A California-based produce company was the source of fresh onions linked to a deadly E. coli food poisoning outbreak at a McDonald’s restaurant, restaurant chain officials said Thursday. Meanwhile, other fast food restaurants — including Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, KFC, and Burger King — have pulled onions from some menus.
Taylor Farms, of Salinas, Calif., sent the onions to a distribution facility, prompting the fast-food chain to remove its Quarter Pounder hamburger from restaurants in several states, McDonald’s officials said. McDonald’s did not say which facility it was in.
An outbreak linked to the burger has sickened at least 49 people in 10 states, including one person who died, federal health officials said. Investigators said they focused on sliced onions as a possible source of infection.
U.S. Foods, a major wholesaler to restaurants nationwide, said Thursday that Taylor Farms issued a recall this week of whole and cut peeled yellow onions due to possible E. coli contamination. A spokesperson for the American Foods company said that the recalled onions came from the Taylor Farms facility in Colorado. But the wholesaler also noted that it is not a McDonald’s supplier and that its recall does not include any products sold at the fast food chain’s restaurants.
Taylor Farms did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Officials at the FDA have not confirmed that the agency is investigating Taylor Farms. An agency spokesperson said Thursday that the agency is “looking into all sources” of the outbreak.
Meanwhile, other national restaurant chains have temporarily stopped using fresh onions.
“While we continue to monitor the recently reported E. coli outbreak, 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.
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Louisville, Kentucky-based Yum Brands did not say where the onions were removed or whether the company uses the same supplier as McDonald’s. Yum Brands said it will continue to follow guidance from regulators and its suppliers.
Restaurant Brands International, which owns Burger King, said Thursday that 5% of its restaurants use onions distributed by the Taylor Farms facility in Colorado. Burger King restaurants receive shipments of fresh, whole onions and their employees wash, peel and slice them.
Despite not being contacted by health officials and showing no signs of illness, Restaurant Brands said it asked restaurants that received onions from the Colorado facility to dispose of them two days ago. The company said it is restocking onions from other suppliers.
Chipotle said Thursday that it does not source its onions from Taylor Farms or any other ingredients from the Colorado facility.
Onions have been implicated in previous outbreaks. In 2015, Taylor Farms recalled a celery and onion blend used in Costco chicken salads after 19 people were infected with E. coli bacteria. Last year, 80 people became ill and one person died in a salmonella poisoning outbreak linked to bagged diced onions from Gills Onions in Oxnard, California.
At least 10 people were hospitalized in the McDonald’s outbreak, including a child who suffered complications from acute kidney disease as a result of the infection. The disease was confirmed between September 27 and October 11, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The victims were infected with E. coli 0157:H7, a type of bacteria that produces a dangerous toxin. It causes about 74,000 infections in the United States annually, resulting in more than 2,000 hospitalizations and 61 deaths each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A man from Greeley, Colorado, is suing McDonald’s after suffering an E. coli infection. In a lawsuit filed this week, Eric Stilley said he ate food from a local McDonald’s on Oct. 4 and became sick two days later. After he sought emergency care, health officials confirmed that his infection was part of the outbreak.
Symptoms of E. coli poisoning can appear quickly, within a day or two of eating contaminated food. They usually include fever, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, and signs of dehydration — little or no urination, increased thirst, and dizziness. The infection poses a particular risk to children under 5 years of age, the elderly, pregnant women, or those with weakened immune systems.
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