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Chipotle Stops Wrapping Burritos For A Food-Safety Meeting

Chipotle shuttered all their locations this morning for a food-safety meeting

By Devra Ferst/

If you're jonesing for a Chipotle burrito, you'll have to hold out until 3 p.m. local time today. The chain closed its doors for part of the day for a company-wide meeting on food safety. Close to 50,000 employees tuned into the presentation in hotel conference rooms and movie theaters, according to USA Today.

The meeting was called after numerous incidents of foodborne illness were linked to Chipotle locations around the country over the past several months. During the meeting, Chipotle execs explained that some of the outbreaks came from cross-contamination. To address that, tomatoes will now be chopped in a central kitchen before being tested and ultimately shipped out to stores. Employees will also now be required to wash their hands for a minimum of 20 seconds and then use hand sanitizer, reports Fast Company, which attended the meeting.

Chipotle's fourth quarter earnings report, which was released last week, showed a 44 percent net income decrease from the previous quarter. Other chains have been vying for a share of the market left open by the Chipotle crisis. Moe's Southwest Grill ran a full page ad in USA Today announcing that "We're open, especially on February 8th."

In the meantime, Chipotle is hoping to lure back customers with free burritos—that is, in exchange for your cell phone number.

 

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