Where is the Quarter Pounder being removed? McDonald's locations in 12 states impacted amid E. coli outbreak
Amid an E. coli outbreak that has left at least 49 people sickened across 10 states and resulted in one confirmed death, McDonald's announced Tuesday that it was temporarily pulling its Quarter Pounder hamburger from locations in multiple states.
"The decision to do this is not one we take lightly, and it was made in close consultation with the CDC," McDonald's USA president Joe Erlinger said in a video statement on Tuesday.
McDonald's North America Chief Supply Chain Officer Cesar Piña said in a statement posted Tuesday that an initial investigation into the outbreak indicated "a subset of illnesses may be linked to slivered onions used in the Quarter Pounder and sourced by a single supplier that serves three distribution centers."
Piña added that the fast food giant was pausing distribution of slivered onions in affected states, and that stock recovery notices were being distributed to restaurants in the impacted areas.
E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald's: See map of cases
Where are Quarter Pounders being removed from McDonald's menus?
In its Oct. 22 statement, McDonald's said the Quarter Pounder was being removed from the menu at locations in Colorado, Kansas, Utah and Wyoming.
The menu item is also being removed from locations in portions of Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, and Oklahoma.
The company also stated it was working with alternative suppliers to bring back the signature burger to affected states in the coming weeks. No other menu items have been pulled.
E. coli cases reported in 10 states
As of Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had reported illnesses in the following states:
- Colorado
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Montana
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- Oregon
- Utah
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
On Tuesday, the Food and Drug Administration said it was working to confirm whether the onions are the source of the outbreak, and determine if they have been sold at any other businesses.
Max Hauptman is a Trending Reporter for Paste BN. He can be reached at MHauptman@gannett.com
(This article was updated to include a video.)