---
title: "McDonald’s rules out beef patties as E. coli outbreak source"
description: "McDonald’s says Quarter Pounders will return to menus at all restaurants this week after ruling out beef patties as the source of a multistate E. coli outbreak that has sickened dozens and left one person dead."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "Business Maverick"
author: "Bloomberg"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/bloomberg/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-10-28-mcdonalds-rules-out-beef-patties-as-e-coli-outbreak-source/"
published: "2024-10-28T05:48:52"
updated: "2024-10-28T05:48:53"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 291
---

# McDonald’s rules out beef patties as E. coli outbreak source

> McDonald’s says Quarter Pounders will return to menus at all restaurants this week after ruling out beef patties as the source of a multistate E. coli outbreak that has sickened dozens and left one person dead.

By Bloomberg · Published 28 October 2024, 07:48 SAST · Updated 28 October 2024, 07:48 SAST

## Key points
- In a classic case of "onion rings of misfortune," McDonald's is peeling back the layers of an E. coli scare linked to its Quarter Pounders, assuring customers that the offending slivers have been ousted from their supply chain and the burgers will return—sans the crunchy culprit.
- McDonald's confirms no E. coli found in beef patties, linking infections to slivered onions on Quarter Pounders.
- The chain has temporarily removed the burgers from 20% of US locations but plans to reintroduce them without onions.
- McDonald's president apologizes to affected customers, assuring that contaminated products have been eliminated from the supply chain.
- CDC reports 75 illnesses across 13 states, with Colorado hit hardest; overall public risk deemed "very low."

## Content

The fast food chain said it combined its supply chain tracing data with information from government bodies, including an analysis by the Colorado Department of Agriculture that [found no E. coli](https://ag.colorado.gov/press-release/beef-patties-test-negative-for-e-coli-at-cda-lab) in dozens of samples from multiple lots of the restaurant’s fresh and frozen beef patties.

The E. coli infections have been linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounders and appear to stem from the slivered onions served on top of the sandwich. The company had stopped selling the burgers in about 20% of its more than 13,000 US restaurants, and it said on Sunday they will return without onions.

“The issue appears to be contained to a particular ingredient and geography, and we remain very confident that any contaminated product related to this outbreak has been removed from our supply chain and is out of all McDonald’s restaurants,” the company said in a statement Sunday.

McDonald’s president for the US, Joe Erlinger, sought to reassure customers that it’s safe to eat at the chain while apologising to those affected.

“On behalf of the McDonald’s system, I want you to hear from me: we are sorry,” Erlinger said in a video posted to the company’s [website](https://corporate.mcdonalds.com/corpmcd/our-stories/article/always-putting-food-safety-first.html). “For those customers affected, you have my commitment that, led by our values, we will make this right.”

Colorado has [reported](https://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/outbreaks/where-people-got-sick-e-coli-o157-2024.html) the most illnesses in the outbreak, which is spread across 13 states, infecting 75 people and causing one death, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday.

The CDC said it believes the risk to the public is “very low,” citing actions taken by McDonald’s and the onion supplier, Taylor Farms, which has [recalled](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-10-24/mcdonald-s-supplier-recalls-onions-as-chain-fights-e-coli-cases) several batches of the product.

Other fast-food chains have also pulled onions from their menus over E. coli concerns.