McDonald’s, one of the most famous fast food restaurants in the world, is now experiencing an outbreak of E. Coli. Investigators are determining whether the raw onions or the patties were the main source of the epidemic. The symptoms can start showing anywhere from a few days to nine days after eating. Symptoms include serious stomach cramps, diarrhea, fever, nausea, and vomiting. Some people infected can have bloody diarrhea or life-threatening symptoms. The infected states are currently Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, and many more.
The people most affected by the sickness ranged from ages 13 to 88, and most of them were men. One teenager and adult have been hospitalized due to a kidney issue called “hemolytic uremic syndrome”, which can lead to death. McDonald’s is currently being sued by two people for the illness. McDonald’s says they only use one specific patty and onion for the Quarter Pounder burger; the rest of the burgers are diced onions and a different kind of patty. The cases went up from 45 to 75 in the past week. Matt Wise, the chief of the CDC’s Outbreak Response and Prevention Branch says, “I think there will most certainly be illnesses reported.” Restaurants like Taco Bell, Burger King, KFC, Pizza Hut, and Illegal Pete’s have removed onions from their menu after the recall. Burger King has said that 5% of their onions are from Taylor Farms. These other restaurants have confirmed that there were no issues relating to the recall and outbreak
As of October 27th, investigations have confirmed that the patties were not linked to the E. Coli outbreak, and as a result, the department has decided not to continue the investigation on the patties. As a result, McDonald’s said that they will continue to sell the McDonald’s burger without the onions.
Furthermore, McDonald’s has confirmed that they get their onions directly from a produce company Taylor Farms. McDonald’s has said, “We have made the decision to stop sourcing onions from [the] Taylor Farms Colorado Springs facility indefinitely.” The production company Taylor Farms has fearfully recalled yellow onions from their company saying, “It saddens us to see the illnesses and affected individuals and families.” McDonald’s has said the onions have been served in roughly 900 restaurants including airports.
A Colorado man filed the first lawsuit against McDonald’s associated with the E. Coli outbreak linked to the Quarter-Pound Burger. A woman named Clarissa Debock ate a burger in Nebraska on September 18 and felt the symptoms on September 23. She had to rush to the emergency room after the symptoms. The E. Coli disease is a poisonous bacteria that feeds on the host body, and the symptoms can show quickly after eating the food. The outbreak should be another reminder of why food safety protocol is important.
