McDonald’s will start selling Quarter Pounders again this week. The chain says the fresh beef patties used in the burger were not the source the E.Coli outbreak. Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) say the victim count may continue to rise for another week…
McDonald’s – in an abundance of caution – removed the Quarter Pounder (QP) burger (see photo, below, left) from the menu at about 1 in five of its stores across 13 states last week following the confirmation of a widespread E.coli outbreak…
Fresh Beef patties cleared
But after testing of the fresh beef patties used in the QP revealed no contamination, the chain says it will resume selling the popular burger sometime later this week.
According to a McDonald’s news release, “Over the weekend, McDonald’s was informed that the Colorado Department of Agriculture has completed their testing, the results of which confirm that there was no detect-ion of E. coli in the samples taken of Quarter Pounder beef patties. […] We have ruled out Quarter Pounder patties as the source.”
In addition, the release announced, “The 900 restaurants that historically received slivered onions from Taylor Farms […] will resume sales of Quarter Pounders without slivered onions.”
The cause of the outbreak remains officially unknown. But suspicions had already fallen on slivered onions served on the Quarter Pounder and other McDonald’s burgers as early a last week. Taylor Farms, the company that supplies the onions to McDonald’s and other outlets across the 13 affected states, has recalled the product.
“The FDA is continuing its investigation into Taylor Farms’ Colorado Springs facility,” the McD’s news release noted.
Long gestation period
The CDC cautioned: “The true number of sick people in this outbreak is likely much higher than the number reported, and the outbreak may not be limited to the states with known illnesses. This is because many people recover without medical care and are not tested for E. coli.”
The agency also advised, it may be some time yet before a definitive count of those affected can be made. “[R]ecent illnesses may not yet be reported as it usually takes 3 to 4 weeks to determine if a sick person is part of an [E.coli] outbreak.”
My take
McDonald’s has posted an FAQ on the E.coli outbreak, and reminds customers that its corporate Food Safety Policy is always available for reference online.
Meanwhile, we’ll keep a day-to-day watch on the E.coli situation and bring you developments as they occur…
~ Maggie J.