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• Posted October 31, 2024

CDC Confirms Onions as Source of McDonald's E. Coli Outbreak; Cases Rise to 90 Nationwide

Onions spread on McDonald's Quarter Pounders are the definite source of an outbreak of E. coli illness that's now affected 90 people nationwide, new evidence from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows.

"Epidemiologic and traceback information show that fresh, slivered onions are the likely source of illness in this outbreak," the CDC said in an update issued Wednesday.

The onions were traced to a Colorado producer, Taylor Farms.

Since the agency's last update issued on Sunday, 15 more cases of E. coli illness linked to the onions in Quarter Pounders have been confirmed. Five more people fell so ill that they required hospitalization, bringing that total to 27.

One person in Colorado has died from the outbreak.

The threat may be gone for anyone currently eating at McDonald's, the CDC noted.

"All new illnesses occurred before McDonald’s and Taylor Farms took action to remove onions from food service locations," the agency said. "Due to the product actions taken by McDonald’s and Taylor Farms, the CDC believes the continued risk to the public is very low."

As announced by the company on Sunday, McDonald's Quarter Pounder beef patties did test negative for E. coli contamination.

"Over the weekend, McDonald’s was informed that the Colorado Department of Agriculture has completed their testing, the results of which confirm that there was no detection of E. coli in the samples taken of Quarter Pounder beef patties from restaurants in this area," the company said in a news release. "We’ve been informed there is no further testing planned for beef patties."

"We are now confident in asking our beef suppliers to produce a new supply of fresh beef patties for the impacted areas. We will resume distribution of that fresh supply, and the Quarter Pounder is expected to be available in all restaurants in the coming week," the company added.

McDonald’s had already stopped using the slivered onions in several states while the investigation continues.

Taylor Farms has also issued a recall.

"The 900 restaurants that historically received slivered onions from Taylor Farms’ Colorado Springs facility will resume sales of Quarter Pounders without slivered onions," McDonald's noted in a news release. "Those restaurants are in Colorado, Kansas and Wyoming, as well as portions of Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Utah."

The outbreak appears to be limited to McDonald's Quarter Pounders.

"Of 42 people interviewed, all reported eating at McDonald’s before their illness started, and most specifically mentioned eating a Quarter Pounder hamburger," the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement issued Friday. No other retail chains or retailers have been identified as a source of illness, the agency added.

Still, other fast food chains have pulled onions from their menus as a precautionary measure.

Representatives for Burger King, Taco Bell, KFC and Pizza Hut all told NBC News that some of their restaurants will remove the onions from their menus.

In a statement to NBC's TODAY.com issued last Thursday, a Burger King spokesperson said that, “We have reviewed our restaurant supply given recent announcements. There is no crossover with McDonald’s for the vast majority of our onion facilities.”

However, the spokesperson added that, “About 5% of our restaurants do receive onions distributed from the Taylor Farms Colorado facility.”

“Despite no contact from health authorities and no indications of illness, we proactively asked our 5% of restaurants who received whole onions distributed by this facility to dispose of them immediately two days ago, and we are in the process of restocking them from other facilities,” the statement concluded.

Yum! Brands, which oversees some Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and KFC outlets, said it is also joining the effort to safeguard customers.

“As we continue to monitor the recently reported E. coli outbreak, and out of an abundance of caution, we have proactively removed fresh onions from select Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and KFC restaurants,” a spokesperson told TODAY.com. “We will continue following supplier and regulatory guidance to ensure the ongoing safety and quality of our food.”

E. coli infections include symptoms such as severe stomach cramps, diarrhea, fever and vomiting, which typically begin three or four days after exposure. Although most people recover without treatment within a week, others can develop serious kidney problems and require hospitalization, according to the CDC.

More information

The CDC has more on E. coli.

SOURCES: Colorado Department of Agriculture, news release, Oct. 27, 2024; McDonald's statements, Oct. 22 and Oct. 25, 2024; U.S. Foods, recall notice, Oct. 24, 2024; U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, news releases, Oct. 30, Oct. 22 and 25, 2024; U.S. Food and Drug Administration, safety alerts, Oct. 22 and 25, 2024; New York Times; NBC News