On Tuesday, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced the conclusion of the E. coli outbreak. coli associated with McDonald's (NYSE:) Quarter Pounder hamburgers. The CDC has officially closed the investigation into this outbreak which affected 104 people and resulted in 34 hospitalizations.
The outbreak, caused by the E. coli O157:H7 strain known to cause severe illness, was first identified on 10/22/2022. It led to one death linked to eating chopped onions on hamburgers. These onions were traced to Taylor Farms, a supplier that serves three distribution centers. Following the outbreak, Taylor Farms recalled several lots of yellow onions produced at its Colorado plant.
The infection has spread across 14 states, including Colorado, Kansas, Utah, Wyoming, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oregon, Wisconsin, Washington, North Carolina and Michigan. The CDC update marks the end of a significant food safety issue that has impacted several states.
In response to the outbreak, McDonald's temporarily removed the Quarter Pounder from the menus of approximately 2,800 of its 14,000 affected locations in the United States. The fast food giant has since resumed sales of the popular product after ensuring the safety of its ingredients.
Additionally, McDonald's has reintroduced sliced onions across its menu, now supplied by another supplier to prevent any recurrence of the problem. The CDC's closure of the case indicates that the risk associated with the outbreak has been mitigated and the offending product no longer poses a threat to public health.
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