Latest on cases, onion recalls, more

Seventy-five people across 13 states have fallen ill in an E. coli outbreak attributed to McDonald’s Quarter Pounders, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said in an update on Friday.

First announced by the agency on Tuesday, the outbreak was originally reported after sickening 49 across 10 states and killing one. As of Oct. 24, the now 75 total illnesses across 13 states included 22 hospitalizations and one death in Colorado. Two people also developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a serious condition that can cause kidney failure.

Thus far, investigators and McDonald’s believe the Quarter Pounder is the only affected menu item. While health agencies are still making a definitive identification, it is believed that the raw slivered onions served atop the burgers are the culprit and not the beef patties themselves.

As reported cases have rapidly expanded, so have McDonald’s locations removing the burger from its menus. A slew of onion recalls have also been initiated.

Here’s what to know so far about the McDonald’s E. coli outbreak.

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What McDonald’s products are affected?

Quarter Pounders are currently the only McDonald’s menu item known to be impacted by the E. coli outbreak. Investigators believe the source ingredient may be the slivered onions on the burgers, not the meat itself.

Food safety experts told USA TODAY on Wednesday, however, that there is still a possibility of cross-contamination in restaurants that received potentially adulterated products.

The restaurant chain said Wednesday it had taken the Quarter Pounder off the menu in one-fifth of its restaurants.

What states are impacted by the E.coli outbreak?

As of Friday, 13 states reported illnesses linked to the E. coli outbreak, according to the CDC.

Colorado
Iowa
Kansas
Michigan
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
New Mexico
Oregon
Utah
Washington
Wisconsin
Wyoming

Colorado has the most cases of illness at 26, followed by Montana with 13 and Nebraska with 11. The rest of the states reported five or fewer cases.

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States where Quarter Pounder sales have been suspended

McDonald’s said in a statement that Quarter Pounders have been pulled from restaurants across the following states:

Colorado
Kansas
Utah
Wyoming

It has also been removed in portions of:

Idaho
Iowa
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Mexico
Oklahoma

Is it safe to eat at McDonalds?

“I think it’s a little too early to say McDonald’s is safe to eat at,” food safety attorney Bill Marler told USA TODAY on Wednesday.

Since onions are served fresh, they can become adulterated with E. coli through fecal contamination, which can occur through wastewater, water in the growing area, fertilizer and the proximity of the growing area to livestock, Marler and food industry consultant Bryan Quoc Le said.

McDonald’s said its suppliers clean, slice and again clean onions before they are bagged and refrigerated. It added that its regular burgers use diced onions, different from the slivered onions linked to the outbreak. The chain also said it is working in tandem with health officials to quickly resolve the issue.

Quoc Le said beyond the Quarter Pounder, “there shouldn’t be any concern in terms of eating” other McDonald’s products. “McDonald’s is fairly good about their logistics and distribution and so they’re able to recall a lot of their products fairly quickly.”

“I mean, for now, probably the next couple of days, you can avoid the Quarter Pounder, but the rest of the items I don’t see there being an issue,” he added.

Is it safe to eat McDonald’s?Quarter Pounders linked to E. coli outbreak has some worried

Onion recalls

US Foods, one of the nation’s largest distributors to restaurants and other food service businesses, issued a recall on raw diced, peeled, and whole peeled onions from its third-party supplier Taylor Farms Colorado on Thursday, citing “potential E. coli contamination.”

One of Taylor Farms’ production facilities also supplied onions to McDonald’s in the areas impacted by E. coli illnesses, McDonald’s told USA TODAY on Thursday. However, the recalled Taylor Farms Colorado onions were not related to the company’s removal of Quarter Pounders, the company said.

McDonald’s announced in a news release Friday it has stopped sourcing onions from Taylor Farms’ facility in Colorado Springs “due to broad concern and our unwavering commitment to food safety.”

The Taylor Farms’ recall includes:

30-pound bags of peeled jumbo yellow onions
4/5-pound bags of 3/8-inch diced fresh yellow onions
5-pound bags of fresh diced yellow onions
6/5-pound bags of whole, peeled yellow onions

Yum Brands, Burger King remove onions from some locations

Yum Brands also announced Thursday it would be removing onions from select locations of its Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and KFC restaurants in the wake of the McDonald’s outbreak. Burger King announced some locations would be pulling onions after they received them from Taylor Farms Colorado, according to multiple reports.

“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,” Yum Brands said in a statement provided to USA TODAY. “We will continue following supplier and regulatory guidance to ensure the ongoing safety and quality of our food.”

The company did not respond to further questions on which locations had the onions removed or who their onion supplier for those restaurants was.

Lawsuits and investigation

Currently, health agencies are still investigating the outbreak, including the FDA, CDC and USDA.

The FDA is “using all available tools to confirm if onions are the source of this outbreak,” spokesperson Janell Goodwin said on Thursday. “This includes working with federal and state partners and the companies involved to collect and evaluate records and distribution information as part of our traceback investigation. FDA and state partners are also collecting onion samples for analysis.”