Minnesota – Around 45 or more cases of salmonella involving the restaurant chain Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. (NYSE: CMG) have been reported to the Minnesota Department of Health since September 2th.
It took April Beck exactly one month from the moment she ate at the 2600 Hennepin Chipotle on August 10, to the moment on September 10 when she sued Chipotle in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota after having experienced blood clots in both arms and diarrhea. She is suing based on strict liability, breach of warranty, negligence and negligence per se.
The Salmonella bacteria are usually transmitted to humans by food contaminated with animal feces or handled by workers with poor personal hygiene and among the symptoms are diarrhea, abdominal pain, and fever. In extreme cases, the patient can experience bloodstream infections, meningitis or even death in some weakened immune systems.
Her complaint sustains the fact that the 1,847-unit restaurant chain has the responsibility to deliver to the plaintiff food fit for human consumption.
“Salmonella-contaminated food would not be fit for the uses intended. Any ingredients served should have been free from adulteration, and safe for human consumption, but it failed to do so and was, therefore negligent” the complaint notes.
Chipotle has responded the lawsuit by switching suppliers on the food items suspected to have caused the infection, said Doug Schulz spokesman of the Minnesota Department of Health. Also collaborated to the inspection of policies for employers that come ill while investigations have yet failed to find the item that caused the infection.
“The safety and wellbeing of our customers is always our highest priority […] while this issue in Minnesota does not present an ongoing risk to consumers, we are committed to working with health department officials while they look to determine a cause” Chipotle said in a statement to CNN Money.
Source: Minnesota Department of Health