Case 4: Chipotle’s Struggle with Food Safety
1. What are the ethical issues of this case?
Multiple patrons of Chipotle were infected with E. coli and the Norovirus due to allegedly
neglectful food preparation practices as well as allowing obviously sick employees to handle
2. How would you describe Chipotle’s handling of the food safety crisis?
Chipotle appears to have handled the crisis well, by closing the stores to deep clean, changing the
3. In Chapter 6, we identified that Chipotle did not seem to have time to completely develop a
plan to manage its crises. Looking back at Chapter 6’s “5 Steps in Managing Crises,” what
might the Chipotle management team have done differently?
The five steps in managing crisis outlined in Chapter 6 all presuppose a risk framework that is
already in place and fully articulated. The steps are (1) identifying areas of vulnerability, (2)
developing a plan for dealing with threats, (3) forming crisis teams, (4) simulating crisis drills,
and (5) learning from experience.*If the five steps had been employed at Chipotle, the question of
having the time to complete a plan would not be an issue. The plan would have been in place.
4. What is the role of the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in food safety situations? How did
they help or hurt Chipotle in managing the crisis?
The CDC was the governmental regulator or investigator in the E. coli and other food-borne