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Officials rule out beef as source of E.coli outbreak at McDonald’s
The investigation now continues with a focus on the onions used in burgers
Published on October 28, 2024 at 11:23 am
Mc Donald’s sandwich Credit: Disclosure
McDonald’s and U.S. food safety authorities have ruled out beef as the source of the E. coli bacteria outbreak linked to the chain’s Quarteirão snack, but are continuing to investigate the onions used in the burgers.
The Colorado State Department of Agriculture reported, on Sunday (27), that it has completed a series of tests on fresh and frozen beef burgers collected at McDonald’s units in the State, linked to the ongoing investigation. All tests came back negative for E. coli, according to the agency, and local health officials are not expected to collect any more samples.
Spokespeople for the chain said the company is still awaiting test results on the suspected onions. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on Friday it is collecting onion samples for analysis as it works to determine the cause of the outbreak.
The E. coli outbreak linked to the McDonald’s Quarter, disclosed last week by federal health officials, has infected 75 people and caused one death in 13 states, according to food safety officials.
The chain has removed the burgers from its menu in affected areas and said it is cooperating with regulatory agencies investigating the outbreak. In a statement, McDonald’s stated that it intends to resume the sale of Quarteirão in restaurants affected by the outbreak throughout the week, but without fresh onions.
On Friday, McDonald’s announced it would suspend purchasing onions from a Taylor Farms facility in Colorado, which supplied the sliced onions to the chain’s locations associated with the cases. Last week, Taylor Farms recalled batches of yellow onions from its Colorado Springs facility and reported that, to date, it has found no traces of E. coli in the tests carried out.
Since the outbreak was reported, customer flow at the chain’s U.S. stores fell nearly 5% last Wednesday compared with the same period last year, according to Gordon Haskett Research Advisors. In the four states with confirmed cases of E. coli – Colorado, Kansas, Utah and Wyoming – movement fell more than 10% compared to last year, according to analysis based on location data from Placer.ai.
In Colorado, where the largest number of cases was identified, the drop was more than 22%. As of Friday’s close, McDonald’s shares had fallen about 7% since the case was announced. The company is expected to release third-quarter results on Tuesday.
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