New fears that E. Coli outbreak at McDonald’s could be linked to beef as the chain pulls Quarter Pounders from a fifth of all US stores

McDonald’s has pulled Quarter Pounders from one in five U.S. stores nationwide in an attempt to contain an E. coli outbreak that they believe may be linked to beef.

One person has died and 10 have been hospitalized among the 49 believed to have fallen ill from the outbreak, according to the CDC.

The CDC believes fresh beef burgers or fresh onions could transmit the contamination, although an investigation was still ongoing as of Wednesday.

Some states have completely stopped selling Quarter Pounders until the cause is identified, while others have found different suppliers.

McDonald’s market capitalization plummeted by $12 billion overnight Tuesday as the chain struggled to contain the outbreak.

The Quarter Pounder is one of its bestsellers, selling around 1 million burgers for around $6.39 each in the affected regions every fortnight.

Investigations are still ongoing into the cause of the outbreak, linked to Quarter Pounders

The electronic menu ordering board still displays Quarter Pounder burgers, but with a notice to inform consumers that they will soon be available at the McDonald’s drive-thru on Wednesday, October 23.

The chain said yesterday it had not ruled out beef as a potential source of the E. coli outbreak, after initial findings suggested onions could carry the bacteria.

The restaurant also serves sliced ​​raw onions in one of its breakfast sandwiches, but that sandwich is not available at the affected stores.

Other burgers, like the BigMacuse diced cooked onions.

McDonald’s said it is still searching for a new regional supplier of fresh onions, while Quarter Pounders have been removed from menus in several states.

The chain has more than 14,000 stores across the U.S. and serves 1 million Quarter Pounders every two weeks in the affected 12-state area.

After the company’s market capitalization fell by $12 billion overnight on Tuesday, investment platform Saxo warned that the company “could face pressure on its revenues”, having lost the equivalent of 1.8 billion Quarter. Pounders.

Charu Chanana, chief investment strategist, said: ‘The Quarter Pounder, along with the Big Mac, is a huge revenue generator for McDonald’s, with reports suggesting these classic items account for around 70% of food sales in major markets.

“Food safety concerns are paramount for restaurant operators. As McDonald’s faces this evolving crisis, its revenue, profits and share price could face pressure.’

Shares closed at $315 on Tuesday.

The outbreak appears to have deterred some diners from entering restaurants.

Adriean Madden stopped in front of a McDonald’s outside Denver on Wednesday for his usual afternoon snack, but then gave up.

He said he wasn’t sure how E. coli spreads or contaminates other foods and thinks McDonald’s should be more accessible.

“This affects my decision to come to McDonald’s in the future,” Madden said.

‘I feel like the information isn’t as widely disseminated. I didn’t see any notice on the door and then I saw vehicles passing along the path as if nothing was happening.

A McDonald’s Quarter Pounder in New York’s Times Square on Wednesday

Symptoms of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli include severe diarrhea and vomiting

McDonald’s said it has been working closely with federal food safety regulators since late last week, when it was alerted to the potential outbreak.

The company said the extent of the problem and the popularity of its products have complicated efforts to identify the source of contamination.

McDonald’s is known for its strict food safety guidelines and protocols, said Chris Gaulke, professor of food and beverage management at Cornell University’s Nolan School of Hotel Administration.

The company said Wednesday that the supplier regularly tested its onions for E. coli, for example.

“Given the volume of food they consume, the infrequency with which this happens at McDonald’s is a testament to the effort they put in,” Gaulke said.

But some experts questioned why McDonald’s simply stopped selling a sandwich and didn’t close the restaurants for further investigation.

“The best practice would have been to close all restaurants,” said Bill Marler, a Seattle lawyer who has sued companies over food poisoning outbreaks.

‘Until we know definitively which product made people sick, consumers should be vigilant.’

Marler said cross-contamination remains a potential possibility at the affected restaurants until they are thoroughly cleaned.

Asked why it didn’t close any restaurants, McDonald’s said nothing in the government investigation indicated there were problems with its food preparation practices.

In an interview on Wednesday’s ‘Today’ show, McDonald’s US President Joe Erlinger also said it was likely that any contaminated product had already passed through the company’s supply chain.

A McDonald’s takeout window in Chicago on October 23

Authorities have not yet traced the source of the outbreak of E.coli (STEC), a rare strain of the diarrhea-causing disease

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the outbreak Tuesday night.

He said infections were reported between Sept. 27 and Oct. 11 in Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oregon, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

State and local public health officials interviewed people about the foods they ate in the week before they became sick.

Of the 18 people interviewed as of Tuesday, all reported eating at McDonald’s and 16 people reported eating a beef burger.

Twelve reported eating a Quarter Pounder.

McDonald’s said it is unlikely that Quarter Pounder meat is the source, as it comes from multiple suppliers and is cooked at a temperature high enough to kill E. coli.

McDonald’s said its initial findings suggest that some of the reported illnesses were linked to onions from a single supplier, which the company did not name.

McDonald’s said the onions are cleaned and sliced ​​by the supplier and then packaged for use in individual Quarter Pounders.

The incubation period for E. coli is just a few days, so the disease would be quickly apparent to anyone affected, said Donald Schaffner, a food safety expert at Rutgers University.

“If you ate these burgers in September and now it’s mid-October and you haven’t gotten sick, you’re probably fine,” he said.

McDonald’s said its initial findings suggest some of the reported illnesses were linked to onions from a single supplier.

Of the 18 people interviewed as of Tuesday, all reported eating at McDonald’s, and 16 people reported eating a beef burger.

The E. coli bacteria is housed in the intestines of animals and is found in the environment. Infections can cause serious illness, including fever, stomach cramps, and bloody diarrhea.

People who develop symptoms of E. coli poisoning should seek medical attention immediately and tell their doctor what they ate.

The type of bacteria implicated in the McDonald’s case causes about 74,000 infections annually in the U.S., leading to more than 2,000 hospitalizations and 61 deaths each year, according to the CDC.

Overall, E. coli infections were lower in 2023 than in recent years, and cases of serious kidney damage caused by the bacteria remained stable, according to the most recent federal data.

Outbreaks at chain restaurants are rare, but they do happen.