McDonald’s on Sunday ruled out beef patties as a source of the E. coli outbreak linked to Quarter Pounder hamburgers, which has killed at least one person and sickened nearly 75 others.
The Colorado Department of Agriculture said that all subsamples from multiple lots of McDonald’s brand fresh and frozen beef patties had tested negative for E. coli, adding that it had completed beef testing and does not anticipate receiving further samples.
Regulators had been investigating whether McDonald’s beef patties could be affected.
E. coli is killed in beef when cooked properly.
The McDonald’s Quarter Pounder is served with raw, slivered onions; affected restaurants will serve the burgers without such onions.
On Sunday, McDonald’s ruled out the possibility that the E was caused by beef patties. coli outbreak that has sickened almost 75 people and killed at least one person is connected to Quarter Pounder hamburgers.
Chief Supply Chain Officer Cesar Pina of the fast-food chain said in a statement, “We are still extremely certain that any tainted product associated with this outbreak has been eliminated from our supply chain and is out of all McDonald’s restaurants.”.
According to the Colorado Department of Agriculture, all subsamples from several lots of fresh and frozen beef patties bearing the McDonald’s brand tested negative for E. coli, noting that it has finished testing beef and doesn’t expect to receive any more samples.
According to the statement, McDonald’s plans to start distributing new Quarter Pounders again and anticipates having them in every restaurant within the next week.
The possibility of an impact on McDonald’s beef patties was being looked into by regulators.
When Reuters asked the US Department of Agriculture and the US Food and Drug Administration for comment, they did not immediately reply.
E. When beef is cooked correctly, coli is killed. Affected restaurants will serve the burgers without the raw, sliced onions that are typically served with the McDonald’s Quarter Pounder.
