Chipotle had a rough several months at the end of 2015, and it doesn't look like it's getting a break in the New Year. After an E. coli outbreak that shut down 43 locations [1], a recent case of norovirus [2] that affected Boston locations in December, and a separate norovirus outbreak in August, Chipotle is now facing a federal criminal investigation. The US attorney's office for the Central District of California and the US Food and Drug Administration's Office of Criminal Investigations are looking into a case involving the Summer incident that affected approximately 230 customers [3] in Simi Valley, CA.
Although specific charges have not been mentioned, evidence will be presented to a grand jury to determine whether to move forward. Chipotle has agreed to fully cooperate in the matter, according to documents obtained by Food Safety News [4].
Although it's hard to see one of our favorite chains hit so hard, it's difficult to deny the unsettling nature of the multiple incidents in recent months.