Some Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and KFC restaurants have reportedly removed onions from their products as the Food and Drug Administration investigates the cause of a recent E. coli outbreak, which has been linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounder hamburgers.
The produce company that supplied onions to McDonald’s recently removed products from the market ... [+]
Yum! Brands, the parent company for the three chains, removed the onions out of “an abundance of caution,” though no cases of E. coli have been linked to food sold by any of the company’s brands, according to multiple reports.
It is not clear which locations have removed the onions, though E. coli cases have been reported in Colorado, Nebraska, Wyoming, Oregon, Montana, Kansas, Utah, Missouri, Iowa and Wisconsin in an outbreak, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
McDonald’s—which pulled slivered onions and quarter-pound beef patties in several states—said in a statement Tuesday a preliminary investigation indicated some E. coli cases may be linked to onions sold by a single supplier serving three distribution centers.
The produce company that reportedly supplied McDonald’s onions, Taylor Made, issued a recall for four onion products Wednesday because of a “potential E. coli contamination.”
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The CDC issued a food safety alert earlier this week saying an E. coli outbreak had impacted 49 people across 10 states, with 10 people having been hospitalized and at least one person dying. Most sick people reported eating Quarter Pounder hamburgers from McDonald’s, and both the CDC and FDA said it was investigated which ingredient was contaminated. McDonald’s subsequently pulled ingredients used for these burgers, including beef patties and slivered onions, in some states. While most E. coli bacteria are harmless, some strains can result in vomiting, stomach cramps and severe symptoms like vomiting or diarrhea.
A Colorado man accused McDonald’s of negligence in a lawsuit Wednesday, which stated he tested positive for E. coli after eating food sold by the company. The litigation is the first against McDonald’s since the company’s food was linked to the outbreak, and requests a combined $150,000 in damages.