On Tuesday, Chipotle Mexican Grill has agreed to pay a record $25 million fine resolving criminal charges that included serving tainted food that sickened more than 1,100 people in the U.S. from 2015 to 2018.
As Chipotle sales plunged during that period, the fast-food company was charged with two counts of violating the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (serving contaminated food that caused four outbreaks of norovirus, which causes diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal cramps, and a food poisoning incident.)
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Chipotle didn’t run away from their responsibility admitting to poor safety practices, including not keeping food at proper temperatures to prevent pathogen growth.
The A.P. reported customers were affected by these practices in Los Angeles, Simi Valley; Boston; Sterling, Va.; and Powell, Ohio.
According to the release, employees reported that they didn’t receive adequate food safety training, were understaffed, and even were pressured to work while sick.
In a statement, U.S. Attorney Nick Hanna said Chipotle “failed to ensure that its employees both understood and complied with its food safety protocols, resulting in hundreds of customers across the country getting sick.”
The company said it has improved safety measures since the incidents, including “reducing the number of employees who come into contact with ingredients” and enacting “safeguards to minimize the risk that an ingredient is undercooked.”
If Chipotle complies with the terms of the deal, including a food safety compliance program, for three years, prosecutors will dismiss the criminal information.
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This piece was written by Wayne Dupree on April 22, 2020. It originally appeared in WayneDupree.com and is used by permission.
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