McDonald’s has stopped selling Quarter Pounder burgers in about a fifth of U.S. restaurants as federal health officials investigate a outbreak of E. coli that has sickened nearly 50 people in 10 states, killing one.
The fast-food chain sold about 1 million Quarter Pounders at the time the illnesses occurred, a McDonald’s spokesman said Wednesday. The company said it believes more people would have gotten sick if the contamination came from the patties themselves, adding that the onions used on the burgers could be the culprit.
The American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced this on Tuesday affiliated McDonald’s Quarter Pounder burgers until the outbreak, which sickened people in Colorado, Nebraska and other mountain and western states. Most people who became ill reported eating McDonald’s Quarter Pounders, and researchers are working to confirm which food ingredient was contaminated, the CDC said.
What could have caused the E. coli outbreak?
Cesar Piña, the company’s North American Chief Supply Chain Officer, said in a statement Tuesday that the company’s initial investigation suggests that some of the E. coli illnesses may be linked to shredded onions used in the Quarter Pounder .
McDonald’s burgers are cooked at 175 degrees, above the 160 degrees needed to kill E. coli bacteria, a company spokesperson said.
However, the chopped onions used as a topping on Quarter Pounder burgers sold in the affected region were not cooked and came from a single supplier.
“If that is the source, it will be the first time that onions are carriers of this E. coli strain,” the spokesperson said.
McDonald’s has removed sliced onions and quarter-pound beef patties from its locations in Colorado, Kansas, Utah, Wyoming and parts of Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico and Oklahoma.
To date, a total of 49 cases of E. coils linked to Quarter Pounders have been reported. The most illnesses occurred in Colorado and Nebraska, with 26 sickened in the former and nine affected in the latter, the CDC said. 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 ten people have been hospitalized. The illnesses started in late September and the most recent incident occurred on October 11.
One child is hospitalized with hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a serious condition that can cause kidney failure, according to the CDC.
What you need to know about E. Coli
It usually takes three to four weeks to determine if a sick person is part of an outbreak. Most people infected with the toxin-producing E. coli experience severe stomach cramps, diarrhea and vomiting. Most recover without treatment after five to seven days.
People are advised to call their healthcare provider if they have eaten a McDonald’s Quarter Pounder and are severe E. coli symptomsas follows:
- Diarrhea and fever higher than 102°F
– Diarrhea lasting more than 3 days that does not improve
– Bloody diarrhea - So much vomiting that you can’t keep the fluids down
- Signs of dehydration, such as:
– Decreased urination
– Dry mouth and throat
– Dizzy feeling when standing up
Shares of McDonald’s fell 5.4% on Wednesday.
The outbreak is not the first to be linked to the Golden Arches. There was an outbreak in 2018 intestinal disease linked to McDonald’s salads sickened more than 500 people in more than a dozen states.
