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McDonald’s Quarter Pounder beef patties were determined not to be the source of an E. coli outbreak following testing, the fast food giant and Colorado health officials said Sunday.
Why it matters: The company said it would resume selling the burgers after Colorado Department of Agriculture test results showed no traces of E. coli in the patties amid concerns they could be linked to an outbreak that’s swept 13 states, killing one person and leaving 75 others sick.
Driving the news: The Colorado Department of Agriculture announced Sunday that testing of “multiple lots of McDonald’s brand fresh and frozen beef patties” collected from various locations affected by the outbreak were found to be negative for E. coli.
State of play: McDonald’s decision to pull the Quarter Pounders from associated with the outbreak as a precaution affected one-fifth of its restaurants.
- McDonald’s and other fast food chains also pulled raw, slivered onions from their meals after health officials identified a Taylor Farms facility in Colorado Springs that supplies the products was as the likely source of contamination.
- This affected some 900 McDonald’s restaurants, in Colorado, Kansas, Wyoming, and portions of Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Utah.
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said agencies including the CDC and Food and Drug Administration “are working quickly to determine the contaminated ingredient.”
- Multiple people are suing McDonald’s over the E. coli outbreak.
What’s next: McDonald’s said in a statement Sunday it will resume distribution of its Quarter Pounders, which are expected to be available in all restaurants in the coming week.
What they’re saying: “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,” McDonald’s chief supply chain officer Cesar Piña said in a statement.
Go deeper: Taco Bell, KFC, Burger King remove onions over E. coli outbreak