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Quarter Pounder Back on Menus 10/28 06:43
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- McDonald's announced Sunday that Quarter Pounders will
again be on its menu at hundreds of its restaurants after testing ruled out
beef patties as the source of the outbreak of E. coli poisoning tied to the
popular burgers that killed one person and sickened at least 75 others across
13 states.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration continues to believe that slivered
onions from a single supplier are the likely source of contamination,
McDonald's said in a statement. It said it will resume selling the Quarter
Pounder at affected restaurants -- without slivered onions -- in the coming
week.
As of Friday, the outbreak had expanded to at least 75 people sick in 13
states, federal health officials said. A total of 22 people had been
hospitalized, and two developed a dangerous kidney disease complication, the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. One person has died in
Colorado.
Early information analyzed by the FDA showed that uncooked slivered onions
used on the burgers "are a likely source of contamination," the agency said.
McDonald's has confirmed that Taylor Farms, a California-based produce company,
was the supplier of the fresh onions used in the restaurants involved in the
outbreak, and that they had come from a facility in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
McDonald's pulled the Quarter Pounder burger from menus in several states --
mostly in the Midwest and Mountain states -- when the outbreak was announced
Tuesday. McDonald's said Friday that slivered onions from the Colorado Springs
facility were distributed to approximately 900 of its restaurants, including
some in transportation hubs like airports.
The company said it removed slivered onions sourced from that facility from
its supply chain on Tuesday. McDonald's said it has decided to stop sourcing
onions from Taylor Farms' Colorado Springs facility "indefinitely."
The 900 McDonald's restaurants that normally received slivered onions from
Taylor Farms' Colorado Springs facility will resume sales of Quarter Pounders
without slivered onions, McDonald's said.
Testing by the Colorado Department of Agriculture ruled out beef patties as
the source of the outbreak, McDonald's said.
The department of agriculture received multiple lots of fresh and frozen
beef patties collected from various Colorado McDonald's locations associated
with the E. coli investigation. All samples were found to be negative for E.
coli, the department said.
Taylor Farms said Friday that it had preemptively recalled yellow onions
sent to its customers from its Colorado facility and continues to work with the
CDC and the FDA as they investigate.
While it remains unclear if the recalled onions were the source of the
outbreak, several other fast-food restaurants -- including Taco Bell, Pizza
Hut, KFC and Burger King -- pulled onions from some menus in certain areas this
week.
Colorado had the most illnesses reported as of Friday, with 26 cases. At
least 13 people were sickened in Montana, 11 in Nebraska, 5 each in New Mexico
and Utah, 4 each in Missouri and Wyoming, two in Michigan and one each in Iowa,
Kansas, Oregon, Wisconsin and Washington, the CDC reported.
McDonald's said Friday it didn't pull the Quarter Pounder from any
additional restaurants and noted that some cases in states outside the original
region were tied to travel.
The CDC said some people who got sick reported traveling to other states
before their symptoms started. At least three people said they ate at
McDonald's during their travel. Illnesses were reported between Sept. 27 and
Oct. 11.
The outbreak involves infections with E. coli 0157:H7, a type of bacteria
that produces a dangerous toxin. It causes about 74,000 infections in the U.S.
annually, leading to more than 2,000 hospitalizations and 61 deaths each year,
according to CDC.
Symptoms of E. coli poisoning can occur quickly, within a day or two of
eating contaminated food. They typically include fever, vomiting, diarrhea or
bloody diarrhea and signs of dehydration --- little or no peeing, increased
thirst and dizziness. The infection is especially dangerous for children
younger than 5, people who are elderly, pregnant or who have weakened immune
systems.
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