Chipotle removed jalapeños from affected restaurants and replaced them with peppers from different growers.
Minnesota officials have identified 110 Salmonella cases; 75 of 84 people interviewed reported eating at Chipotle.
Investigators have not confirmed the peppers as the source, and the suspected lot reached multiple restaurant operators and states.
Chipotle Mexican Grill has removed jalapeños from some restaurants after the peppers emerged as a possible link to a Salmonella outbreak under investigation in Minnesota and other states.
The company said that its ingredient-tracing system identified jalapeños from a common lot as a potential shared ingredient. Chipotle removed the peppers from every restaurant that received the lot and replaced them with jalapeños supplied by different growers.
“The health and safety of our guests and employees is our highest priority,” the company said in an August 4 statement.
Minnesota health officials have identified 110 cases connected through genetic sequencing. Of 84 patients interviewed, 75 said they had eaten at Chipotle between June 14 and July 14. Other patients reported visiting a variety of Mexican-style restaurants, suggesting the suspected ingredient may have circulated beyond Chipotle.
No supplier has been publicly identified, and authorities have not conclusively established that jalapeños caused the illnesses. Chipotle described their removal as a precaution rather than a formal consumer recall.
Cyclospora outbreak may be growing
The move coincides with another expanding food issue. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reportedly expanded the current Cyclospora outbreak to 15 states. According to The Washington Post, Arkansas, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, and North Carolina have been added to the list of states where consumers have been sickened by the parasite.
The overwhelming majority of cases have been reported in Michigan, where more than 11,000 people have been sickened. Two people in Michigan have died from the foodborne illness.
Health officials are still trying to determine why so many cases have occurred in one state. Nationwide, more than 18,000 have gotten ill from eating contaminated food.