The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced on Tuesday (December 3) that the E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald's Quarter Pounder hamburgers is over. The outbreak, which began on October 22, resulted in 104 identified cases of E. coli across 14 states. Of these, 34 people were hospitalized, and one person, an older adult from Mesa County, Colorado, died.
The outbreak was traced back to slivered onions served at McDonald's restaurants in several states. These onions were distributed by California-based Taylor Farms. A McDonald's spokesperson stated that all Quarter Pounders were pulled from the restaurants in the affected states when the outbreak was announced in October.
"Today's announcements from the CDC and FDA provide certainty and validation from leading health authorities, which will be meaningful for our customers and communities. While the issue had been fully contained — and any contaminated product associated with this issue had been removed from our supply chain as of October 22, 2024 – it can now be classified as "closed" and remediated," McDonald's North America Chief Impact Officer Michael Gonda and Chief Supply Chain Officer Cesar Piña, said in a joint statement.