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McDonald’s confirmed Wednesday that a fifth of its restaurants are temporarily not selling Quarter Pounders because of the E. coli outbreak as a precautionary measure.
Why it matters: The fast-food giant is trying to reassure consumers that this doesn’t appear to be a widespread or nationwide issue.
- Company spokespeople said it is working with health agencies to identify the source of the outbreak, which McDonald’s believes are likely slivered onions from one unnamed supplier but said it may be beef.
- If it was a broader issue, spokespeople said there would likely be more illnesses.
Catch up quick: Health agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, continue to investigate the outbreak first reported Tuesday.
- There are 49 cases in 10 states with one reported death, the CDC said in a food safety alert.
- Infections were reported between Sept. 27 and Oct. 11.
Food safety lawyer Bill Marler, whose Seattle-based law firm has been retained to investigate this outbreak, told Axios that “it is too early to say how big this outbreak is.”
- “The fact that the CDC used words like, fast breaking and significant tells me that there are more people to be counted,” Marler said.
Quarter Pounder onions suspected
Zoom in: The FDA’s preliminary investigation suggests raw onions are the likely source of contamination.
- The U.S. Department of Agriculture is investigating the hamburger meat, which came from multiple suppliers for the affected region.
Yes, but: Onions have not been a carrier for this strain of E. coli before, according to company spokespeople.
How McDonald’s outbreak compares to Chipotle
Between the lines: Chipotle Mexican Grill had a string of food-safety issues including 2015 outbreaks of E. coli, salmonella and norovirus.
- Several Chipotle restaurants closed and an enhanced food safety program launched.
- McDonald’s company spokespeople said this case is different because it is not about food preparation.
- Quarter Pounders are also the only food item suspected in this outbreak, McDonald’s has said.
What they’re saying: “What’s important today is that we’ve taken the action to protect the American public and promote public health,” McDonald’s U.S. President Joe Erlinger said in an interview on the “Today” show Wednesday.
- “We’re confident that we’ll see our way through this and will restore confidence for the American consumer to come to McDonald’s,” Erlinger said.
McDonald’s E. coli states
Zoom out: The CDC’s map shows that Colorado has 26 illnesses of E. coli, while Nebraska has nine. Wyoming and Utah have four cases each.
- Oregon, Montana, Wisconsin, Iowa, Kansas and Missouri each have one case, the map shows.
- McDonald’s said Tuesday it temporarily removed the Quarter Pounder from restaurants in the impacted area, including “Colorado, Kansas, Utah and Wyoming, as well as portions of Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, and Oklahoma.”
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