Chipotle E. Coli Outbreak Raises Questions
Ridiculous conspiracy theory? Or conceivable possibility, that a giant food conglomerate or agro-chemical company is behind the recent Chipotle E. Coli outbreak? Either way, a significant amount of drama has surrounded the Chipotle GMO situation from the start…
With the E. Coli outbreak, the illnesses started November 18- 26, 2015, and, according to cdc.gov, as of December 18, 2015, 53 people were reported as infected with the outbreak strain of STEC O26 across nine states. One fact that particularly fuels speculation — the ongoing investigation has yet to identify a specific food linked to the illness.
Is the E. coli outbreak at Chipotle an accident? Original photo here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/cdohertyk/20862004576/in/photolist-xMve95-sTxMaN
To understand how this all came about, a little backstory is helpful.
Chipotle founder and Co-CEO Steve Ells has been key to Chipotle’s health conscious approach. In 2013, he disclosed the presence of GMOs in his menu’s ingredients. This announcement was followed up in 2015 with the complete elimination of all known GMOs in all products served at all Chipotle locations (though there’s debate on whether or not the animals are given GMO feed). They do not support growth hormones or steroids, and cows, pigs, and chickens unfortunate enough to end up in Chipotle kitchens would at least get to experience the joy of living their abbreviated lives free-range and outside of corporate livestock mega-farms. There is also a requirement that vegetables be grown in healthy soil, and that all food products come from farms, not factories. Mr. Ells stopped just short of going all out organic, which might possibly be his next step if he manages to survive punishment for crimes already committed.
Which crimes? Well, in the opinion of Dissident Voice writer John R. Hall, the crimes of being health-conscious and challenging the status quo in the food production industry, which is dominated by several key players — Monsanto, Bayer, Syngenta, BASF, Dow, DuPont, Nufarm, Makhteshim, Sumitomo, and Arysta together, who control 89% of the global agro-chemical market. Enter John’s theory on what may have happened to Chipotle —
Agro-chemical corporations are a huge deal. We’re talking potentially trillions of dollars here. A billion is chump change to those who seek to control the food sources of all mankind. Steve Ells should have all ten of these corporate monsters in his lineup of suspects. Add to this the nation’s top ten major animal torturers/meat producers, and I’ll guarantee that Steve will find at least one corporate crook with E. Coli, norovirus, salmonella, and blood on his hands.
But like the harsh rebuttal to those who speculate on the safety of GMOs in our food supply, the backlash from these E. coli accusations has been equally fierce in articles and on message boards. Other allegations in the article linked below (but not mentioned directly in this post) would also be equally difficult to prove. All the while, Chipotle’s stock prices have plummeted, so despite what Steve Ells may speculate privately, Chipotle simply told its shareholders that the issue arose from the introduction of fresh produce processing and other changes, without proper safeguards put in place.
Chipotle may not be perfect, but after the initial outbreak, they responded swiftly and appropriately. The company immediately closed more than 40 restaurants in Oregon and Washington after the first infections were reported. And, in an abundance of caution, all food items in the store were replaced.
Bottom line is, their health conscious efforts will likely be rewarded with loyalty from their customers, but we’ll see how this all plays out.
To read more about how this E. coli outbreak at Chipotle raises questions, view the article in full here:
http://dissidentvoice.org/2015/12/the-crimes-and-punishment-of-chipotle/
Original featured image here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/weremonkey/17648617684/in/photolist-xMve95-sTxMaN
