An investigation is currently underway regarding McDonald’s Quarter Pounders in several US states that has left one dead and dozens sick.
Slivered onions and quarter-pound beef patties, both of which are specifically used for Quarter Pounders, are being examined. McDonald’s is collaborating with public health officials and is no longer using the onions and patties, which are sourced by a single supplier that serves three distribution centers, it says.
49 people in 10 western and midwestern states have been reordered as sick. One person, an older adult in Colorado, has died.
Ten people have been hospitalized, including a child who developed a disease called hemolytic uremic syndrome, which can cause kidney failure.
The CDC points out recent illnesses may not have been reported yet as “it usually takes 3 to 4 weeks to determine if a sick person is part of an outbreak.”
Symptoms of E. coli infection include high fever over 102 degrees, severe stomach cramps, diarrhea and vomiting.
Sixteen of the people who were sickened said they’d eaten at McDonald’s before they got sick, Wise said. Twelve of those people specifically said they’d had Quarter Pounder hamburgers.
Shares in McDonald’s dropped 7% – 9% in extended trading as a result.
This is not the first E. coli outbreak to affect McDonald’s in recent years. In 2022, six children developed symptoms consistent with E. coli poisoning after eating McDonald’s’ Chicken McNuggets Happy Meals in Ashland, Alabama. Four of the six children were admitted to a hospital after experiencing severe adverse effects, and several violations, including improper hand-washing and a lack of gloves, were subsequently discovered in said McDonald’s.
McDonald’s USA President Joe Erlinger, has said in a video message: “At McDonald’s, you can count on us to do the right thing”.
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