McDonald’s Resumes Selling Quarter Pounders After E. Coli Outbreak
McDonald’s has resumed selling Quarter Pounders in all their restaurants this week after a recent E. coli outbreak was found in the burgers.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) first issued a food safety alert the other week, warning that dozens of individuals were becoming sick after eating the Quarter Pounder sandwich at the famous fast food chain.
The E. coli outbreak has led to at least 75 individuals falling sick throughout 13 states, a majority of which were in Colorado. 22 individuals were hospitalized and one individual died, according to the CDC.
While a specific ingredient wasn’t confirmed to be the source of the E. coli outbreak, the US Food and Drug Administration stated that the slivered onions and/or beef patties themselves were most likely the cause of the contamination.
“Evidence does not point to ground beef as the probable source of the E. coli outbreak,” said the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service.
“FSIS has conducted a thorough investigation in response to this outbreak, including traceback of beef patties served on Quarter Pounders at McDonald’s,” the agency said in a statement, according to CNN.
“FSIS used specific meal information reported by ill people to trace beef patties through the supply chain to the establishment where they were produced and did not identify a beef source.”
The Colorado Department of Agriculture said that “McDonald’s beef patties used for the Quarter Pounder tested negative for E. coli. The department tested fresh patties from restaurants associated with the outbreak.”
“Based on the findings from that testing and after comparing CDC data with its own supply chain data, McDonald’s is confident in ruling out fresh beef patties as a source of contamination,” they in a Sunday news release.
“It’s now asking beef suppliers to produce a new supply of fresh beef patties, and the Quarter Pounder is expected to be available in all restaurants in the coming week,” the release said.
“Onion supplier Taylor Farms’ Colorado Springs facility will resume sales of Quarter Pounders without slivered onions,” the release added.
“Those restaurants are in Colorado, Kansas, and Wyoming, as well as portions of Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Utah,” it said.
“I know that our relationship is built on trust. You trust us to serve you safe food every time,” McDonald’s US President Joe Erlinger said in a video.
“On behalf of the McDonald’s system, I want you to hear from me: we are sorry,” Erlinger added.
“For those customers affected, you have my commitment that, led by our values, we will make this right.”
Eric Mastrota is a Contributing Editor at The National Digest based in New York. A graduate of SUNY New Paltz, he reports on world news, culture, and lifestyle. You can reach him at eric.mastrota@thenationaldigest.com.
