Yum Brands pulls onions out of some Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and KFC restaurants over E. coli fear
Yum Brands announced Thursday it has removed onions from select locations of its Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and KFC restaurants in the wake of an E. coli outbreak linked to Quarter Pounders from McDonald's believed to be caused by onions.
The announcement, which the company says was made "out of an abundance of caution," is the latest development in an E. coli outbreak that has left 49 people sickened across 10 states and one person dead.
"As we continue to monitor the recently reported E. coli outbreak, and out of an abundance of caution, we have proactively removed fresh onions from select Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and KFC restaurants," Yum Brands said in a statement provided Paste BN. "We will continue following supplier and regulatory guidance to ensure the ongoing safety and quality of our food."
Yum Brand's decision comes as US Foods announced a separate recall of onions sold through their third-party supplier, Taylor Farms.
The company did not respond to further questions on which locations had the onions removed or who their onion supplier for those restaurants is.
McDonald's supplier subject of separate onion recall
One of Taylor Farms' production facilities supplied onions to McDonald's locations in the areas impacted by E. coli illnesses, McDonald's told Paste BN on Thursday.
However, a separate recall of Taylor Farms Colorado onions − which McDonald's says were not related to the company's removal of Quarter Pounders − was issued by food distribution company US Foods.
That recall notice for Taylor Farms onions stated the cause of the recall was potential E. coli contamination.
"Our records show that affected product may have been sent to your location. It is urgent that you stop using affected product as soon as possible," the notice from US Foods read.
The recall included:
- 30-pound bags of peeled jumbo yellow onions
- 4/5-pound bags of 3/8-inch diced fresh yellow onions
- 5-pound bags of fresh diced yellow onions
- 6/5-pound bags of whole, peeled yellow onions
US Foods, which distributed the recalled Taylor Farms Colorado yellow onions, is not a supplier to McDonald's, the fast-food chain said. US Foods further clarified to Paste BN that the company "is not a distributor of record for McDonald’s restaurants and McDonald’s restaurants are not included in the recall notifications issued by US Foods about the Taylor Farms Colorado onion products recall."
The Wall Street Journal previously reported that Taylor Farms supplied onions to McDonald's locations impacted by the outbreak. The company told the Journal that in cooperating with federal regulators it removed from the market yellow onions produced at its Colorado facility.
Taylor Farms did not immediately reply to request for comment from Paste BN.
Quarter Pounder linked to fatal outbreak
The outbreak was first announced by the CDC Tuesday and McDondald's said it had taken the Quarter Pounder off the menu in one-fifth of its restaurants Wednesday.
The CDC said there have been at least 49 people sickened across 10 states, with 10 people requiring hospitalization and one death. The Colorado Department of Public Health identified that the one death occurred in the state and was an "older person with underlying conditions."
The CDC said that the contaminated ingredient had yet to be identified, but McDonald's said in a statement Tuesday that an initial investigation found "a subset of illnesses" were tied to the slivered onions from a supplier that serves three of the fast-food giant's distribution centers.
Federal safety regulators' investigation into the E. coli outbreak has focused on the beef patty or slivered onion served on the sandwich as the likely source. Diced onions − a different type of onion than slivered − that are served on McDonald's cheeseburgers and hamburgers are not recalled, the company said.
The FDA told Paste BN Thursday there was no new information on the McDonald's Quarter Pounder investigation but that the agency hasn't linked the outbreak to Taylor Farms. "We’re still looking at all possible sources," spokesperson Janell Goodwin said.
Contributing: Mary Walrath-Holdridge