Quarter Pounders of cheese, fries and drinks are arranged at a McDonald’s restaurant in El Sobrante, California, United States, Wednesday, October 23, 2024.
David Paul Morris | David Paul Morris Bloomberg | Getty Images
Deadly E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald’sQuarter Pounders has caused 75 cases in 13 states, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday while investigating the source of the spread.
The outbreak has resulted in the hospitalization of 22 people, including an elderly person in Colorado, and one death was previously reported.
Of the 61 patients with information, 22 have been hospitalized, two of whom have developed a serious condition that can lead to kidney failure, called hemolytic uremic syndrome. The agency said that 42 people interviewed by the CDC said they had dined at McDonald’s, and 39 of them said they had eaten a beef burger.
According to the CDC, the ages of those infected range from 13 to 88 years old. The agency reiterated that the number of cases in this outbreak is likely to be much higher than reported so far. The CDC added that the outbreak may not be limited to states with related cases. The CDC says this is because many patients are not tested for E. coli and recover from the infection without medical care. It usually takes another three to four weeks to determine whether a patient is part of an outbreak.
The CDC released new statistics on the number of people affected three days after the agency declare The outbreak began on Tuesday, with 49 cases in 10 states and one death. Shares of the restaurant chain have fallen 6% since Tuesday.
McDonald’s did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
The Quarter Pounder is a core menu item at McDonald’s, earning billions of dollars in revenue annually.
Health officials are scrutinizing the onion strips used in the Quarter Pounder for possible contaminants. McDonald’s has instructed restaurants in affected areas to stop serving onion sticks and to suspend distribution of the ingredient in the area.
According to the CDC, Colorado, Kansas, Utah, Wyoming and Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico and Russia McDonald’s stores in parts of Oklahoma have temporarily stopped serving quarter-pound onion sticks and beef patties.
McDonald’s identified California-based produce giant Taylor Farms as the supplier of onion slices that the company removed from its supply chain. Taylor Farms has recalled four raw onion products due to potential E. coli contamination. burger king, Pizza Hut, KFC and Taco Bell In response to the epidemic, some restaurants have removed onions from their shelves.
But federal agencies are also investigating whether Quarter Pounder’s beef patties are a potential culprit.
McDonald’s has pulled Quarter Pounder burgers from restaurants in affected areas as the CDC and other federal agencies track cases and work to contain the outbreak. About one-fifth of McDonald’s U.S. restaurants don’t sell the Quarter Pounder burger.
A McDonald’s spokesman said Wednesday it was too early to tell whether the outbreak had an impact on customer traffic at its restaurants.
The company is expected to report third-quarter earnings on Tuesday and may share more details about the situation with investors on a conference call.
The outbreak comes after several consecutive quarters of sluggish U.S. sales for McDonald’s. Price-conscious consumers are visiting restaurants less often, leading McDonald’s and other fast-food chains to turn to value meals to boost sales. Wall Street analysts expect the company’s U.S. same-store sales to grow 0.5% in the third quarter, according to StreetAccount estimates.
For now, McDonald’s is trying to reassure customers that the food and drinks on its menu are safe.
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