McDonald’s worked to reassure customers Wednesday that its U.S. restaurants are safe as federal investigators tried to pinpoint the cause of a deadly E. coli outbreak linked to the fast-food giant’s Quarter Pounder hamburgers.
McDonald’s removed Quarter Pounders from a fifth of its U.S. stores on Tuesday as a result of the outbreak, which the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said has sickened at least 49 people in 10 states. According to the CDC, one person died and 10 were hospitalized.
A preliminary investigation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration revealed that fresh chopped onions served raw on Quarter Pounder hamburgers were the likely source of contamination.
McDonald’s said it is looking for a new regional supplier for fresh onions. Meanwhile, Quarter Pounders were removed from menus in the affected states as well as parts of other states.
McDonald’s said it has worked closely with federal food safety regulators since late last week, when it was alerted to the possible outbreak. The company said efforts to identify the contamination source have been complicated by the scope of the problem and the popularity of its products.
McDonald’s has more than 14,000 U.S. stores and serves 1 million Quarter Pounders every two weeks in the affected area.
McDonald’s is known for its stringent food safety guidelines and protocols, said Chris Gaulke, professor of food and beverage management at Cornell University’s Nolan School of Hotel Administration. The company said on Wednesday that the supplier regularly tests its onions for E. coli.
“Considering the amount of food they serve, it’s very rare at McDonald’s, it’s a testament to the effort they put in,” Gaulke said.
But some experts questioned why McDonald’s stopped selling just one sandwich and did not close the restaurants for further investigation.
“It would have been good practice to close all the restaurants,” said Bill Marler, a Seattle attorney who specializes in food safety cases. “Until we know for sure what the product was that made people sick, consumers should be aware.” Marler said the potential for cross-contamination remains at the affected restaurants until they are thoroughly cleaned.
Asked why it did not close any stores, McDonald’s said the government’s investigation found nothing to indicate there were any problems with its food preparation methods. In an interview on the “Today” show on Wednesday, McDonald’s U.S. President Joe Erlinger also said it was likely whatever product was contaminated had already passed through the company’s supply chain.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the outbreak late Tuesday. It said infections were reported between September 27 and October 11 in Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oregon, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
State and local public health officials were interviewing people about foods they ate in the week before they became ill. Of the 18 people interviewed till Tuesday, all reported eating at McDonald’s and 16 reported eating beef hamburgers. Twelve reported eating a Quarter Pounder.
McDonald’s said it’s unlikely beef was the source in the Quarter Pounder, as it comes from multiple suppliers and is cooked at temperatures high enough to kill E. coli.
McDonald’s said its initial findings suggest some of the reported illnesses were linked to onions from a single supplier, which the company did not name. McDonald’s said the onions are cleaned and cut by the supplier and then packaged for use on individual Quarter Pounders.
Donald Schaffner, a food safety expert at Rutgers University, said the incubation period for E. coli is only a few days, so anyone affected would notice illness immediately. “If you ate this burger in September and it’s now the middle of October and you didn’t get sick, you’re probably OK,” he said.
E. coli bacteria are found in the intestines of animals and are found in the environment. Infection can cause serious illness, including fever, stomach cramps, and bloody diarrhea. People who develop symptoms of E. coli poisoning should seek health care immediately and tell the provider what they ate.
According to the CDC, bacteria found in McDonald’s food causes about 74,000 infections annually in the US, leading to more than 2,000 hospitalizations and 61 deaths each year. In general, E. coli infections were down in 2023 compared to recent years and cases of serious kidney injury caused by the bacteria remained stable, according to the latest federal data.
Outbreaks at restaurant chains are rare, but they do happen. AP MNK MNK
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