CDC Says Onions Likely Caused McDonald’s E Coli Outbreak As Cases Grow To 90
by Siladitya Ray · ForbesTopline
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday said slivered onions served at various McDonald's locations were the likely source of a multi-state E. coli outbreak linked to the restaurant chain, as the number of cases and hospitalizations linked to the outbreak continued to grow.
Key Facts
According to the CDC, epidemiologic data and trace back information showed “fresh, slivered onions” served at the restaurants were the likely source of illness.
The agency also noted the number of reported illnesses had risen from 75 to 90, while the number of hospitalizations had climbed from 22 to 27.
No new severe cases or deaths were reported, but an earlier update from the Food and Drug Administration mentioned two people had developed hemolytic uremic syndrome—a serious condition that can lead to kidney failure—and one older adult from Colorado had died.
In an update on Wednesday, the FDA said all 62 infected individuals it interviewed had eaten at McDonald’s, with 83% saying they consumed an item “containing fresh, slivered onions” while 79% said they ate a menu item with “fresh quarter pound beef patties.”
According to the agency, all 90 cases were reported between September 27 and October 16.
McDonald’s acknowledged the CDC’s statement on slivered onions being the likely source of the outbreak, and said there had been “no reported illnesses since McDonald’s took action to remove slivered onions.”
Big Number
13. That is the number of states where the E. coli cases linked to the outbreak have been reported. Colorado and Montana are the states with the most number of cases.
Tangent
In an earnings call after McDonald’s released its third-quarter results on Tuesday, the company’s CFO Ian Borden responded to questions about the outbreak, saying, “There's been an impact in the U.S. business as a result of the food safety incident… we saw that shift to kind of having daily negative sales and guest count results since the beginning of the food safety incident.” McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski said the company’s “commitment to food safety has been uncompromising” and noted, “the last serious public health issue in the U.S. associated with McDonald's occurred more than 40 years ago.” Kempczinski added that the recent E. coli outbreak is “deeply concerning” and said “we are sorry for what our customers have experienced. We offer our sincere and deepest sympathies, and we are committed to making this right.”
Key Background
Earlier this week, McDonald's announced it would resume selling its Quarter Pounder burgers after testing by authorities in Colorado ruled out its beef patties as the source of the E. coli. In a statement, the fast food giant said the outbreak appeared to be “contained to a particular ingredient and geography” and it was confident “any contaminated product related to this outbreak has been removed from our supply chain.” California-based produce company Taylor Farms, which is the supplier of the slivered onions to McDonald’s restaurants in the affected area, also initiated a voluntary recall of its yellow onions—as the investigation continued. McDonald’s said the “900 restaurants that historically received slivered onions from Taylor Farms’ Colorado Springs facility,” will resume selling the Quarter Pounders without slivered onions. After the outbreak was reported other fast food chains, including Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and KFC, reportedly removed onions from their products in the impacted areas out of “an abundance of caution.”
Further Reading
McDonald's Will Resume Sale Of Quarter Pounders After Testing Finds No E. Coli In Beef Samples (Forbes)
First Lawsuit Filed Against McDonald’s Over E. Coli Outbreak (Forbes)