McDonald’s president has reassured the public that its food is now completely safe to eat following an E. coli outbreak linked to its Quarter Pounders.
E. coli is a harmful bacterium that can lead to severe stomach issues. The strain in the recent incidents is the same one responsible for a 1993 outbreak at Jack in the Box restaurants, where undercooked hamburgers caused the deaths of four children.
McDonald’s USA President Joe Erlinger assured customers on NBC’s “Today” show, saying,”We are very confident that you can go to McDonald’s and enjoy our classics,” adding, “I want to say to our consumers that you can confidently go to McDonald’s today.”
On Tuesday, the CDC reported at least 49 cases of illness and one death across 10 states due to E. coli infections. Most of these cases occurred in Colorado and Nebraska, with the majority of affected individuals having eaten Quarter Pounders at McDonald’s.
“We took swift action yesterday to remove the Quarter Pounder from our menu,” Erlinger said. “It is the Quarter Pounder and two ingredients on that Quarter Pounder that are under investigation by the CDC.”
When asked if he expected the number of cases from the outbreak to rise, Erlinger said that, according to the CDC’s investigation and tracing, “It is important to note that the onset dates for this disease are between, at this point, Sept. 27 and Oct. 11. If there has been contaminated product in our supply chain, it’s very likely worked itself through that supply chain already.”
The CDC, FDA, and USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) are jointly investigating the recent E. coli cases. However, according to the CDC, “A specific ingredient has not yet been confirmed as the source of the outbreak.”
“Investigators are working to determine if the slivered onions or beef patties on Quarter Pounder burgers are the likely source of this outbreak.” the agencies said.
In response, McDonald’s has proactively removed the slivered onions and beef patties used for Quarter Pounder hamburgers from stores in the affected states as the investigation continues, the company said.
“As a result, and in line with our safety protocols, all local restaurants have been instructed to remove this product from their supply, and we have paused the distribution of all slivered onions in the impacted area,” McDonald’s North America Chief Supply Chain Officer Cesar Piña said.
Joe Erlinger said in a video message, “We will continue to update you on the actions we are taking. At McDonald’s, you can count on us to do the right thing.”
McDonald’s (MCD) stock dropped nearly 7 percent at the opening bell on Wednesday, marking its steepest decline since March 12, 2020, when the world went into lockdown due to COVID-19.
McDonald’s has faced previous E. coli outbreaks in recent years. In 2022, six children in Alabama fell ill after eating Chicken McNuggets that were linked to an E. coli outbreak.
Four of the children were hospitalized. Subsequent health inspections at the restaurant revealed several violations, including improper hand-washing practices and a lack of gloves, which may have contributed to the contamination.