As the number of E. coli cases contracted from McDonald’s quarter pounders reaches 90, it has been confirmed that yellow onions sourced from a Colorado Springs facility is to blame.
Taylor Farms, a supplier in Colorado Springs, is the culprit of the E. coli outbreak at McDonald’s, according to the CDC. As of Oct. 30, there have been 90 cases across 13 states, at least 27 people have been hospitalized, two have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, which can cause kidney failure and one Colorado man has died, according to the CDC.
Taylor Farms has issued a nationwide recall of yellow onions, which they supply to some Taco Bell, KFC, Pizza Hut and Illegal Pete’s locations around the state in addition to McDonald’s, according to an NBC article.
In response, the farm recalled yellow onions that were sent to the foodservice customers from their Colorado facility. “We continue to work with CDC and FDA who are investigating the source of the outbreak … All Taylor Farms products in the market today are safe to consume,” Taylor Farms said in a statement issued Oct. 20 on their website. The statement has since been removed.
All of the restaurants that work with Taylor Farms have preemptively removed contaminated items from their menus in an attempt to prevent the spread of E. coli, cutting ties with the manufacturer. Yum! Brands, which operate Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and KFC, have removed onions sourced from Taylor Farms from several Colorado locations, according to the NBC article.
McDonald’s has also released recall statements and updates, stating that their beef is not contaminated, but the onions sourced by Taylor Farms are to blame.
“The FDA is continuing its investigation into Taylor Farms’ Colorado Springs facility. As a reminder, McDonald’s removed slivered onions from this facility from our supply chain … (and) we have decided to stop sourcing onions from Taylor Farms’ Colorado Springs facility indefinitely,” said a statement from McDonald’s Corporate website.
On Oct. 27, McDonald’s announced that the 900 restaurants that received slivered onions from the Taylor Farm Colorado Springs facility would resume sales of the quarter pounder without the onions.
Despite the E. coli being linked to onions, students are hesitant to eat at McDonald’s following the outbreak.
“Fast food in general just isn’t checked for cleanliness enough … They have inspectors come in and do checks every once in a while, but that means they only keep it clean every once in a while … How are we going to eat this stuff if we can’t trust its safety?” said Milo Kpandenou, a sophomore majoring in Criminal Justice.
Tanya Gabari, a freshman majoring in psychology and pre-med, said they will absolutely not consider returning to McDonald’s after hearing about the outbreak, especially because the onions were sourced locally.
E. coli contamination takes up to two weeks to trace back to a source, so there is a chance that more cases could be linked to the McDonald’s outbreak, according to the CDC. McDonald’s assured customers that all current menu items are safe to consume.
Photo courtesy of KOAA.