Amid a deadly E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounders, Burger King and Yum Brands are pulling fresh onions from some of their own locations.
Yum is pulling the topping from some KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell locations “out of an abundance of caution,” Yum said in a statement to CBS News on Thursday. Yum did not specify which locations were affected. “We will continue to follow guidelines from suppliers and regulators to ensure the continued safety and quality of our food,” a Yum spokesperson said.
Burger King said it asked the 5% of its locations that received onions from a Taylor Farms facility in Colorado to dispose of them two days ago. “We are in the process of replenishing them from other facilities,” a spokesperson said.
The fast-food chain has not heard from health authorities and has not received any indications of illness, the Burger King spokesperson said.
The developments come two days after federal health officials said this E. coli outbreak probably tied to onions used at McDonald’s Quarter Pounders had sickened at least 49 people in 10 states, killing one. McDonald’s has removed the product from about a fifth of its 13,000 U.S. locations as federal and state health officials try to confirm the source of the bacteria.
Since most of those affected reported eating McDonald’s Quarter Pounder burgers, researchers are trying to figure out if sliced onions or beef patties are behind the outbreak.
McDonald’s locations in Colorado, Kansas, Utah, Wyoming and parts of Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico and Oklahoma have temporarily stopped selling Quarter Pounders.
McDonald’s identified California-based produce giant Taylor Farms as the supplier for the sliced onions the company removed.
Taylor Farms told CBS News Colorado on Wednesday evening that it conducted tests on “raw and finished products” and “found no traces of E. coli.”
Still, Taylor Farms Colorado has removed yellow onions from its Colorado factory from the market, the company said.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, most of the people affected by the outbreak live in Colorado and Nebraska, with 26 sick in the former and nine in the latter. Of the 26 who became ill in Colorado, one older adult died, the CDC said. Health officials in Utah and Wyoming each reported four illnesses. Other states reporting illnesses include Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Oregon and Wisconsin.
At least 10 people have been hospitalized, including a child with hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a serious condition that can cause kidney failure, according to the CDC. The illnesses started in late September and the most recent incident occurred on October 11.
It typically takes three to four weeks to determine whether a sick person is part of an outbreak. Those infected with the toxin-producing E. coli experience severe stomach cramps, diarrhea and vomiting, and most recover without treatment in five to seven days.
