Another American fast food chain is being linked to a potential food outbreak.
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In a statement on Tuesday (August 4), popular fast food chain Chipotle made a major announcement. It revealed that it had "proactively removed" jalapeños from its menu.
"Out of an abundance of caution, we proactively removed the jalapeños from our restaurants. And replaced them with product from different growers," the restaurant said in a statement caught by NBC News.
Chipotle Jalapeños Linked to Salmonella Outbreak
The statement comes amid a report that jalapeños were the vehicle of a reported Salmonella outbreak that caused "at least 110 people" to fall ill in Minnesota.
The restaurant, founded in 1993, has also removed a slew of other menu items. Including chili-corn salsa, pico de gallo, and guacamole.
However, Chipotle is not the only culprit in the reported Salmonella outbreak.
Carlota Medus, a senior epidemiologist supervisor in the Minnesota Department of Health Foodborne Disease Unit, told the outlet that the outbreak is linked to several "Mexican-style restaurants."
"Based on all the evidence so far, the food that made people sick was served at other restaurants as well," Medus said via NBC News.
Chipotle's chief corporate affairs and food safety officer Laurie Schalow also confirmed that jalapeños were distributed to "several food service retailers" across the United States.
With Chipotle being one of the more popular restaurants in the country, patrons of the restaurant had a lot to say about the reported outbreak.
"Our food supply in this country is trash right now. Every week it's a new outbreak! SMH," one user wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
"Y'all still eating Chipotle? I was done with them after the E. Coli outbreak a decade ago lol," a second user sarcastically remarked.
"The next president HAS to put regulations back on our food sources. This s**t is out of control nowadays, and I want it to stop," a third user chimed in.
This outbreak comes just weeks after shredded lettuce from Taco Bell was named as the catalyst of the Cyclospora parasite outbreak. A virus that can lead to explosive diarrhea.
How long do you think you can go without Chipotle?
