Is it safe to eat McDonald's? Quarter Pounders linked to E. coli outbreak has some worried

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McDonald's has pulled the Quarter Pounder from about one-fifth of its restaurants over concerns linking the sandwich to an E. coli outbreak, which has killed one and sickened at least 49.

But the fast food giant says consumers should feel safe eating at its restaurants across the U.S., and in parts of the U.S. where the Quarter Pounder has been removed from the menu.

The beef patty and slivered onions put on the patty have been removed from those restaurants in regions where people have reported getting sick and eating a Quarter Pounder, the company said in a briefing on Wednesday.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has said onions may be the source of the outbreak. The onions used on the Quarter Pounder come from a single supplier in the affected regions, company spokespeople said during the briefing.

McDonald’s has been working with safety regulators since late last week about the potential outbreak when there were fewer known cases, the company said.

Where the Quarter Pounder off the menu: McDonald's locations in 12 states impacted amid E. coli outbreak

The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention and the FDA announced Tuesday an investigation into Quarter Pounders, in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), into the outbreak.

Beef patties used in making Quarter Pounders in the affected areas come from multiple suppliers, so that makes it a less likely culprit, McDonald's said. And the FSIS has not yet finished its investigation into beef used, so there's no finality, the company said. So to protect consumers, McDonald's has pulled the Quarter Pounder and is also doing its own investigation into the beef and onions used.

"Given the recent events of the past 24 hours, our priority is to reinforce the confidence of American consumers," McDonald's USA President Joe Erlinger said Wednesday on NBC's "Today" show.

"Investigators from all agencies are working quickly to determine the contaminated ingredient," the CDC said Tuesday.

So for now, the regulatory agencies have preliminarily narrowed the source of the outbreak to either beef patties or slivered onions "and FDA believes that it is the onions," said Janet Buffer, senior institute manager for the Institute for Food Safety and Nutrition Security with The George Washington University's Milken Institute School of Public Health.

But what about someone who has a hankering for a McDonald's burger and fries in states where there's no Quarter Pounder on the menu? Is it really safe? Well, that depends on your capacity for risk, experts say.

Is it safe to eat at McDonald's?

OK, if you are eating a burger right now, put it down, chew and swallow before reading the next sentence.

Since onions are served fresh, they can become adulterated with E. Coli through fecal contamination, which can occur through wastewater, water in the growing area, fertilizer and the proximity of the growing area to livestock, food safety lawyer Bill Marler and food scientist and food industry consultant Bryan Quoc Le told Paste BN.

McDonald's said suppliers clean, slice and again clean onions before they are bagged and refrigerated. Different diced onions are used on regular burgers.

Because the onions are not fully heated before consumption, they can carry that contamination on to the consumer, they said.

There have been significant outbreaks linked to onions and salmonella in the past, Marler said, and the process of onions getting contaminated with salmonella is no different than onions getting contaminated with E. coli.

McDonald's has stringent cooking standards and tests the heat of the Quarter Pounder patties, the company said. That makes onions the likely culprit, Marler said. "It would be unusual to have undercooking happen in 10 different states, so it's probably a good bet it is the onion supplier, but there's still risk of cross contamination within the restaurants," he said.

As for eating at the restaurants, he said."I think it's a little too early to say McDonald's is safe to eat at," Marler said.

However, McDonald's could increase its safety measures by shutting down the locations where E. coli illnesses happened "to thoroughly clean them," because possibly contaminated products did pass through kitchen facilities, Marler said. The potential for cross-contamination could be in sinks, on cutting boards and other food prep surfaces, he said.

"I'm not suggesting all McDonald's are unsafe to eat at," Marler said. However, "I think at least the restaurants where there are confirmed illnesses linked to it should be shut down for a period of time for a thorough cleaning just in case."

Quoc Le is more likely to say McDonald's remains a "pretty safe bet," for fast-food fans. Beyond the Quarter Pounder, "there shouldn't be any concern in terms of eating them," he said. "McDonald's is fairly good about their logistics and distribution and so they're able to recall a lot of their products fairly quickly."

But, he added, "I mean, for now, probably the next couple of days, you can avoid the Quarter Pounder, but the rest of the items I don't see there being an issue."

Consumers should know "there is always a level of uncertainty when consuming food, and every individual must determine their level of risk tolerance," Buffer said.

Which states are impacted

These are the states where 49 persons are known to have gotten sick from E. coli infections between Sept. 27 and Oct. 11, the CDC says. One person in Colorado died and 10 people have been hospitalized:

• Colorado (26 cases)
• Iowa (1)
• Kansas (1)
• Missouri (1)
• Montana (1)
• Nebraska (9)
• Oregon (1)
• Utah (4)
• Wisconsin (1)
• Wyoming (4)

McDonald's pulled the Quarter Pounder off the menu in Colorado, Kansas, Utah and Wyoming, as well as parts of Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, and Oklahoma.

What is E. coli and what are the symptoms

E. coli, or Escherichia coli, is a type of bacteria that resides harmlessly in the intestines of people and animals. But some E. coli can cause mild to life-threatening gastrointestinal illnesses if consumed, the CDC says.

The types of E. coli that may cause diarrhea usually spread through food or water contaminated with feces contact with animals or people. Animals such as cattle may also spread E. coli to food and food crops. And food handlers can spread infection when they do not use proper hand washing hygiene after using the restroom. 

E. coli infections can cause severe stomach cramps, diarrhea (often bloody) and vomiting for around five to seven days; infections typically occur three to four days after consuming the germ, according to the CDC.

This story has been updated to include new information.

Contributing: Max Hauptman and James Powel, Paste BN, and Reuters.

Follow Mike Snider on X and Threads: @mikesnider & mikegsnider.

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