Chipotle has closed 43 restaurants in Oregon and Washington because of an outbreak of Shigella Toxin Producing E. coli (STEC). This is the same bacteria that was linked to the outbreaks from Jack in the Box years ago (in that case it was tainted hamburger meat).
So far, thankfully, no one has died, but 1/3 of the infected customers have been hospitalized.
Chipotle, and other large chains, are easy targets for these bacteria. They obtain large quantities of vegetables, sauces, and meats from distributors. And although Chipotle has sought to tell the world that they serve “food with integrity,” they are still a mass-marketed, mass-distributed chain. I’ve debunked them in my article Chipotles Hipocracy in Pandering to Anti Science.
Probably the most important point: of the food borne illness – Chipotle has had over 300 people being sick and from GMO – the number is zero.
My parents, until they moved to assisted living, would frequent such restaurants as Chipotle, Village Inn, Sheri’s. Thankfully their food is prepared at a center now, and that has much less risk of food borne illness.
If you want to remain healthy — it is far better to cook your own food than have someone else cook it for you. The fewer people handling the food, the closer the supervision, the less likely you will end up a victim of food poisoning.
Cheap food isn’t good, and good food isn’t cheap.
Just cook!