Boston officials shut down locations of Mexican restaurant chain Los Amigos amid ‘salmonella outbreak’

Boston Herald - 5/20/2023

Rodent droppings don’t belong on pineapple cans, a bag of pinto beans, beverage holders and storage stables and the floor, so when Boston Inspectional Services found the opposite at Los Amigos Mexican Grill, it ordered the restaurant in West Roxbury to close.

The West Roxbury closure on Friday came after inspectors forced the local Mexican restaurant chain to shut down its spot in Brighton, where they found “multiple reports of a foodborne illness from items consumed at this location.”

The Boston Public Health Commission is investigating what they say is “an emerging salmonella outbreak” connected to the Brighton location.

A BPHC spokesperson said residents who visited the location between May 12 and 18 to check themselves for symptoms of Salmonella infection, ranging from fever to diarrhea and abdominal pain.

The Centers for Disease Control estimates that the bacteria causes about 1.35 million infections and 420 deaths in the United States ech year and that food is the source for most of those. The symptoms usually set in anywhere from six hors to six days after infection and usually last four days to a week.

Jory Lange, who describes himself as a leading food poisoning lawyer in the country, said in press release announcing his own investigation that he’s unsure how many people have become infected with Salmonella, but added that the health commission has noted the amount is “numerous.”

“The scary thing about this outbreak is, as a consumer, there’s nothing you can do to tell whether the food that you are buying is safe,” Lange wrote in a release. “You can’t taste, smell, or see Salmonella . Food that is contaminated with Salmonella may look, smell, and taste just like any other food. This is why it’s critical that restaurants who make and sell our food, ensure the food is safe before they sell it,”

Inspectors found six violations at Los Amigos’ Brighton location, including no sanitizer being set up at the time of Thursday’s inspection, and “the interior walls and ceiling of a walk-in (freezer) unit observed with visible soils & mold-like substance.”

The West Roxbury location had more violations, inspectors reported, with 14.

Some of those infractions included rodent droppings being found on pineapple cans, a bag of pinto beans, beverage holders and storage stables and the floor; no evidence of illness policy training; and just one employee washing their hands.