Chipotle announced Tuesday that it has removed jalapeños from select restaurants after identifying the ingredient as a potential common link in a Salmonella outbreak currently under investigation by public health officials.

The decision follows a report by The Wall Street Journal that Minnesota health officials are investigating a Salmonella outbreak associated with jalapeños served at Mexican-style quick-service restaurants, with Chipotle serving as a focal point of the probe.

According to the Journal, the Minnesota Department of Health has identified 110 cases of Salmonella Javiana connected to the outbreak. Of the 84 individuals interviewed after falling ill, 89% reported having eaten at Chipotle between mid-June and last month. The figures were cited by Carlota Medus, senior epidemiologist supervisor in the department's foodborne diseases unit. Salmonella Javiana is one of the more frequently reported Salmonella serotypes associated with foodborne illness in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which estimates that Salmonella causes approximately 1.35 million infections nationwide each year.

In a statement issued Tuesday, Chipotle acknowledged that public health authorities are investigating "the source of a Salmonella outbreak in the supply chain impacting several food service retailers." The reference to multiple retailers points to a potential issue upstream in the produce supply chain, as fresh jalapeños are typically grown, packed, and distributed through shared channels before reaching individual restaurant operators.

"The health and safety of our guests and employees is our highest priority," the company said.

Chipotle said it immediately activated its ingredient traceability system upon learning of the potential outbreak and identified jalapeños from a common lot as a potential shared ingredient across affected locations.

"Out of an abundance of caution, we proactively removed the jalapeños from our restaurants and replaced them with product from different growers," the company stated.

The Journal also reported that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is conducting a traceback investigation involving jalapeños and other potential sources.

"We have a robust ingredient traceability system," said Laurie Schalow, Chipotle's chief corporate affairs and food safety officer, in the company's statement.

The current investigation has drawn comparisons to Chipotle's 2015 food safety crisis, when separate E. coli outbreaks linked to meals at the chain sickened 60 people across multiple states. A separate Salmonella outbreak in Minnesota that same year was traced to tomatoes served at a single Chipotle restaurant. Those incidents prompted the company to overhaul its food safety program and strengthen measures, including ingredient traceability.

FOX Business has reached out to Chipotle and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for additional comment.

Chipotle shares fell 7.3% Tuesday, according to the Journal.