Chipotle Closes For Lunch Nationwide For Food Safety Meeting
SIMI VALLEY (CBSLA.com) — Chipotle will be off the table for the Monday lunch crowd, as the embattled Mexican food chain will close across the nation for a company-wide meeting on new food safety protocols.
Chipotle Mexican Grill shut its doors between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. to discuss a new, "enhanced food safety program," in the wake of an E. coli scare that sickened 60 people in 11 states.
The CDC has declared the two E. Coli outbreaks to be over, but also said that investigators were unable to pinpoint one single food or ingredient as the cause of the problem.
According to the company, Chipotle's new protocols include high-resolution DNA-based testing of ingredients that exceeds state and federal regulatory requirements, along with industry standards; changes to food prep and food handling practices, including new protocols for marinating chicken and steak; and paid sick leave to ensure employees don't feel compelled to work while ill.
Chipotle restaurants were expected to reopen nationally at 3 p.m.