E. Coli Outbreak Causes McDonald’s to Take Quarter Pounder Off Menu

Due to an E.coli outbreak that’s made 50 people in 10 states ill and killed one person, McDonald’s has taken its quarter pounder hamburger off the menu at around 1/5^th of its restaurants in the country. Federal health officials are investigating the outbreak. Within the relevant time frame the fast food restaurant had sold around 1 million quarter pounders. The restaurant believes that more people would have gotten sick had the problem been the patties; it suggested that the onions included in the hamburger might be what’s contaminated. If you were made sick by a McDonald’s quarter pounder, you should call the seasoned Chicago-based product liability lawyers of Moll Law Group. We represent clients nationwide and billions of dollars have been recovered in cases with which we’ve been involved.

Consult Moll Law Group About Your Quarter Pounder Lawsuit

The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has linked the McDonald’s quarter pounder hamburgers to an E. coli outbreak. According to the fast food chain’s North American chief supply officer, the company’s initial look into the problem has yielded the discovery that the onions used in the burger, rather than the meat, may be what’s contaminated with E. coli. The chain restaurant pointed out that its burgers are cooked at 175 degrees. E. coli is killed when food is cooked at 160 degrees, but the slivered onions, which came from one supplier, were not cooked.

To address the finding, McDonald’s has removed slivered onions and quarter pound beef patties from its restaurants in various Western states. The onion supplier, Taylor Farms, told the media that it tests both raw and finished products and didn’t find E. coli. Even so, they removed yellow onions from what was produced at their Colorado facility.

It can take 3-4 weeks to determine whether a particular person who is ill is part of an outbreak of E. coli. Symptoms include diarrhea, serious stomach cramps, and vomiting—in most cases, illness is quickly evident. Many of those afflicted recover without getting treated in 5 -7 days. The quarter pounder has been connected 49 E. coli cases, which started at the end of September and continued into October, with most of the sicknesses happening in Nebraska and Colorado. However, other states have also reported illness and these include Wyoming, Wisconsin, Utah, Oregon, Missouri, Kansas and Iowa. One of cases involved a child who was hospitalized with hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which can trigger kidney failure.

In 2018, McDonald’s had an outbreak of intestinal illness that was associated with salads that made more than 500 people sick across over a dozen states.

Those made ill as a result of food contamination may be able to recover damages by bringing a product liability lawsuit against the manufacturer or restaurant that sold the affected food. Food may be defective in terms of its marketing, manufacturing, or design.

If you suffered illness from a contaminated McDonald’s quarter pounder or another food item, you should talk to the knowledgeable product liability lawyers of Chicago-based Moll Law Group about your legal options. Please complete our online form or call us at 312.462.1700.