NEW YORK: McDonald’s on Sunday said it would start selling its Quarter Pounder hamburgers again, after tests for e.Coli came back clear.
Restaurants in a dozen US states had temporarily pulled the burgers from their menus last week amid an outbreak linked to them saw dozens sent to the hospital and one person die.
A statement from fast-food giant said that no e.Coli was detected in its Quarter Pounder beef patties following tests from the Colorado state Department of Agriculture (CDA).
McDonald’s said no more tests were planned by the CDA.
Another suspected source of the outbreak was in the burger’s slivered onions.
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The company said Sunday that it had suspended the onion supplier in question — a Taylor Farms facility in Colorado Springs — indefinitely.
The 900 stores that received slivered onions from the supplier will sell their Quarter Pounders without the onions.
“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,“ McDonald’s said in a statement.
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The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised those who consumed a Quarter Pounder and developed symptoms of E. coli poisoning — diarrhea, bloody diarrhea, a fever over 102 degrees Fahrenheit (38.9°C), and vomiting — to seek medical attention.
Symptoms typically begin three to four days after exposure, and most individuals recover within five to seven days without treatment. However, some cases can become severe and require hospitalization.
Several alleged victims have sued McDonald’s.
