U.S. investigation into E. coli outbreak linked to onions in McDonald’s Quarter Pounders closed

The U.S. government said Tuesday it has ended its investigation into an E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounder hamburgers after determining that the safety risk no longer exists.

The outbreak, which began in late October, has sickened at least 104 people in 14 states, including 34 hospitalized, according to the US Food and Drug Administration. One person in Colorado died and four people developed a potentially life-threatening complication of kidney disease.

The FDA, which conducted an investigation with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state health departments, linked the outbreak to yellow onions distributed by California-based Taylor Farms and served raw on Quarter Pounders at McDonald’s restaurants in Colorado, Kansas and Wyoming. and other states. Taylor Farms initiated a voluntary recall of yellow onions on October 22.

Federal and state health officials in Colorado did not find the E. coli strain that caused illness in the onions or other environmental samples they tested. But they concluded that the evidence suggested that the recalled yellow onions were the likely source of the outbreak.

“McDonald’s is no longer serving the recalled onions and there does not appear to be an ongoing food safety concern related to this outbreak,” FDA said In a statement on Tuesday.

Because of the outbreak, McDonald’s briefly pulled Quarter Pounders from one-fifth of its U.S. stores. The company found an alternative supplier and last month resumed selling Quarter Pounders with sliced ​​onions in all U.S. stores.

A McDonald’s Canada spokesperson said the E. coli concerns do not apply to the fast-food giant’s Canadian locations.