Fast Food Chains Are Pulling Their Onions in the Wake of McDonald’s E. Coli Outbreak

It might be time to stay away from fast food onions for a while. Following the emergence of a Escherichia coli outbreak tied to McDonald’s Quarter Pounders and the onions commonly served on them, Burger King, KFC and other chains have pulled onions from their products in select locations. The supplier of McDonalds’ likely tainted onions has also stepped forward and issued a recall of several of its products.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention first reported the E. coli outbreak on Tuesday, which has so far sickened at least 49 people, hospitalized ten, and killed one so far across ten states. Most victims had previously eaten Quarter Pounders, but health officials and McDonald’s itself have begun to suspect that the actual source of E. coli stems from the “fresh slivered” onions generally used on the burger item. On Thursday, McDonald’s reported that its single supplier of these onions was Taylor Farms, likely from one of its facilities in Colorado. And other fast food chains are now being cautious about their onions as well.

On Thursday, Today.com reported that Burger King, Taco Bell, KFC and Pizza Hut have all removed onions from some of their restaurant locations. At least for now, these removals appear to be a preventative measure, not a sign that the outbreak has expanded beyond McDonald’s. A Burger King spokesperson told Today that most of its onion supply has little crossover with McDonald’s, but that about 5% is sourced from Taylor Farms’ Colorado facility.

“Despite no contact from health authorities and no indications of illness, we proactively asked our 5% of restaurants who received whole onions distributed by this facility to dispose of them immediately two days ago and we are in the process of restocking them from other facilities,” Burger King’s statement read.

On Wednesday, the distributor U.S. Foods told some of its customers that Taylor Farms had recalled four types of onion products “due to potential E. coli contamination,” adding that customers should throw away any affected product as soon as possible  But U.S. Foods is not a supplier of McDonald’s and the recall isn’t strictly tied to the outbreak. In a statement released on Thursday, Taylor Farms said that it regularly tests its foods for pathogens and that it has never seen E. coli O157:H7—the strain implicated in the current outbreak—associated with onions in the past.

“Out of an abundance of caution, Taylor Farms Colorado removed yellow onions from the market produced out of our Colorado facility,” the company added. “We continue to work closely with FDA and CDC during this ongoing investigation. Our priority is the health and wellness of our customers and consumers and the safety and quality of our products.”

O157:H7 is known for producing toxins that can raise the risk of severe, life-threatening complications, especially hemolytic–uremic syndrome (HUS). One victim in the outbreak, a young child, has developed HUS to date and was hospitalized as a result, though it is not the same person who died after contracting infection. Children, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems are at higher risk for severe illness from E. coli and other foodborne germs.

While it’s not clear just how much larger this outbreak will turn out to be, the legal fallout has already begun. On Wednesday, Colorado resident Eric Stelly became the first person to sue McDonald’s, claiming that he contracted a bout of E. coli that was bad enough to send him to the emergency room. Other lawsuits are pending, according to Stelly’s lawyers.