Jack in the Box E. coli outbreak (1993)
E. coli-contaminated hamburgers from Jack in the Box restaurants sickened over 700 people in the Pacific Northwest and killed four children. The outbreak was traced to undercooked ground beef patties.
Jack in the Box faced lawsuits and paid over $50 million in settlements. Sales collapsed before recovering.
The outbreak led to major changes in meat inspection and cooking standards, including requiring ground beef to be cooked to 155°F.
Shows the human cost of food safety failures at restaurants, which is why cities inspect food establishments before issuing licenses.
