E. Coli Outbreak Tied to McDonald’s Expands to 14 States, 104 Infected

A McDonald's Quarter Pounder hamburger and coke in New York on Oct. 24, 2024. Brendan McDermid/Reuters

Federal health and food safety officials said Wednesday that the E. coli outbreak linked to slivered onions used on McDonald’s hamburgers has spread to more states and sickened more people, including additional hospitalizations.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) provided updates on Nov. 13 on their respective investigations into the E. coli outbreak, noting that the number of cases has risen to 104 across 14 states.

When the CDC first announced the outbreak on Oct. 22, it said initial investigations suggested that slivered onions used in the McDonald’s Quarter Pounder were the likely source of the E. coli infections, which at the time numbered 49 cases across 10 states.

In its latest update, the CDC said that new infections and hospitalizations have been reported, adding that the outbreak may not be limited to the states with known illnesses and the true number of cases is likely “much higher” than has been reported. That’s because many people infected with E. coli recover without seeking medical attention and aren’t tested for the bacteria.

“Affected onions served at McDonald’s locations were recalled and are past shelf life,” the CDC said in the latest update. “Our investigation remains open to investigate any other illnesses which occurred when the onions were available at McDonald’s. CDC continues to believe the risk to the public is low.”

Colorado has reported the highest number of cases with at least 30, followed by 19 in Montana, 13 in Nebraska, 10 in New Mexico, eight each in Missouri and Utah, six in Wyoming, three in Kansas, two in Michigan, and one case each in Iowa, North Carolina, Oregon, Washington, and Wisconsin.

McDonald’s stopped using slivered onions on Quarter Pounders in affected states and the supplier of the yellow onions, Taylor Farms, recalled the product on Oct. 22.

The FDA said in its Nov. 13 update that “there does not appear to be a continued food safety concern related to this outbreak at McDonald’s restaurants,” adding that all confirmed cases originated before McDonald’s pulled the slivered onions from its restaurants.

“FDA continues working with Taylor Farms and their direct customers to determine if additional downstream customer recalls are necessary,” the agency stated. “Food service customers should not be further distributing recalled onions.”

The CDC said there’s a “low” likelihood of contaminated onions still being available for sale.

“Because these onions were recalled and are no longer available for sale to food service operators, it is not necessary to avoid eating onions or other foods made with onions,” the agency stated.

McDonald’s said in a Nov. 13 statement that it found an alternate supplier for the roughly 900 restaurants that had temporarily stopped serving Quarter Pounders and that, over the past week, these restaurants resumed selling the burgers with slivered onions.

“Food safety is something we will never compromise on, and we remain committed to doing the right thing,” McDonald’s said. “Thank you to all the public health authorities for their partnership and collaboration, which allowed McDonald’s to take swift and decisive action to protect our customers and public health.”

E. coli infections typically cause severe stomach cramps, diarrhea (sometimes bloody), and vomiting, with symptoms usually appearing three to four days after exposure. While most people recover within a week, severe cases can lead to hemolytic uremic syndrome, a potentially life-threatening condition that may cause kidney failure.

The CDC urged anyone experiencing severe E. coli symptoms like bloody diarrhea, a fever over 102 degrees F, or so much vomiting that liquids cannot be kept down to seek immediate medical care.