McDonald’s Rules Out Beef Patties as Source of E. coli Outbreak
McDonald’s has announced that its beef patties are not the source of the recent E. coli outbreak linked to its popular Quarter Pounder hamburgers. The outbreak has resulted in at least one death and nearly 75 reported illnesses across several U.S. states.
“We remain very confident that any contaminated product related to this outbreak has been removed from our supply chain and is out of all McDonald’s restaurants,” said Cesar Pina, McDonald’s Chief Supply Chain Officer, in a statement released on Sunday.
The Colorado Department of Agriculture conducted extensive testing on multiple lots of McDonald’s brand fresh and frozen beef patties. All subsamples tested negative for E. coli, leading officials to conclude that the beef is not responsible for the contamination. “We have completed beef testing and do not anticipate receiving further samples,” the department stated.
With beef patties cleared, McDonald’s plans to resume distribution of fresh supplies of the Quarter Pounder, which is expected to be available in all restaurants nationwide in the coming week.
Regulatory agencies had been investigating whether McDonald’s beef patties were contaminated, but attention is now shifting to other ingredients. E. coli bacteria are typically killed when beef is cooked properly. However, the Quarter Pounder is served with raw, slivered onions, which may be a potential source of contamination. As a precaution, affected restaurants will serve the burgers without raw onions until the investigation is concluded.
In response to the outbreak, U.S. fast-food chains have removed fresh onions from their menu items after the vegetable was identified as the likely source of E. coli contamination. McDonald’s has temporarily pulled the Quarter Pounder from about one-fifth of its U.S. restaurants, including locations in Colorado, Kansas, Utah, Wyoming, and parts of Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, and Oklahoma.
Past E. coli outbreaks have negatively impacted sales at major fast-food chains, as consumers become wary of affected restaurants. McDonald’s is working closely with health authorities to ensure the safety of its products and regain customer trust.
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McDonald's rules out beef patties as source of E. coli outbreak
cgtn.com
