No one can argue that 2015 was a rough year for Chipotle. Five outbreaks of foodborne illness have struck the Mexican restaurant franchise since October, giving a bad reputation to a food chain that is going the route of healthy and GMO-free (at least on the surface).
Here’s a timeline of Chipotle’s nightmare:
- In July, 5 people in the Seattle area were sickened with E. coli. The source of the outbreak remains unknown.
- At least 234 people were sickened with the norovirus in Simi Valley, California, after eating at a Venture County Chipotle. The source of the outbreak is unknown.
- In Minnesota, 64 people fell ill with salmonella in August and September. The source of the outbreak was found to be tomatoes served at 17 of the state’s Chipotle establishments.
- Beginning around October 9, 52 people contracted E. coli at establishments in California, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Washington state. The source of the outbreak is unknown.
- In December, more than 140 college students were sickened with norovirus after eating at a Chipotle in Boston’s Cleveland Circle neighborhood, near Boston College. The source of the outbreak is unknown.
The series of outbreaks has many people scratching their heads, wondering how so much bad luck could strike one company in such a short period of time, especially since in 4 out of 5 of outbreaks the source of the outbreak is a mystery.
An Out-of-the-Box Theory
In a recent op-ed piece, Mike Adams said he believes bioterrorism is at the heart of the chain’s problems, and it’s because Chipotle is the only fast food company that has publicly denounced GMOs.
Adams wrote:
“How do we know? The CDC has already admitted that some of these E.coli outbreaks involve a ‘rare genetic strain’ of E.coli not normally seen in foods. Furthermore, we also know the track record of the biotech industry engaging in the most criminal, dirty, sleazebag tactics imaginable against any person or company that speaks out against GMOs.”
Adams points to CDC reports showing that several of the E. coli outbreaks were triggered by an extremely rare genetic strain to support his accusation that the biotech industry is retaliating against Chipotle by deliberately planting bugs in the company’s food supply chain.
And Adams’ example of “sleazebag tactics” is Dr. Oz, who alleged in April 2015 that he’d been attacked by 10 doctors that were basically biotech industry shills because he openly supported GMO labeling. [1]
“Doctor Oz, for example, was maliciously targeted in a defamation campaign funded by the biotech industry earlier this year. The onslaught against Oz was initiated because he publicly expressed his support for honest GMO labeling on foods.
As the attacks escalated, Doctor Oz had his own team investigate the source of the attacks and found they were all biotech industry shills, some with felony criminal records and long histories of dubious propaganda activities targeting anti-GMO activists,” Adams wrote.
He goes on to say:
“As a clean food advocate myself, I know firsthand of the malicious tactics used by these biotech mafia operations, including tactics of intimidation and terrorism, such as calling in bomb threats to locations where clean food activists are about to speak.
There is absolutely no question that the biotech industry will resort to ANY activity necessary to destroy food companies that oppose GMOs. And yes, this includes acts of bioterrorism against Chipotle — something that’s ridiculously easy for biotech industry operatives to carry out with simple, low-cost laboratory supplies sold online at places like Amazon.com.”
He says that biotech industry shills are deliberately contaminating Chipotle’s food supply for the purpose of destroying the company’s reputation and finances. [2]
“To understand the biotech industry, you have to first understand that these are truly EVIL people who have no ethical boundaries whatsoever. They will target and destroy any person, any institution or any public company that they see as standing in their way of total world domination over the seed supply (and hence the food supply). The idea that exposing the public to E.coli might be harmful to some people doesn’t cause them to hesitate for even a moment. The more people get sick or die from their Chipotle operation, the better for biotech!”
Needless to say, Chipotle’s management is being encouraged to initiate a criminal investigation with the FBI “to attempt to identify the source of this corporate sabotage campaign.”
Of course there is no proof that bioterrorism is at the root of Chipotle’s problems. Adams’ theory is just that – a theory, and one that is being broadly dismissed and laughed at.
But when you consider that many scientists rely on Monsanto-funded studies to “prove” the safety of glyphosate and scientists buy the findings without question, nothing really seems crazy anymore.
Chipotle has not made any comment.
What do you think of this theory?
Sources:
[1] Trinity News Daily
[2] InvestmentWatch