SEATTLE — Chipotle’s commitment to tracking ingredients from farm to table is being put to the test by an E. coli outbreak that has sickened at least 37 people as of Tuesday in Washington and Oregon.
Scientists said Tuesday that they identified the specific microorganism responsible, which they think was carried on fresh produce such as lettuce, tomatoes, cilantro or onions, possibly even spices.
Eight restaurants are tied to the outbreak, but the Denver-based fast casual Mexican chain voluntarily closed 43 restaurants in the two states after health officials alerted the company to a growing number of E. coli cases involving people who’d had a meal at Chipotle during the past two weeks.
The numbers grew Tuesday from three to 12 probable cases in the Portland area and from 19 to 25 probable cases near Seattle.
