if other reported E. coli illnesses match
the Chipotle strain.
One Chicago customer, who ordered a chicken bowl with brown rice on
Friday afternoon, was undeterred by the news.
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"If it was closer to home, you might think about it more," said the
customer, who declined to give his name.
In a Seattle area Chipotle, Akberet Gedlu, 29, said she scanned the
restaurant for signs of uncleanliness when she arrived, concerned
about the expanding number of cases. But she picked up a chicken
burrito with her young son.
"I hesitated. I don't want to get sick. It was convenience. It's
right there," she said.
Analysts expect the outbreak to dent sales.
Seattle attorney Bill Marler, who is representing nearly three dozen
people affected by the outbreak in Oregon and Washington state, said
the increase in reported cases raises the likelihood that the
culprit will be identified.
"There has to be a common supplier with a common food item," Marler
said.
According to the CDC, most people infected with E. coli develop
symptoms of illness about 3 to 4 days after contact with the germ.
CDC currently is investigating a separate outbreak, unrelated to
Chipotle, of Salmonella Poona infections linked to imported
cucumbers. Four people have died as a result of that outbreak, which
has made 838 people in 38 states sick.
(Additional reporting by Tom Polansek in Chicago and Eric Johnson in
Seattle; Editing by Sandra Maler, Bernard Orr and Ken Wills)
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