CDC says E. coli infection tied to McDonald’s burgers is now finished

The deadly E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounders was declared over on Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

NOTE: The video is from a previous report.

In total, 104 people reported falling ill across 14 states with about one-third of them being hospitalized, according to the CDC.

The actual number of individuals who became ill was probably significantly higher as many individuals recover from E. coli infections without seeking medical attention and therefore remain untested, according to the CDC.

The outbreak impacted Americans ranging from 1 to 88 years old, as reported by the CDC. Colorado experienced the largest number of cases, with a minimum of 30 individuals becoming sick. Additionally, the state confirmed a single fatality related to the outbreak.

The CDC issued an outbreak alert in late October. Investigations conducted by health authorities during that period pointed to slivered onions served with Quarter Pounders as the probable source of the contamination.

Nearly all the people who fell ill and were interviewed by health officials reported eating at McDonald’s and the overwhelming majority remembered eating a menu item that contained the fresh, slivered onions, according to the CDC.

The fast food chain’s distributor of the onions, Taylor Farms, initiated a voluntary recall of the onions in late October. McDonald’s stopped using the ingredient and removed the Quarter Pounder entirely off the menu in a dozen states.

The latest reported illness was on Oct 21. All the confirmed cases occurred before the onions were recalled and the ingredient was taken off of the McDonald’s menu at some locations, according to health officials.

The fast-food chain is no longer serving the recalled onions and there “does not appear to be a continued food safety concern related to this outbreak,” the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Tuesday. The agency also noted that its investigation is now closed.

McDonald’s North America chief Impact officer Michael Gonda and chief supply chain officer Cesar Piña shared a message on Tuesday, saying the announcements from the CDC and FDA provide “certainty and validation” that the outbreak is over and the risk to the public has remained low since late October.

While the issue had been fully contained — and any contaminated product associated with this issue had been removed from our supply chain as of Oct. 22, 2024 — it can now be classified as “closed” and remediated,” the message read, in part.