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JoNel Aleccia of The Seattle Times writes that a 27-year-old Seattle man is suing Chipotle restaurants after he was infected with E. coli in July during an undisclosed outbreak tied to the fast-food chain. Three months later, Chipotle closed dozens of sites in the Northwest because of potential illness.

Timothy Kniffin, a cafe and bakery worker, said he fell ill starting July 25 after eating pork carnitas, white rice, salsa, peppers, guacamole and chips at a Chipotle restaurant at 1415 Broadway in Seattle. He was hospitalized from July 30 through Aug. 2 with an E. coli O157: H7 infection later tied to the restaurant, according to a complaint filed late last month in U.S. District Court in Western Washington.

Officials with Public Health — Seattle & King County confirmed the July E. coli outbreak, which sickened four other people and hospitalized two, including Kniffin. But health officials didn’t publicize the outbreak at the time.

“By the time we were able to make a connection to Chipotle, the outbreak was over,” James Apa, a health department spokesman, said in an email.

Not soon enough for Chipotle investors, who have seen their stock value plummet by 45%.

One investment firm says, long-term investors, noting the current volatility in Chipotle Mexican Grill stock, should try to see past CMG’s issues. The company still serves a quality product and strives to bring satisfaction to its customers. Value minded investors with a long-term mindset could be rewarded vastly; a recovery back to its 52 week high would represent a whopping 82% potential return. However, keep in mind this may take a couple of years to happen.

No, they don’t serve a quality product and are food safety morons.

But that won’t stop students or profs eating there, just like faculty meetings kept ordering Jimmy Johns despite numerous raw sprout outbreaks.

The best and the brightest.

Regardless of the E. coli outbreak, the Chipotle near the University of Florida on University Avenue is still thriving.

“I will still take the risk and eat there,” said Ana Ward, a UF plant science junior.

The 20-year-old said she is not worried about getting sick.

“I feel like the chance is really small, and you would take that risk with any restaurant,” she said.

Keith Schneider, a UF food science and human nutrition professor, said it would be rare to contract E. coli from the Chipotle near campus.

“The fact that we haven’t seen any foodborne illnesses in Florida, let alone the entire Southeast, probably would lead me to believe that there is no greater risk eating at a Chipotle in the Southeast than there is in any other fast food type restaurant,” Schneider said.

It is not unusual to find E. coli in low numbers when food is being produced organically, he said.

“The widespread nature of (Chipotle E. coli outbreaks), leads you to believe that it is some environmental source for the contamination,” Schneider said.

The contamination of Chipotle food is likely a result of improperly composted fertilizer or wild animals tracking the bacteria through the supplier’s fields, he said. 

There are hundreds of different strains of E. coli, some more severe than others, Schneider said. The most common strain heard about in the news is E. coli O157:H7.  

And for no particular reason, Buddy Holly’s Peggy Sue was released yesterday, in 1957.

He was an innovator.

David Bowie was OK in Zoolander