Aug 5 (Reuters) – Chipotle Mexican Grill said on Wednesday its annual targets shared last week did not include the financial impact from the salmonella outbreak in Minnesota, which resulted in the burrito chain pulling jalepenos at some of its restaurants.
Here are some details:
• The Minnesota Department of Health said on Tuesday it had identified 110 salmonella outbreak-related cases in the state, with 75 of 84 people interviewed reporting eating at Chipotle between June 14 and July 14.
• Also on Tuesday, Chipotle said it had begun tracing ingredients through its supply chain after learning of the potential salmonella outbreak.
• “Due to the uncertain nature of any possible outcomes or impacts from the salmonella investigations, our guidance did not include a financial impact from these matters,” the company said in a regulatory filing on Wednesday.
• Chipotle executives on July 29 had already warned the current quarter was likely to be its toughest of the year, when it had raised its annual sales forecast, as consumers turned wary of dining out due to a separate, multistate cyclosporiasis outbreak.
• The company on Tuesday said it had identified jalapenos from a common lot as a possible source of the salmonella outbreak in Minnesota, though health authorities are yet to determine the definitive cause.
• It had removed the jalapenos from its restaurants and replaced them with product from different growers, Chipotle said.
• Last week, Chipotle topped quarterly results estimates and said it now expects fiscal 2026 comparable restaurant sales growth to be in the low single-digit range, compared with its prior forecast of about flat.
• Chipotle’s shares closed down nearly 10% on Tuesday, but were up about 3% in early trading on Wednesday.
(Reporting by Juveria Tabassum in Bengaluru; Editing by Vijay Kishore)
