Business & Tech

Clover Reopens After Salmonella Scare

As many as 12 people who ate at Clover were sickened by salmonella, although officials have not yet officially pinpointed the source.

 

As of Thursday afternoon, Boston-based Clover Food Lab re-opened its normal operations after a complete shut-down of its four restaurants and food trucks due to an investigation into salmonella contamination. 

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According to CEO Ayr Muir in a blog post, Clover's Cambridge location got a green light from the city of Cambridge to re-open, and he expected to also open the Boston, Brookline and Burlington restaurants in the coming days. 

However, the company's food trucks will not be back on the roads until more employees test clear of salmonella, Muir said

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“It’s been a tough couple of weeks,” Muir told the Boston Herald. “But I had to make the decision to close based on what was right for our customers.”

The business was contacted on July 13 after confirmed cases of salmonella had all reported eating at Clover. Muir shut down the Cambridge location to comply with a state inspection and voluntarily closed all other restaurants and food trucks. 

In all, 12 people contracted the bacterial illness, all of whom had eaten at Clover. But state health investigators have not yet pinpointed the source of the contamination, and the investigation is still ongoing. 

Muir said that all food and environmental samples had tested negative, but two employees did test positive - although, Muir stresses, that doesn't mean they were the source of the contamination, since the illnesses occurred several weeks ago.

Muir listed four potential places the salmonella could have existed, including in its hummus, its produce, introduced by an employee, or in its bread, which came from a supplier. 

"We’re not going to know for sure what led to these illnesses, Muir said in a blog post. "All of our food and environmental samples have come back clean. It’s really frustrating for me. I wish I had something to blame. But we don’t. So the best thing we can do is respond as conservatively as possible."

Muir said he will be taking extra steps to ensure Clover is safe. He said he will be switching up his bread supplier, using an extra sanitizer solution for produce, screening all employees and hiring a food-safety consultant.

To invite customers back, Clover offered free coffee and free french fries on Thursday.

Would you think twice about eating at Clover after this recent scare? Did you miss the truck from its usual spot in the neighborhood? Tell us in the comments. 

 


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