Onion recall 2024: 75 sickened in 13 states as onions are pulled from menus at McDonald’s, Burger King, KFC and Taco Bell

A fatal E. coli outbreak that has sickened 75 people in 13 states has been linked to yellow onions supplied by Taylor Farms, which have been subject to recall and have led to multiple fast-food chains removing onions from their products.

The fast-food chains removing the fresh, yellow onions from their products include McDonald’s, Burger King, KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell after McDonald’s was hit with an E. coli outbreak linked to its Quarter Pounders.

The outbreak spread to 13 states, killing one person and sickening at least 75 others as of Tuesday, Oct. 22, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The one death was an “older person with underlying health conditions,” in Colorado, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health.

Dr. Nicole Iovine, chief epidemiologist and chief quality officer at UF Health Shands Hospital, told NJ Advance Media that the reason outbreaks like the one originating with McDonald’s happen is because “as our food production becomes more centralized, a single contamination event affects a larger amount of food product.”

Dr. Iovine added that there are “opportunities for single or small contamination events to affect a large amount of food product.”

McDonald’s announced Tuesday that an investigation found that the slivered onions in its Quarter Pounders caused many of the illnesses linked to the outbreak.

The diced onions on McDonald’s hamburgers and cheeseburgers are not subject to the outbreak, or the current onion recall, according to the company.

Dr. Iovine said that some of the ways people can prevent foodborne illnesses include being careful about what “you eat outside your home where you have no control over the food” and if you decide to eat at home, take steps such as “thoroughly” cooking your chicken “so you don’t get salmonella,” as well as thoroughly cooking red meat so you don’t come down with E. coli.

“You have to thoroughly wash your fruits and vegetables so any surface contamination is washed away,” she said. “And those are excellent ways that you’ll reduce the chance of a foodborne illness.”