A recent E. coli outbreak has been traced back to a California-based produce company that supplied onions linked to the illnesses at McDonald’s, officials with the fast-food chain said Thursday.
They said that Taylor Farms, headquartered in Salinas, sent onions to one McDonald’s distribution facility, which led the chain to remove its Quarter Pounder hamburgers from restaurants in several states. McDonald’s didn’t say which facility it was.
The outbreak has affected at least 49 people across 10 states and resulted in one death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“Preliminary traceback and distribution information reviewed by FDA [Food and Drug Administration] shows that slivered onions served on Quarter Pounders are a likely source of contamination,” the CDC said. “FDA is working quickly to confirm that these onions are a source of this outbreak and to determine if these onions were served or sold at other businesses.”
The recalled onions came from a Taylor Farms facility in Colorado, a U.S. Foods spokesperson said. However, the wholesaler also noted that it wasn’t a McDonald’s supplier and that its recall didn’t include any products sold at the fast-food chain’s restaurants.
Taylor Farms didn’t return a request for comment from NTD, a sister outlet of The Epoch Times, and it has yet to publicly issue a statement on the matter.
Other Fast-Food Chains
Yum Brands, the parent company of Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and KFC, issued a statement saying it had “proactively removed fresh onions from select” locations as a precaution.The Louisville, Kentucky-based company didn’t say which specific locations were affected or confirm whether it shares suppliers with McDonald’s.
Restaurant Brands International, which owns Burger King, said Thursday that 5 percent of its restaurants use onions from the Taylor Farms’ Colorado facility. They said they’ve already instructed such restaurants to toss out the onions two days ago and are now sourcing onions from other suppliers, despite no direct contact from health officials.
Chipotle confirmed Thursday it does not source onions from Taylor Farms or use any ingredients from the Colorado facility in question.
A lawsuit has been filed against McDonald’s by Eric Stelly of Greeley, Colorado, who said he contracted E. coli after eating from a local McDonald’s on Oct. 4, before falling ill two days later. Health officials later confirmed his infection was part of the ongoing outbreak.
E. coli poisoning symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever, dehydration, and dizziness. Symptoms can appear quickly, and according to the CDC, children younger than 5, the elderly, pregnant women, or people with weakened immune systems are most at risk.
