E. Coli Outbreak Linked To McDonald’s Has Sickened More Than 100 People, CDC Says

Topline

An E. Coli outbreak linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounder burgers has sickened at least 104 people across the country, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Wednesday, although there appears to be no continued food safety concern as the fast food giant has resumed sales of its burgers.

Key Facts

In its latest update, the CDC said the number of reported cases linked to the outbreak has risen from 90 to 104, while the number of hospitalizations has risen from 27 to 34.

The agency said four people have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a potentially life-threatening kidney condition, up from two such serious cases reported in last month’s update, while the death toll remains at one.

The actual number of cases is likely “much higher than the number reported,” as many people “recover without medical care and are not tested for E. coli,” the CDC said.

The most recent cases were reported on October 21, and all but one of the infected individuals interviewed by the CDC reported eating at McDonald’s before they got sick, while 84% remembered eating a menu item with slivered onions.

The CDC reiterated that its epidemiologic and traceback data showed slivered onions—supplied by California-based food producer Taylor Farms—served with the quarter pounders were the likely source of the outbreak.

In a separate update, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said one of the samples of the affected onions tested positive for a toxin-producing E. coli bacteria, but the strain did not match the one that caused the outbreak.

What To Watch For

The FDA’s update noted that “there does not appear to be a continued food safety concern related to this outbreak at McDonald’s restaurants.” The fast-food giant cited the FDA’s statement and said it had “identified an alternate supplier for the approximately 900 restaurants that had temporarily stopped serving Quarter Pounder burgers with slivered onions.” With the change of the supplier, the affected restaurants resumed serving Quarter Pounder burgers with slivered onions in the past week, McDonald’s said.

Big Number

14. That is the number of states in which E. coli cases linked to the outbreak have been reported. Colorado and Montana are the two of the worst hit with at least 30 and 19 cases reported in those two states respectively.

Key Background

Last month, the CDC issued a food safety alert about the E. Coli outbreak, prompting McDonald’s to briefly halt the sales of its Quarter Pounder burgers. The fast food giant resumed selling the burgers—initially without slivered onions—a week later after testing by authorities ruled out its beef patties as the source of E. coli. The outbreak also prompted supplier Taylor Farms to initiate a voluntary recall of its yellow onions—which have since emerged as the likely source of the outbreak. While McDonald’s removed the slivered onions from its menu, the company’s executives acknowledged in an earnings call last month that the outbreak has had an impact on their business. “We saw that shift to kind of having daily negative sales and guest count results since the beginning of the food safety incident,” the company’s CFO Ian Borden told investors. McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski called the outbreak “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.”

Further Reading

CDC Says Onions Likely Caused McDonald’s E Coli Outbreak As Cases Grow To 90 (Forbes)

McDonald's Will Resume Sale Of Quarter Pounders After Testing Finds No E. Coli In Beef Samples (Forbes)