McDonald's announced that it will bring back its popular Quarter Pounder burger to hundreds of its restaurants after a thorough investigation into a recent E. coli outbreak.
The outbreak, which has led to at least 75 illnesses and one death across 13 states, was initially linked to the burger. However, tests have ruled out beef patties as the source of the contamination.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) believes that the likely source of the E. coli contamination is slivered onions from a specific supplier. In response, McDonald's decided to resume selling the Quarter Pounder at affected locations, but it will not include slivered onions on the burgers for now.
As of last Friday, federal health officials reported that the outbreak had affected 75 individuals across various states, with 22 requiring hospitalization. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicated that two of these patients developed serious kidney complications. Tragically, one person died in Colorado due to complications from the infection.
The FDA's early investigations revealed that uncooked slivered onions used on the Quarter Pounders were a likely source of contamination. McDonald's confirmed that Taylor Farms, a produce company based in California, supplied the fresh onions, which originated from a facility in Colorado Springs, according to AP News.
The company removed these onions from their supply chain immediately after the outbreak was identified.
McDonald's Temporarily Removes Quarter Pounder
In the wake of the outbreak, McDonald's pulled the Quarter Pounder from its menus in several states, particularly in the Midwest and Mountain regions. This affected about 900 locations, including some in busy areas like airports.
Testing by the Colorado Department of Agriculture cleared beef patties as a potential source of the outbreak. All samples of fresh and frozen beef from the McDonald's locations in question tested negative for E. coli.
After thorough examination, the department announced it would no longer conduct additional tests on beef. While Taylor Farms has issued a recall for yellow onions from its Colorado facility, it is still unclear whether these recalled onions were definitively the cause of the outbreak.
The outbreak has particularly impacted Colorado, where 26 cases were reported, making it the state with the highest number of illnesses tied to this incident. Other states with reported cases include Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, and Utah, among others.
The CDC is currently investigating how the outbreak spread, especially since some sick individuals traveled to different states before showing symptoms.
