A deadly E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald’s quarter pounders has affected at least 75 people in 13 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The outbreak, which started on Oct 10, has seen 26 new cases across three new states, with all patients reporting eating at McDonald’s before illness onset.
The big picture: There have been 22 individuals who have been hospitalized, two with severe complications such as kidney failure, and one death was reported in an older adult in Colorado.
- The affected states include Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
State of play: McDonald’s has halted sales of the implicated burger in response to the outbreak, with preliminary evidence pointing towards slivered onions as a possible source of contamination.
- Taylor Farms, the California-based supplier of onions to McDonald’s, has initiated a voluntary recall, and the CDC believes the public risk is minimal due to prompt actions by both companies.