Onions from California grower linked to deadly E. coli outbreak, says McDonald’s
By Gargi Chaudhry | First Published Oct 25, 2024, 10:25 AM ISTMcDonald's confirms California supplier, Taylor Farms, as source of contaminated onions in E. Coli outbreak affecting Quarter Pounders. Other chains like Burger King, Pizza Hut, KFC, and Taco Bell proactively remove onions from menus.
McDonald's authorities confirmed that fresh onions connected to a fatal E. Coli food poisoning epidemic at the restaurant chain came from a California-based agricultural supplier. Other fast-food chains, such as Burger King, Pizza Hut, KFC, and Taco Bell, removed onions off their menus in the interim.
According to McDonald's authorities, the fast-food business pulled Quarter Pounder hamburgers from its locations in many states after Taylor Farms, located in Salinas, California, supplied onions to one distribution plant. McDonald's did not specify the location. An outbreak tied to the burgers has sickened at least 49 people in 10 states, including a person who died, federal health officials have said. Investigators said they were focused on slivered onions as a potential source of the infections.
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US Foods, a significant supplier to eateries nationwide, announced on Thursday that Taylor Farms had recalled whole and chopped yellow onions that had been peeled this week due to possible E. Coli contamination. According to a US Foods representative, the recalled onions originated from a Taylor Farms plant in Colorado. The wholesaler did clarify, however, that it was not a McDonald's supplier and that no items sold at the fast-food chain's restaurants were included in the recall.
What about other brands?
Other national restaurant companies temporarily ceased using fresh onions in the interim. Yum Brands stated in a statement, "We have proactively removed fresh onions from select Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and KFC restaurants as we continue to monitor the recently reported E Coli outbreak, and out of an abundance of caution."
Based in Louisville, Kentucky Yum Brands did not disclose if it uses the same supplier as McDonald's or where onions were taken out. Yum Brands stated that it will keep adhering to the advice given by authorities and its suppliers.
Symptoms of E. Coli
Within a day or two of consuming tainted food, E. Coli poisoning symptoms might appear. Fever, vomiting, diarrhea, or bloody diarrhea, and symptoms of dehydration, such as increased thirst, dizziness, and little to no urination, are usually among them. Children under the age of five, the elderly, pregnant women, and those with compromised immune systems are most vulnerable to the virus.
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