Quarter Pounders Return to McDonald’s Locations
McDonald’s will reinstate Quarter Pounder burgers at affected locations next week. The move follows an E. coli outbreak. The company announced this decision during a media briefing on Sunday.
The Colorado Department of Agriculture reported negative E. coli results from Quarter Pounder beef samples. McDonald’s confirmed that beef was not the contamination source. This conclusion was based on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and supply chain analysis.
Cesar Piña, McDonald’s Chief Supply Chain Officer for North America, stated, “The issue appears to be limited to a specific ingredient and location. We are very confident that any contaminated products related to this outbreak have been removed from our supply chain and are no longer in any McDonald’s restaurants.”
Quarter Pounders will return without slivered onions at 900 restaurants. These locations source onions from Taylor Farms’ facility in Colorado Springs, where the FDA’s investigation is ongoing.
Locations for Quarter Pounder Return
The Quarter Pounder will return in the following states:
- Colorado
- Kansas
- Utah
- Wyoming
The burger will also be available in parts of the following states:
- Idaho
- Iowa
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Mexico
- Oklahoma
McDonald’s has not provided an exact return date for the Quarter Pounder. However, they have instructed beef suppliers to prepare fresh Quarter Pounder beef for the restaurants.
Illnesses Linked to the Outbreak
As of October 24, the E. coli outbreak has caused 75 illnesses across 13 states. This includes 22 hospitalizations and one death in Colorado. Two people developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a condition that can cause kidney failure.
Colorado reported 26 cases, the highest among the affected states. Montana followed with 13 cases, while Nebraska reported 11. The remaining states each reported five or fewer cases.
Food safety experts believe more cases may be linked to the outbreak. McDonald’s acknowledged this possibility in its statement. So far, three lawsuits have been filed against McDonald’s related to the outbreak, with legal experts expecting more to follow.