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Chipotle Mexican Grill says the $25 million food safety fine puts an ‘old matter behind us,’ but will consumers ever forget?Chipotle Mexican Grill says the $25 million food safety fine puts an ‘old matter behind us,’ but will consumers ever forget?

Analyst Tim Powell of Foodservice IP: ‘Reputational damage is difficult to shed’

Nancy Luna, Senior editor, Nation's Restaurant News

April 22, 2020

4 Min Read
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Providing that Chipotle complies with all of its food safety obligations, the Department of Justice said it will dismiss the case after the end of settlement's three year term. Chipotle's $25 million fine was the largest in any food safety case.Nancy Luna

During Chipotle’s earnings call on Tuesday, Chief Financial Officer Jack Hartung said the $25 million food safety fine the company must pay to settle a probe will hurt the company’s cash flow during the COVID-19 crisis but “we're ready to put this old matter behind us.”

The investigation affirmed the chain’s failure to follow protocols to prevent sick employees from working. As a result, “adulterated food” served at some of its restaurants sickened more than 1,100 people across the United States from 2015 to 2018, the Department of Justice concluded. 

Provided that Chipotle complies with all of its food safety obligations and pays the $25 million fine, the largest penalty ever imposed in a criminal food safety case, the DOJ has agreed to d...

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About the Author

Nancy Luna

Senior editor, Nation's Restaurant News

Nancy Luna is a senior editor at Nation's Restaurant News and a contributing editor at Supermarket News. She covers the industry's largest and most talked about fast-food brands including McDonald's, Starbucks, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, KFC and Subway. She is an award-winning journalist with more than 25 years reporting experience. As a veteran business reporter based in Southern California, Nancy has covered some of the country's most beloved food and retail brands including In-N-Out, Taco Bell, Trader Joe's, Aldi, Whole Foods Market, Target and Costco. Luna is a graduate of Cal State Fullerton. When she's not digging for news on her beat, you can find Nancy regaling her fans about her latest dining adventures on her Fast Food Maven social media channels. Contact [email protected]  or follow her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/fastfoodmaven

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