The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced an E. coli outbreak that may be connected to McDonald’s Quarter Pounders.
The CDC said “specific ingredient has not yet been confirmed as the source” but most of the people who were sickened said they had eaten Quarter Pounders from McDonald’s.
Officials are trying to determine if the onions used on the burgers or the meat in the beef patty were contaminated, but officials said preliminary information shows that the outbreak came from the slivered onions, the CDC said. Diced onions used on other products are not part of the outbreak/
McDonald’s in Colorado, Kansas, Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico and Oklahoma have stopped using Quarter Pounder slivered onions and beef patties temporarily, the CDC said.
Overall, there have been 49 illnesses, 10 hospitalizations and one death connected to the E. coli outbreak. The last illness happened on Oct. 11.
McDonald’s president Joe Erlinger appeared on the “Today” show considering the CDC’s food safety alert, saying he believed the company can ”restore confidence” with its customers.