October 28th 2024.
On Wednesday, October 23, 2024, in the bustling city of Chicago, I decided to treat myself to a scrumptious meal at McDonald's. I ordered my all-time favorite, the Quarter Pounder, and savored every bite. Little did I know, this decision would soon become a national concern.
The news broke on Sunday, when McDonald's announced that there had been an outbreak of E. coli poisoning linked to their popular burgers. Sadly, one person had already passed away and 75 others were reported to be sick across 13 states. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration immediately launched an investigation, and McDonald's took swift action by removing the Quarter Pounder from their menus at affected restaurants.
Initially, it was believed that the beef patties were the source of the contamination. However, after thorough testing, it was discovered that the slivered onions from a single supplier were the likely culprit. McDonald's, in a statement, assured the public that they would resume selling the Quarter Pounder at affected restaurants, but without the slivered onions. The company also confirmed that the supplier of the onions was Taylor Farms, a California-based produce company, and that the onions had come from a facility in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
The outbreak continued to spread, with 75 reported cases in 13 states as of Friday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated that 22 people had been hospitalized, and two had developed a serious kidney disease complication. Sadly, one person had passed away in Colorado. The FDA's initial findings showed that the uncooked slivered onions were most likely the source of contamination. McDonald's also revealed that the affected restaurants, including some in transportation hubs like airports, had received slivered onions from the Colorado Springs facility.
In response, McDonald's took immediate action by removing the onions from their supply chain and halting sourcing from Taylor Farms' Colorado Springs facility indefinitely. The 900 McDonald's restaurants that usually received the onions will now resume selling the Quarter Pounder without them. In a positive turn of events, testing by the Colorado Department of Agriculture cleared the beef patties as the source of the outbreak.
Taylor Farms also preemptively recalled their yellow onions from their customers and is fully cooperating with the CDC and FDA's investigation. However, other fast-food restaurants, such as Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, KFC, and Burger King, also pulled onions from their menus in certain areas as a precaution. Colorado had the highest number of reported cases with 26, followed by Montana with 13, and Nebraska with 11.
McDonald's clarified that they did not remove the Quarter Pounder from any additional restaurants and that some cases outside of the original region were connected to travel. The CDC also reported that some of the affected individuals had traveled to other states before experiencing symptoms, and at least three of them had eaten at McDonald's during their travels. The illness is caused by E. coli 0157:H7, a bacteria that produces a dangerous toxin. It affects approximately 74,000 people in the U.S. each year, with over 2,000 hospitalizations and 61 deaths.
Symptoms of E. coli poisoning can appear quickly, usually within a day or two of consuming contaminated food. They include fever, vomiting, diarrhea, or bloody diarrhea, along with signs of dehydration. This infection is especially concerning for young children, older adults, pregnant women, and those with weakened immune systems. The Associated Press writer JoNel Aleccia contributed to this report from Temecula, California.
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