The Justice Department has reached an agreement to resolve criminal charges of food adulteration against Chipotle, fining the popular burrito chain $25 million, the agency announced Tuesday. Chipotle’s owners agreed to institute a nationwide food safety program as well. According to the DOJ, it’s the largest fine ever levied in a criminal food safety case. The burrito chain suffered multiple widespread outbreaks of E. Coli, norovirus, and other food-borne illnesses between 2015 and 2018, sickening more than a thousand people. “Chipotle failed to ensure that its employees both understood and complied with its food safety protocols, resulting in hundreds of customers across the country getting sick,” U.S. attorney Nick Hanna wrote in the announcement.
