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One person has died and dozens more have become ill due to an E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounder burgers in the US.
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On October 22, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a food safety alert that McDonald’s Quarter Pounders are contaminated with the bacteria and making people ill. An investigation is underway to determine which ingredient in the burgers is the source of contamination. According to the CDC, early information from the Food and Drug Administration points to onions.
So far there have been 49 recorded cases of food poisoning linked to the burgers across 10 different states. These are Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oregon, Utah, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. In Colorado, one person has died and one child has been hospitalized with serious kidney condition.
McDonald’s removed onions and beef patties used in the burgers from sale in some states while the investigation is underway.
How does food become contaminated?
E. coli is responsible for more than 2,000 hospitalizations a year in the US alone. It’s most often spread through consuming undercooked ground beef and unpasteurized milk. Any food can become contaminated but undercooked and raw animal products are more likely to harbor pathogens that cause illness.
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Vegetables can become contaminated with E. coli at various points along the food production chain. Using animal manures as fertilizer is another source of contamination of vegetables because it can harbor pathogens that grow in the stomachs of animals.
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