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McDonald’s is bringing its Quarter Pounders back to all restaurants this week, amid an ongoing E. coli outbreak traced to ingredients in the fast-food chain’s famous burger. The outbreak has sickened at least 75 people in 13 states Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported on Friday. One person has died.
During a media briefing on Sunday, McDonald’s confirmed that the beef used in its Quarter Pounder patties is not the source of contamination in the ongoing outbreak. Testing conducted by the Colorado Department of Agriculture found that samples of the beef tested negative for E. coli, USA Today reports this.
“The issue appears to be limited to a specific ingredient and region, and we remain confident that any contaminated product associated with this outbreak has been removed from our supply chain and from all McDonald’s restaurants,” it said Cesar Piña, McDonald’s Supply Chain Chief. Officer, North America, said in the statement.
McDonald’s Quarter Pounders are served without chopped onions, supplied by California-based producer Taylor Farms. Last Thursday, Taylor Farms issued a recall for whole and diced onions due to possible E. coli contamination, foodservice distributor US Foods announced this. There is currently an ongoing Food and Drug Administration (FDA) investigation into the Taylor Farms facility in Colorado Springs.
Nine hundred McDonald’s restaurants in twelve states received onions from Taylor Farms. McDonald’s has indefinitely stopped using onions from its Taylor Farms plant in Colorado, the company said NPR.
Quarter Pounders without onions are returning to Colorado, Kansas, Utah and Wyoming, where the burgers were pulled from all McDonald’s restaurants. The menu item is also returning to restaurants in parts of Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico and Oklahoma.
McDonald’s has “ordered its beef suppliers to produce a fresh supply of Quarter Pounder beef for restaurants,” USA Today reported.
On October 25, 22 people were hospitalized – including two people who developed serious kidney complications – after consuming Quarter Pounder burgers containing sliced onions from Taylor Farms. The CDC previously reported 49 illnesses in 10 states. That number quickly rose to 75 illnesses in 13 states.
The illnesses were reported between September 27 and October 11. Colorado currently has the most cases, 27, followed by Montana with 13 and Nebraska with 11. The remaining states reported five illnesses or fewer.
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The CDC said the total number of cases linked to the ongoing outbreak is likely much higher than reported. This is because some consumers may not show immediate symptoms or require medical attention after becoming ill. The number of states affected by the outbreak is also expected to grow.
Last week, McDonald’s said it will temporarily remove the Quarter Pounder from restaurants in affected states.
“We are working closely with our suppliers to replenish inventory for the Quarter Pounder in the coming weeks,” Piña said in a statement to NPR on Tuesday. “In the meantime, all other menu items, including other beef items (including the Cheeseburger, Hamburger, Big Mac, McDouble and the Double Cheeseburger) remain unaffected and available.”
Three lawsuits have been filed against McDonald’s in connection with the E. coli outbreak. The first lawsuit was filed just one day after the CDC issued a food safety alert regarding the Quarter Pounder.
More lawsuits are expected to be filed soon.
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