Chipotle Mexican Grill has removed jalapeños from all of its restaurants nationwide after the peppers were linked to a salmonella outbreak in Minnesota that has sickened more than 100 people.
The move, first reported by Bloomberg, comes as the restaurant chain works with the Minnesota Department of Health to investigate the outbreak. In a statement released Aug. 4, Chipotle said it had identified jalapeños from a single common lot as a potential source of the contamination.
“Out of an abundance of caution, we proactively removed the jalapeños from our restaurants and replaced them with product from different growers,” the company said. Chipotle did not identify the grower that supplied the removed peppers.
Health officials have reported 110 confirmed cases of salmonella linked to the outbreak. According to investigators, 89% of those who became ill had recently eaten at a Chipotle restaurant, making the chain a central focus of the investigation. The inquiry remains ongoing as officials work to confirm the source of the contamination.
