McDonald's Quarter Pounder returns after E. coli testing rules out beef

LOS ANGELES — 

McDonald's announced Sunday that Quarter Pounders volition again beryllium connected its paper astatine hundreds of its restaurants aft investigating ruled retired beef patties arsenic the root of the outbreak of E. coli poisoning tied to the fashionable burgers that killed 1 idiosyncratic and sickened astatine slightest 75 others crossed 13 states.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration continues to judge that slivered onions from a azygous supplier are the apt root of contamination, McDonald's said successful a statement. It said it volition resume selling the Quarter Pounder astatine affected restaurants — without slivered onions — successful the coming week.

As of Friday, the outbreak had expanded to astatine slightest 75 radical sick successful 13 states, national wellness officials said. A full of 22 radical had been hospitalized, and 2 developed a unsafe kidney illness complication, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. One idiosyncratic has died successful Colorado.

Early accusation analyzed by the FDA showed that uncooked slivered onions utilized connected the burgers "are a apt root of contamination," the bureau said. McDonald's has confirmed that Taylor Farms, a California-based nutrient company, was the supplier of the caller onions utilized successful the restaurants progressive successful the outbreak, and that they had travel from a installation successful Colorado Springs, Colorado.

McDonald's pulled the Quarter Pounder burger from menus successful respective states — mostly successful the Midwest and Mountain states — erstwhile the outbreak was announced Tuesday. McDonald's said Friday that slivered onions from the Colorado Springs installation were distributed to astir 900 of its restaurants, including immoderate successful proscription hubs similar airports.

The institution said it removed slivered onions sourced from that installation from its proviso concatenation connected Tuesday. McDonald's said it has decided to halt sourcing onions from Taylor Farms' Colorado Springs installation "indefinitely."

The 900 McDonald's restaurants that usually received slivered onions from Taylor Farms' Colorado Springs installation volition resume income of Quarter Pounders without slivered onions, McDonald's said.

Testing by the Colorado Department of Agriculture ruled retired beef patties arsenic the root of the outbreak, McDonald's said.

The Department of Agriculture received aggregate tons of caller and frozen beef patties collected from assorted Colorado McDonald's locations associated with the E. coli investigation. All samples were recovered to beryllium antagonistic for E. coli, the section said.

Taylor Farms said Friday that it had preemptively recalled yellowish onions sent to its customers from its Colorado installation and continues to enactment with the CDC and the FDA arsenic they investigate.

While it remains unclear if the recalled onions were the root of the outbreak, respective different fast-food restaurants — including Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, KFC and Burger King — pulled onions from immoderate menus successful definite areas this week.

Colorado had the astir illnesses reported arsenic of Friday, with 26 cases. At slightest 13 radical were sickened successful Montana, 11 successful Nebraska, 5 each successful New Mexico and Utah, 4 each successful Missouri and Wyoming, 2 successful Michigan and 1 each successful Iowa, Kansas, Oregon, Wisconsin and Washington, the CDC reported.

McDonald's said Friday it didn't propulsion the Quarter Pounder from immoderate further restaurants and noted that immoderate cases successful states extracurricular the archetypal portion were tied to travel.

The CDC said immoderate radical who got sick reported traveling to different states earlier their symptoms started. At slightest 3 radical said they ate astatine McDonald's during their travel. Illnesses were reported betwixt Sept. 27 and Oct. 11.

The outbreak involves infections with E. coli 0157:H7, a benignant of bacteria that produces a unsafe toxin. It causes astir 74,000 infections successful the U.S. annually, starring to much than 2,000 hospitalizations and 61 deaths each year, according to CDC.

Symptoms of E. coli poisoning tin hap quickly, wrong a time oregon 2 of eating contaminated food. They typically see fever, vomiting, diarrhea oregon bloody diarrhea and signs of dehydration — small oregon nary peeing, accrued thirst and dizziness. The corruption is particularly unsafe for children younger than 5, radical who are elderly, large oregon who person weakened immune systems.