The McDonald’s E. coli outbreak has been linked to the Quarter Pounder, and the fast food chain is investigating one ingredient in particular as the potential cause behind the contamination. The CDC released a food safety alert notice on Tuesday, October 22, citing that 49 people from 10 states have been infected with the E. coli strain and one person in Colorado has died as a result. Fortunately, McDonald’s has made initial tests on what could be the reason behind the outbreak.
What caused the McDonald’s E. coli outbreak?
McDonald’s is investigating slivered onions as the cause behind the E. coli outbreak, but its investigation is still ongoing. In a statement released on Tuesday, the company believes that, after initial findings, “a subset of illnesses” could be linked to this ingredient as it is used in the Quarter Pounder and is “sourced by a single supplier that serves three distribution centers.”
In a video message, McDonald’s USA president Joe Erlinger says that the company has “proactively removed slivered onions which are used in Quarter Pounders” after close consultation with the CDC, USDA, and FDA.
McDonald’s has ordered its restaurants in 12 states to remove slivered onions from the supply and to pause all distribution of the ingredient in the impacted area. It will also halt the sale of the Quarter Pounder in these states until further notice. Specifically, this impacts Mcdonald’s restaurants in Colorado, Kansas, Utah and Wyoming, as well as portions of Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, and Oklahoma.
It should be noted that the CDC has reported one case of this E. coli outbreak in Oregon and another in Wisconsin. The government agency also points out that the outbreak “may not be limited to the states with known illnesses,” and that the actual number of people impacted by this outbreak “is likely much higher than the number reported.”
The CDC is also investigating quarter pound beef patties as a potential cause of the contamination and is working to confirm which ingredient is making people sick.
McDonald’s says that supplies for the Quarter Pounder will be replenished “in the coming weeks” and that its other beef products, such as the Cheeseburger, Hamburger, and Big Mac, have not been affected by the outbreak.
Earlier this week, Donald Trump manned the fry station at McDonald’s as a jab at Kamala Harris’s claim that she worked at the restaurant during college.
