Fresh onions will be off the menu temporarily as a precautionary measure at some Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and KFC locations, Yum Brands Inc. said Wednesday. Burger King made a similar move, reportedly removing onions from about 5% of units. And Denny's also indicated some restaurants have removed the product.
The step was taken “out of an abundance of caution” following a recall of onions by supplier Taylor Farms. Fresh onions are believed to be a potential source of an E. coli outbreak that has hit McDonald’s in 10 states.
As of Wednesday morning, 49 McDonald’s customers have been sickened, including one who died and 10 more who have been hospitalized, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Most of those sickened had eaten a Quarter Pounder at McDonald’s. The sandwich includes onion slices, and investigators are looking into the possible source: Taylor Farms.
The supplier issued a recall of yellow onions on Wednesday. And McDonald’s has also pulled both the slivered onions and beef patties from the menu from units in 12 states until the source of the illness is confirmed.
Distributor US Foods has issued an alert to restaurants it serves, advising them to stop using onions from Taylor Farms, which might also be sold under the brand name Cross Valley Farms. The recall targeted four types of yellow onions, including two sizes of diced, whole peeled (30 lb. and 6.5 lb. bags).
To date, no other restaurant chains have been implicated in the outbreak, but some other brands are pulling fresh onions from their menu, like Louisville, Kentucky-based Yum Brands.
Yum officials, however, did not include Habit Burger & Grill among its brands that will go temporarily onion-free. And the company did not say how many Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and KFC units would be impacted.
“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,” the company said in a statement. “We will continue following supplier and regulatory guidance to ensure the ongoing safety and quality of our food.”
Likewise, Burger King said about 5% of its restaurants receive onions from the Taylor Farms plant in Colorado under investigation in the McDonald's case, though no traces of E. coli had been found at the supplier as of Wednesday.
"Despite no contact from health authorities and no indication 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," Burger King officials said in a statement.
The family dining chain Denny's also said in a statement that onions have been removed from some restaurants, saying the chain is "in close communication with suppliers," but did not offer details.
Denver-based Illegal Pete’s has also reportedly pulled onions from its restaurants following the recall.
Other restaurant chains, however, said they did not use product from that supplier, so onions would remain on the menu for now.
UPDATE: This article has been updated to include new information from Burger King.
Peter Romeo also contributed to this article.
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