McDonald’s announced on Sunday, October 27, that the Quarter Pounder would return to menus at hundreds of locations after it was pulled over E. coli concerns, the AP reports.
Last week, McDonald’s removed the Quarter Pounder from menus in response to the the E. coli outbreak that killed one person and sickened at least 75 others in 13 states. The chain said that testing ruled out beef patties as the cause of the outbreak. And while the chain was initially unclear about which ingredient was to blame, it has since identified the culprit: slivered onions. Now the Quarter Pounder is returning to menus without slivered onions, McDonald’s said.
The Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that onions were likely the cause of the contamination—rather than the beef patty or other toppings, NBC News reports.
Where did the onions come from?
The FDA identified Taylor Farms as the supplier, and the company quickly announced a recall of four raw onion products as a result of the outbreak. A McDonald’s spokesperson also told the outlet that the onions came from just one facility, where they were sliced and packaged raw and then distributed.
Have any other chains been impacted?
McDonald’s isn’t the only restaurant to reevaluate its relationship with onions in the wake of the E. coli outbreak. Competitor Burger King announced that it was removing fresh onions from menus, while Yum Brands—which owns KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell—said it’s also nixing the ingredient “out of an abundance of caution.” However, there are no indication that any of these other restaurants have been linked to illnesses caused by E. coli.
Is it safe to eat at McDonald’s again?
The head of the CDC’s Outbreak Response and Prevention Branch, Matt Wise, said that while he expects the number of illnesses to still increase in the coming days, now that the tainted slivered onions are off of fast food menus, customers should be safe.
“For someone walking into a McDonald’s today” the risk is greatly reduced, he told NBC.
Is E. coli common in onions?
No. Well, at least not this specific strain of E. coli. This is the first time that raw onions have been known to cause a widespread outbreak, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
How many people have been impacted by the onion E. coli outbreak?
As of Friday, October 25, at least 75 people had been diagnosed with E. coli infections related to the outbreak. It’s been reported that 22 people have been hospitalized so far, and one has died. The chain pulled the Quarter Pounder from its menu at locations in Colorado, Kansas, Utah, and Wyoming, and in parts of Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. But as of Sunday, the item has been returned to the menu without slivered onions.
Is McDonald’s facing legal repercussions?
So far, two lawsuits have been filed against McDonald’s in response to the E. coli outbreak.
“American consumers should be able to trust that the food they are served is safe from contamination,” plaintiff Eric Stelly’s lawyer Ron Simon told Fortune. “McDonald’s breached that trust, and will now have to earn it back.”
Attorney Bill Marler, who already plans to represent three clients in the case against McDonald’s, called the outbreak the biggest food-safety disaster in over three decades.
“The litigation between the victims and McDonald’s and Taylor Farms is going to pale in comparison to the litigation that is going to erupt when McDonald’s sues Taylor Farms,” Marler told the publication. “That’s going to be a big deal.”
Megan Schaltegger is an NYC-based writer. She loves strong coffee, eating her way through the Manhattan food scene, and her dog, Murray. She promises not to talk about herself in third person IRL.