LOS ANGELES (AP) — Testing has ruled out beef patties as the source of the outbreak of E. coli poisoning tied to McDonald’s Quarter Pounders, the company said Sunday. It will resume selling the Quarter Pounder in the coming week.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration continues to believe that slivered onions from a single supplier are the likely source of contamination, McDonald’s said.
As of Friday, the outbreak had expanded to at least 75 people sick in 13 states, federal health officials said. A total of 22 people have now been hospitalized, and two have developed a dangerous kidney disease complication, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. One person has died in Colorado.
Deadly McDonald’s E. coli outbreak grows to 13 states: CDC
Early information analyzed by the FDA showed that uncooked slivered onions used on the burgers “are a likely source of contamination,” the agency said. McDonald’s has confirmed that Taylor Farms, a California-based produce company, was the supplier of the fresh onions used in the restaurants involved in the outbreak, and that they had come from a facility in Colorado Springs, Colorado.