McDonald's (MCD.US) Excludes Beef Patties as Source of E. Coli Outbreak
1min read Zhitong Finance learned that McDonald's (MCD.US) said it will reintroduce Quarter Pounders to all restaurants this week after the company ruled out the possibility that the burgers were the source of an E. coli outbreak that has sickened dozens of people and killed one in several states. The fast-food chain said it combined its supply chain tracking data with information from government agencies, including an analysis by the Colorado Department of Agriculture that found no E. coli in dozens of samples taken from fresh and frozen patties from multiple batches at the restaurants.
McDonald's yanked Quarter Pounders from menus at dozens of restaurants in a dozen states last week to contain the damage from the E. coli outbreak linked to the burgers. The infection appeared to have originated from the onions on the sandwiches. About 20% of the chain's 13,000 restaurants in the U.S. stopped selling the burgers, which the company said it would resume without the onions on Sunday.
The company said in a statement on Sunday: "The issue seems to be limited to a specific ingredient and geography, and we remain very confident that any contaminated product associated with this outbreak has been removed from our supply chain and removed from all McDonald's restaurants."
Joe Erlinger, president of McDonald's USA, apologized to affected customers while assuring them that eating at McDonald's is safe. Erlinger said in a video posted on the company's website: "I represent the McDonald's system, and I want you to hear me say: We're sorry. To those affected customers, I promise you, under the guidance of our values, we will correct this mistake."
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday that Colorado reported the most cases, with 75 people infected in 13 states, including one death. The CDC said it believed the risk to the public was "very low" because McDonald's and the onion supplier, Taylor Farms, had taken action and Taylor Farms had recalled some of its products. Other fast-food chains also pulled onions from menus out of concern about E. coli.
