Ten people have been hospitalized and one person has died from E. coli infections linked to the McDonald’s Quarter Pounder hamburger in 10 states, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control said Tuesday.
Death was reported in an elderly person in Colorado and a child was hospitalized with serious kidney complications, the CDC reported.
Forty-nine people from 10 states became ill from the same strain of E. coli, the CDC said. Most of the patients come from Colorado or Nebraska.
All people surveyed in the outbreak reported eating at McDonald’s before getting sick and most mentioned eating Quarter Pounder hamburgers, the CDC said. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Drug Administration and state health officials are also investigating.
Cesar Piña, McDonald’s North America supply chain director, said in an online statement that initial results of the investigation traced a subset of infections to sliced onions “originating from ‘a single supplier serving three distribution centers’.
Out of an abundance of caution, Piña said, McDonald’s has removed quarter-pound burgers from its menus in the affected area, which includes Colorado, Kansas, Utah and Wyoming, as well as parts of Idaho, Texas. Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico and Oklahoma.
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Distribution of all sliced onions in the region has been suspended and all local restaurants have been instructed to remove the product from their supply, it added.
McDonald’s U.S. President Joe Erlinger said in a video statement that all other beef products would not be affected.
“I hope these measures demonstrate McDonald’s commitment to food safety,” he said.
Global News asked McDonald’s Canada if any affected ingredients had been removed from Canadian stores.
A Health Canada spokesperson referred Global News to its online list of active outbreak investigations, which does not include any mention of E. coli infections at McDonald’s restaurants in Canada.
The E. coli bacteria is housed in the intestines of animals and present in the environment. Infections can cause serious illness, including fever, stomach cramps, and bloody diarrhea.
People who develop symptoms of E. coli poisoning should seek medical care immediately and tell the provider what they have eaten.
The news comes in an already difficult year for the Chicago-based chain. Its global same-store sales fell for the first time in nearly four years in the second quarter as inflation-weary customers avoided eating out or chose cheaper options. The company responded with a $5 meal deal, which was introduced to U.S. restaurants in late June and was recently extended through December. The deal does not include the Quarter Pounder.
McDonald’s shares fell 9% after hours Tuesday following the CDC announcement.
In 2015, burrito chain Chipotle saw its sales and reputation impacted due to E.coli outbreaks in several states.
The type of bacteria involved in this outbreak, E. coli O157:H7, causes approximately 74,000 infections in the United States each year, leading to more than 2,000 hospitalizations and 61 deaths. Infections are especially dangerous for children under 5 years old and can cause acute kidney failure.
—With files from Associated Press and Global News