With Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurants temporarily closing on the West Coast after an E. coli outbreak, local students are reconsidering their burrito bowls.
More than 40 Chipotle restaurants were temporarily closed in Oregon and Washington after customers were hospitalized with symptoms of the bacteria.
Cecily Alvarez, 20, said she is a frequent customer at the Chipotle on University Avenue and now questions if she should eat there.
"I have started to try other Mexican restaurants around campus," the UF psychology junior said. "Until the Chipotle restaurants on the West Coast open, I do not think the place is worth the risk."
Keith Schneider, a UF professor in the department of food science and human nutrition, said the closed Chipotle restaurants are more than likely getting their foods from the same supplier. He said until the exact strain of the bacteria has been identified, stores must take precautionary measures and investigate where it may be coming from.
However, he said because the foods are probably supplied locally, the East Coast is not likely to receive any infected ingredients.
"I suspect Chipotle locally sources a lot of their produce," he said. "The chances that venders on the West Coast are providing any type of product to the East Coast is probably slim to none."
In lieu of a statement, a Chipotle representative provided a press release explaining how the company not only closed the restaurants, but also conducted environmental tests and retained two food safety consulting firms.
Chipotle continues to work swiftly and thoroughly with health department officials as they look to conclude this investigation, the release said.
Taylor Whitfield, 18, said she travels four times a week to the opposite side of town to eat Chipotle during her lunch break.
"I hope health officials find how to prevent the food from being contaminated," the Santa Fe College health sciences freshman said. "Chipotle automatically makes studying more enjoyable and gives me something to look forward to."
- E.Coli is an intestinal bacteria that can be consumed in contaminated foods, including undercooked meat and vegetables grown in manure or washed in contaminated water.
- Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, watery or bloody diarrhea, fatigue and/or fever.
- For treatment, doctors recommend rest and hydration.
Kevin Paule (left), a 25-year-old UF third-year law student, chomps into his burrito at Chipotle on Nov. 3, 2015, while out to lunch with Craig DeThomasis, a UF trial practice professor. DeThomasis said he wasn’t worried about E. coli in the Chipotle chains on the West coast. “Life’s a risk,” he said.
