Oct. 23, 2024 – An E. coli bacterial outbreak has been linked to the death of one person and prompted McDonald’s to stop selling Quarter Pounder hamburgers in 12 states.
Investigators suspect that the burger patties or fresh slivered onion topping may be the source of the outbreak, but the investigation is ongoing.
So far, 49 people have been sickened between Sept. 27 and Oct. 11. The person who died was an older adult in Colorado, and there have been 10 hospitalizations. One person developed a serious condition that can cause kidney failure, according to the CDC.
The agency posted this warning on Twitter: “If you ate a Quarter Pounder hamburger from McDonald’s and have severe symptoms of E. coli, contact your healthcare provider.” The post listed E. coli symptoms: diarrhea, a fever higher than 102 F, “so much vomiting that you can’t keep liquids down,” and signs of dehydration like reduced urine and a dry mouth or throat.
Confirmed cases span 10 states, with the most being reported in Colorado, where 26 people have been sickened.
McDonald’s has stopped selling Quarter Pounders at all of its restaurants in four states: Colorado, Kansas, Utah and Wyoming. Some of the chain’s restaurants in eight other states have also removed the menu item: Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, and Oklahoma.
In a news release, McDonald’s said that “initial findings from the investigation indicate that a subset of illnesses may be linked to slivered onions used in the Quarter Pounder and sourced by a single supplier that serves three distribution centers. As a result, and in line with our safety protocols, all local restaurants have been instructed to remove this product from their supply and we have paused the distribution of all slivered onions in the impacted area.”
The FDA said that slivered onions are served as a topping on the Quarter Pounder.
“Diced onions and other types of beef patties used at McDonald’s have not been implicated in this outbreak,” the FDA said in its most recent investigation update.
It’s unclear if the slivered onions under investigation are sold or used by other businesses or restaurants, the FDA said.
In a video posted to YouTube, McDonald’s President Joe Erlinger said that “the majority of states and the majority of menu items are not affected,” noting that other beef products like cheeseburgers, hamburgers, Big Macs, McDoubles, and Double Cheeseburgers aren’t impacted.
Symptoms of E. coli can begin well after eating contaminated food, often three to nine days later, the CDC said. Severe infections can cause bloody diarrhea and life-threatening conditions such as hemolytic uremic syndrome, which can lead to small clots in blood vessels throughout the body and may result in kidney failure. Risks also include brain and nerve problems.
