Chipotle to retrain staff after second bout of foodborne illness

Is employee retraining a good crisis PR move?

Several organizations have turned to this tactic after a PR crisis battered their reputations and threatened their relationships with consumers. Most memorably in 2018, Starbucks closed thousands of stores for a day of racial-sensitivity training.

Now it is Chipotle’s turn, as fears of foodborne illness have resurfaced for the burrito chain. Local health officials announced that improper food storage had resulted in the poisoning of over 600 people in a Powell, Ohio, location.

NPR reported:

Local health officials say a bacteria known as clostridium perfringens caused the outbreak. It is commonly found in beef, poultry, gravies and dried or pre-cooked foods that “are prepared in large quantities and kept warm for a long time before serving,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.