The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Tuesday that an outbreak of E. coli in 10 states in the West and the Midwest has been linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounders, sickening 49 people and leading to one death.
McDonald’s said a preliminary investigation indicated that the outbreak could be linked to fresh, slivered onions used in Quarter Pounders. The company said that it has pulled the ingredient from its supply and the company has paused the distribution of the ingredient to locations in the affected area.
The company has also pulled Quarter Pounders from the menu in a dozen states.
“The decision to do this is not one we take lightly, and is done in close consultation with the CDC,” McDonald’s USA President Joe Erlinger said in a system message on Tuesday. He noted that a majority of the chain’s burgers, including the Big Mac, McDouble, cheeseburger and hamburger, are not affected.
“This is a temporary change,” Erlinger said. “And we are working quickly to return our full menu to these states.”
According to the CDC, the outbreak appears to be centered in Colorado, where between 10 and 26 people have been sickened, as well as Nebraska. Several people have also reported being sickened in Utah and Wyoming, and at least one person has reported falling ill in Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Wisconsin, Montana and Oregon.
The company has also pulled the Quarter Pounder and fresh onions from restaurants in Nevada and Oklahoma.
Ten people have been hospitalized in the outbreak and one person has died, according to the CDC.
News of the outbreak led the company’s stock to fall 10% on Tuesday.
It is the most notable E. coli outbreak in the restaurant business in nearly a decade, since a mysterious spate of illnesses broke out at Chipotle restaurants in 2015. That outbreak sent the company’s sales spiraling and would take several years for the chain to recover—ultimately leading to a management overhaul and a move of company headquarters to California.
During that outbreak, McDonald’s executives at the time privately said they were going over their own procedures to prevent something like that from happening at the chain’s restaurants.
McDonald’s restaurants are among the busiest in fast food and the chain is the largest in the U.S., meaning an outbreak involving some of its food items could be potentially massive.
Erlinger’s message seemed to suggest the seriousness of the issue to McDonald’s, its franchisees and customers. “I hope these steps demonstrate McDonald’s commitment to food safety,” he said.
E. coli symptoms include severe stomach cramps, vomiting and bloody diarrhea that starts three to four days after consuming an infected item. People typically recover without treatment after five to seven days, but some people can develop serious kidney problems. For more information, visit the CDC’s website.
Image courtesy of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.