Fast food chains urged to pull key ingredient immediately amid McDonald's E coli outbreak

McDonald’s has claimed one particular ingredient from California is the cause of a deadly E. coli outbreak which has sickened at least 49 people across 10 states - prompting restaurants like KFC and Taco Bell to swiftly remove the item from their menus.

On October 22, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced an investigation had been launched into an outbreak of E. coli across the country.

All those suffering from the bacteria reported eating at a McDonald’s eatery prior to contacting the virus, specifically a Quarter Pounder, which has since been axed from the menu.

The outbreak is spread across multiple states (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

The outbreak has led to 10 hospitalizations and one man’s death in Colorado.

In a statement, McDonald’s owner Yum! Brands has said the company is continuing to monitor the recently reported E.coli epidemic.

Out of ‘an abundance of caution’, it has taken the step to remove fresh onions from select restaurants after believing the ingredient to be the cause of the outbreak.

These include various McDonald’s joints in Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Wyoming, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Utah, and Montana, as well as specific branches of Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and KFC, as per NPR.

“We will continue following supplier and regulatory guidance to ensure the ongoing safety and quality of our food,” the brand added.

On Thursday (October 24) U.S. Foods, one of the nation’s biggest food distributors, issued a recall on raw diced, peeled and whole peeled onions from its third-party supplier Taylor Farms Colorado, as per ABC News.

"The reason for the recall is due to potential E. coli contamination," reads the notice.

Other fast food chains have pulled onions from their menus (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

McDonald’s reportedly told USA Today that one of the Taylor Farms’ production facilities also supplied onions to McDonald’s in the areas impacted by E. coli.

They added that the recall of the fresh onions were ‘not related to the company’s removal of Quarter Pounders’.

US Foods is not a supplier to McDonalds, the fast food chain stated. This was echoed by a spokesperson from US Foods, who stated to USA Today that the company 's not a distributor of record for McDonald’s restaurants and McDonald’s restaurants are not included in the recall notifications issued by US Foods about the Taylor Farms Colorado onion products recall'.

As per The Wall Street Journal, Taylor Farms is cooperating with federal regulators after the onions it produced at its Colorado facility were recalled.

A spokesperson from Restaurant Brands International, which owns Burger King, claim they have not been contacted from health authorities regarding the fresh onions they use in their recipes.

The onions were determined to be the cause of the outbreak (Getty Stock Photo)

However, they have already requested that employees ‘dispose’ of the vegetable, which ,like Yum! Brands, is sourced from Taylor Farms’ Colorado facility.

“Despite no contact from health authorities and no indications of illness, we proactively asked our five percent of restaurants who received whole onions distributed by this facility to dispose of them immediately two days ago and we are in the process of restocking them from other facilities,” the group said in a statement to The Daily Mail.

Mayo Clinic writes that you may be exposed to E. coli from contaminated foods such as raw vegetables and undercooked ground beef, and that common symptoms include diarrhea, stomach cramping, and nausea.

While healthy adults are likely to recover within a week, contracting a strong strain can be detrimental for children under five.

Following the E. coli breakout, McDonald's USA President Joe Erlinger has announced that consumers can still 'confidently go to McDonald's' and 'enjoy [the] classics' because 'food safety is [its] top priority'.

Appearing on the Today show, Erlinger said: “It’s the top priority in this building where I am, at the McDonald’s headquarters. It’s a top priority in our nearly 14,000 McDonald’s restaurants across the U.S. It’s the top priority for our suppliers as well.”

UNILAD has reached out to Taylor Farms for further comment and has previously contacted McDonald's and the CDC.