Health officials reveal why nearly 650 people got sick after eating at Chipotle

Hollis Johnson/Business Insider

A Chipotle restaurant is responsible for a foodborne illness that sickened nearly 650 people, according to health officials.

• Health officials have discovered the source of a foodborne illness outbreak that sickened at least 647 people who ate at a Chipotle restaurant in Powell, Ohio.
• The restaurant failed to store food at a safe temperature, health officials said.
• Stool samples taken from customers who got sick after eating at the restaurant tested positive for Clostridium perfringens, a foodborne disease that occurs when food is left at an unsafe temperature.
• "Chipotle field leadership will be retraining all restaurant employees nationwide beginning next week on food safety and wellness protocols," Chipotle CEO Brian Niccol said in response to the outbreak.

Health officials say they have identified the cause of a foodborne illness outbreak stemming from a Chipotle restaurant in Powell, Ohio, that sickened at least 647 people.

Stool samples taken from customers who got sick after eating at the restaurant tested positive for Clostridium perfringens, a foodborne disease that occcurs when food is left at an unsafe temperature, according to Traci Whittaker, a spokeswoman for the Delaware General Health District.

In response to the outbreak, Chipotle CEO Brian Niccol said employees nationwide will be retrained on food safety.

"Chipotle field leadership will be retraining all restaurant employees nationwide beginning next week on food safety and wellness protocols," Niccol said.

A specific food has not been identified as the source of illness. Ongoing food and stool testing is being conducted by the Centers for Disease Control.

Business Insider reported last month that Chipotle temporarily closed the restaurant at the center of the outbreak, located at 9733 Sawmill Parkway in Powell, after receiving reports of customer illnesses.

Records show local health officials inspected the Powell Chipotle on July 26, and found violations related to food not being held at proper temperatures.

Specifically, lettuce was not properly cooled and beans were not held at a warm enough temperature.

Customers who reported getting ill after eating at the restuarant visited the location between July 26 and July 30, according to the Delaware General Health District.

Reported symptoms included vomiting, diarhea, and stomach pains. No customers have reported getting sick after eating the restaurant since it reopened.