As of their most recent update, U.S. health officials have so far sent 104 to the hospital following a food safety incident related to the use of slivered onions in McDonald’s Quarter Pounder burgers. The outbreak had been traced back to onions provided by Taylor Farms and caused at least one death and several cases of hospitalizations.
Health Impact and Response
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday that 34 people have been hospitalized due to the outbreak, and one man died in October of complications related to the infection. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it found E. coli bacteria in the onions as the “likely source” of the outbreak.
In retaliation, McDonald’s pulled back the onions from the distribution. Taylor Farms did its recall last October.
McDonald’s Begins Selling Quarter Pounders Again After Switching Suppliers
McDonald’s could easily vacate the rotten onions from its outlets and source a fresh supplier for these quarter pounders. The fast food chain immediately warned customers that it had already done enough to not have more safety issues after it moved to selling quarter pounders with onions at affected outlets.
“We offer our sincerest and most heartfelt apologies and we are committed to making this right,” McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski said in a statement of apology in late October.
Background Information on the Outbreak
According to the CDC, the outbreak began between September 12 and October 21. The contaminated onions were spread across several U.S. states, including Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma, Idaho, and New Mexico. Samples from McDonald’s stores and centers are being tested, and both FDA and state officials are investigating the origin.
According to reports, the FDA confirmed taking environmental samples from McDonald’s facilities, some of them being its processing centers in Colorado and onion growers in the state of Washington.
FDA Inspections and Testing Ongoing
The FDA reported that inspections and tests are still ongoing. Nevertheless, the agency reported no other food safety issues related to the McDonald’s operations at the time of the report. Moreover, the FDA clarified that the recalled onions were not sold directly to consumers or grocery stores.
Severe Health Hazards for Certain Victims
Four patients developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a rare disease affecting the kidneys that impairs the red blood cells and can lead to potentially deadly kidney failure. The seriousness of these cases even hints at the potential risk these infections of E. coli pose.
Legal Action Against McDonald’s:
Many customers have sued concerning the recall, and in October, a class-action lawsuit was also filed against it. McDonald’s has promised to cooperate with the customers involved and is working assiduously to ensure that no more incidents of its related to this issue occur.
Commitment on Food Safety
Food safety is something we will never compromise on, and we remain committed to doing the right thing,” McDonald’s said in a statement. The company added that it has found a new supplier for the damaged onions used in around 900 restaurants that briefly halted selling Quarter Pounder burgers with chopped onions.
Quarter Pounder Sales Resume After Beef Testing Is Clear of Bacteria
McDonald’s resumed sales of Quarter Pounder burgers in all states after testing samples of beef patties taken from its supply chain by the Colorado Department of Agriculture revealed no signs of the bacteria. The bacteria apparently were not found in the company’s beef related to the outbreak.
Recently, the CEO of McDonald’s Chris Kempczinski publicly presented his deepest regrets as respect to the crisis in public health across the country and also offered condolences on the loss of some lives due to the outbreak. He announced that the company would closely track the situation and undertake all the measures to prevent the spread of this outbreak for public health.
(Includes inputs from online sources)
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