Business briefs

IRVINE — Nearly 20 years ago, Taco Bell was hailed as an innovator when it began to ship precooked, pre-seasoned beef and bean fillings to its restaurants as a way to save money.

The concept was called K-minus because it reduced the need for kitchens at the individual outlets and let Taco Bell sell many of its core menu items for less than $1.

Now, as Taco Bell struggles to rebound from an E. coli outbreak at eateries in New York and New Jersey, industry experts say that type of advance preparation may have shielded the fast food giant from a more severe problem.

Health investigators were trying to pinpoint the cause of the outbreak and said the investigation will probably focus on produce instead of meat.

Precooking and prepackaging of fillings at designated plants reduce the number of people who handle the food and the opportunities for E. coli to take hold, said Randy Hiatt, president of the Costa Mesa-based restaurant consulting firm Fessel International. The method also means the beef gets cooked twice — once at the plant and again when it is reheated at the individual restaurants, reducing the risk of E. coli even further, he said.

"I’m sure they have very good controls because it’s really their lifeblood. It’s probably potentially more safe because it’s done in a controlled environment,” Hiatt said.

Jamba Juice warns consumers about smoothie contamination

SAN FRANCISCO — Jamba Juice Co. warned consumers Tuesday that a potentially deadly bacterium may have contaminated smoothies that contain strawberries.

The warning, released in consultation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, applies to smoothies sold at Jamba Juice stores in Arizona, Southern Nevada and Southern California between Nov. 25 and Dec. 1

San Francisco-based Jamba Juice issued the warning after one of its suppliers — Cleugh’s Frozen Foods of Salinas — said that frozen strawberries from one of its facilities tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes.

The bacterium can cause sometimes fatal infections in young children, the elderly and others with weak immune systems. Infection can lead to fevers, headaches, nausea, diarrhea and other symptoms in healthy individuals, and cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.

Jamba Juice said it halted all shipments from where the Listeria was found and removed all strawberries provided by that facility.

The company said it has not received any reports of confirmed illnesses among consumers. Concerned customers can call the Jamba Juice consumer help line at 1-877-464-5689.