This is the latest story circulating in the news media after the Wall Street Journal ran a story on February 2, reporting that according to Chipotle, Australian beef might have been responsible for the E. coli outbreak.
According to Business Insider, the WSJ’s Julie Jargon and Jesse Newman, citing unnamed sources, reported Chipotle has concluded that the Australian beef was the most likely cause of the E. coli outbreak. The WSJ report also highlighted the ongoing disagreement between Chipotle and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The story referenced Chipotle’s “detailed process of elimination” by which Chipotle decided the Australian beef was the probable contaminant. There were referenced claims that Australia’s beef inspection models were not thorough enough, according to ABC.com.au.
Needless to say, the claims, apparently made behind closed doors, are being taken seriously by Australian beef growers, with ABC.com.au reporting the claims are potentially highly damaging to the country’s beef export business. The North American beef market is one of Australia’s biggest customers.
It’s interesting to note that when asked to confirm whether Australian beef was believed to be the source of the outbreak, Chipotle spokesman Chris Arnold said: “We are not going to comment on theories or speculation. The investigation has concluded and no ingredient was identified as the cause.”
Digital Journal has followed this story from the very start, and in taking into account the thoroughness of the investigation, not only by the CDC and the FDA’s Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) but by state health departments and epidemiologists, if anything was the source of the E. coli infections, fresh produce appeared to be the most likely source.
The U.S. government has strict guidelines for imported beef. Australian Meat Industry Council spokesman Steve Martyn said Australia’s beef was “constantly audited” and “everything tested meets world best practices and hygiene standards.”
Australia’s Department of Agriculture said on Friday that there was “no evidence linking Australian beef exports with recent cases of food-borne illness associated with the Chipotle restaurants in the US.” The spokesman added, “Australia had no US port of entry detections of bacterial contamination, in (2014 or 2015).”
News should deal with facts, folks, and not speculation or questionable theories. Until there is factual proof of a source of the E. coli contamination, and it looks like that is very unlikely, stop the finger pointing, and think carefully about what you read.