McDonald's Resumes Quarter Pounder Sales After Deadly E. Coli Outbreak

McDonald's customers have been on high alert in the past week after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed an outbreak of E. coli linked to the fast food chain's Quarter Pounder burgers. The epidemic reached more than a dozen states and left one dead and more than 70 others dealing with illness. Now, less than a week after the CDC issued its advisory, Quarter Pounders are back on the menu.

On Oct. 27, the Colorado Department of Agriculture said in a statement that the beef patties used for Quarter Pounders tested negative for E. coli. Previously, the expected culprit was either the beef patties or the onion slices used for the burger. With patties having been ruled out, McDonald's said in a news release that it plans to start serving the Quarter Pounders again, albeit without onions for the time being.

"The issue appears to be contained to a particular ingredient and geography, and we remain very confident that any contaminated product related to this outbreak has been removed from our supply chain and is out of all McDonald’s restaurants," the statement read. Because both McDonald's and Taylor Farms, the distributor who provided slivered onions to the locations in question, took proactive steps in removing possible contaminated items from their systems, the CDC deemed the risk to the public to be "very low."

The Food and Drug Administration is continuing to investigate if the onions are indeed the cause of the outbreak. In the meantime, exercise your judgment when pulling up to the drive-thru menu.