McDonald’s Quarterpounder returns to the menu. Here’s why

Last week, McDonald’s temporarily stopped selling the Quarter Pounder in certain states due to possible E. coli contamination. After further research, the Quarter Pounder beef patties have been deemed safe and the item will return to the McDonald’s menu this week.

A review of the product began after the CDC reported that an outbreak of E. coli was linked to the Quarter Pounder and its varieties in several US regions on October 22. The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) initial assessment identified Quarter Pounder beef patties and sliced ​​onions – used as burger toppings – as likely sources of the outbreak.

In response, McDonald’s stopped using chopped onions completely and halted production of the Quarter Pounder in affected areas, including Colorado, Kansas, Utah and Wyoming, with specific areas also in nearby states. Other fast food restaurants began eliminating onions from their menus but also as a precaution.

On October 25, the FDA identified chopped onions as the most likely cause of contamination, and two days later McDonald’s issued a report. press release who noted that the Quarter Pounder beef patties were free of E. coli contamination, returning the item to menus.

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How do we know the Quarter Pounder is safe?

According to the press release, McDonald’s compared its supply chain data to the CDC’s epidemiological data to rule out that the beef patties were the source of the contamination. The Colorado Department of Agriculture have released their test results, which were negative for the detection of E. coli in the Quarter Pounder beef patties. The fast food chain will resume sales of the Quarter Pounder in affected regions, but without the chopped onions.

“The 900 restaurants that historically received shaved onions from the Taylor Farms facility in Colorado Springs will resume selling Quarter Pounders without shaved onions,” it said. “Those restaurants are located in Colorado, Kansas and Wyoming, as well as parts of Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Utah.”

The E. coli outbreak is limited to the specific region and ingredient identified, and any product associated with the outbreak has been completely removed from the fast food restaurant’s production. This is part of a series of food-related recalls (related to listeria And salmonella), but because of McDonald’s quick response, the CDC labeled the public risk as very low.

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