I like Quarter Pounders -- rats :|


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https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/23/health/mcdonalds-e-coli-quarter-pounder-investigation/index.html

An E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounders has led to at least 49 illnesses across 10 states, including one death.


Here’s what we know.


Quarter Pounders made people sick.


The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a food safety alert Tuesday warning that dozens of people reported eating the Quarter Pounder sandwich at McDonald’s before becoming sick.


A specific ingredient has not been confirmed as the source of the outbreak, but the US Food and Drug Administration says that the slivered onions or beef patties on Quarter Pounder sandwiches are the likely source of contamination.


McDonald’s has taken Quarter Pounders off the menu in about a fifth of its stores. The company has stopped using the onions as well as quarter-pound beef patties in several states – Colorado, Kansas, Utah and Wyoming, as well as portions of Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico and Oklahoma – while the investigation continues, the CDC said.


According to the agency, the beef patties are used only for the Quarter Pounders, and the slivered onions are used primarily for the Quarter Pounder and not other items. Diced onions and other types of beef patties used at McDonald’s have not been implicated in this outbreak, the FDA said.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/23/2024 07:38PM by anybody.

Here's the thing that doesn't add up. McDonalds is claiming that it's E.Coli in the onions on the QP. Really? Do they use separate onions only for QP's and not the same onions from the same source, on their Big Macs, or Jr. Hamburgers? I doubt it. Their explanation makes no sense.

>Do they use separate onions only for QP's and not the same onions from the same source, on their Big Macs, or Jr. Hamburgers?

Apparently so...


https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/22/health/mcdonalds-cdc-ecoli-outbreak/index.html

"McDonald’s has stopped using the onions as well as quarter-pound beef patties in several states while the investigation continues, the CDC says. According to the agency, the beef patties are used only for the Quarter Pounders, and the slivered onions are used primarily for the Quarter Pounder and not other items"

https://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/outbreaks/e-coli-O157.html

"Quarter pound beef patties are only used on Quarter Pounders. Fresh slivered onions are primarily used on Quarter Pounder hamburgers and not other menu items."

Thanks. Makes sense. It's NOT the onions on top, it's onions that are mixed into the beef. Makes sense.

Apparently the onions are different.

"The rehydrated onions are on most of the sandwiches, like the Big Mac, McDouble, and classic hamburgers, but fresh onions are used on all Quarter Pounders. A good way to know if you're getting rehydrated onions or actual onions is to look at how they're cut. The small chopped onions are rehydrated while the slivered onion slices are fresh."

https://www.allrecipes.com/article/why-are-mcdonalds-onions-so-good/

...the most likely culprits will be determined to be the food handlers and the actual preparation of the food, unless there is very solid evidence that something else is to blame. As poster Lahoo pointed out on my own earlier thread about lysteria, the only real thing that will kill these bugs is heat. Cleanliness of the preparation area and always using the food handling gloves are very important, but the most important item will be the actual temperature of the meat and onions when they come out of the oven and the length of time they have been out of the oven before a customer takes them home. When you work in the restaurant business, you must learn that it is absolutely imperative that you keep hot things hot and cold things cold!

This outbreak doesn’t sound like it’s due to food handlers because it’s multistate. That points to a food source.

Onions are the likely culprit because they come out of the ground - which can be contaminated by cow poop. This has been the cause of multiple E. coli outbreaks, including romaine lettuce that was irrigated with water that was downhill from cow pastures.

Any E. coli present during washing, slivering, etc. will be spread throughout the batch being processed. Then the batch will be packaged, and distributed over a large geographical area - just like the cases of illness.

The slivered onions are basically raw - they’re sprinkled on the patty as the burger is being assembled.

I agree with you -- I think it's the onions. The beef patties are normally cooked to a temperature that should kill any organisms. While food handlers might make a mistake in one location, it's unlikely that this would be happening in an entire region.

I had food poisoning once via e. coli, and it was the sickest I've ever been. I did wonder if I needed to be hospitalized, but I toughed it out at home. It took about three days for the worst of it to pass.

I have had it twice. Not sure from what. Really sick one time ad pretty sick the other. And yes, it did indeed... pass :) Not fun. I am crazy careful in my own kitchen. NO CROSS CONTAMINATION!

Thank you for the corrections (it was over 20 years ago since I took that training), and I apologize for getting your handle wrong.

What about the McRib ?

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/oct/24/onions-recall-mcdonalds-e-coli-outbreak


Fresh onions are the probable source of an E coli outbreak at McDonald’s restaurants that has sickened 49 people and killed one, the US Department of Agriculture said, alarming fast food chains using the ingredient.

Taylor Farms, a supplier for McDonald’s, the biggest US burger chain, recalled several batches of yellow onions produced in a Colorado facility, according to a memo on Wednesday by US Foods, one of the largest suppliers of food service operations in the country.

The US Foods recall alert does not mention whether the company supplies onions to McDonald’s. Fresh onions are an ingredient in the McDonald’s Quarter Pounder hamburger, and McDonald’s has pulled the item from its menu in Colorado, Kansas, Utah and Wyoming, and in parts of Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico and Oklahoma.

Some types of E coli bacteria are harmless but a few strains cause illness and even death.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/24/2024 07:36PM by anybody.

I"m thinking that there's no easy test for e coli in raw ingredients. Taylor Farms will suffer/regret this in the short term, but will likely recover;


perhaps advancing technology will allow accurate testing before the items are sold/consumed.

More than I ever wanted to know about ecoli, listeria and stuff like that.

“Onion Recall Linked to E. Coli and McDonald’s Spreads to Other Fast Food Chains
A deadly outbreak spurred removal of onions by a major food supplier in the Mountain West. Taco Bell, KFC, Burger King and Pizza Hut have stopped serving onions at various locations.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/24/health/mcdonalds-ecoli-quarter-pounders-recall.html?unlocked_article_code=1.U04.Yr1L.8ga0IGDhKTD7&smid=url-share

Beth Wrote:
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> More than I ever wanted to know about ecoli,
> listeria and stuff like that.

Me too, Beth. I'm terribly squeamish and try to avoid seeing or hearing nitty gritty about food origins and prep.

Up til now I must admit my focus has been on concern about food handlers and their handwashing habits. Now this outbreak is going to be top of mind. Think about origins and all the people in the chain before you get your own (hopefully freshly washed) hands on your favourite burger and sides.

On the plus side, I'm not eating out nearly as much as I used to. I find the offerings not close to as enticing as they used to be, at least to me, and way too expensive - for smaller portions too. So that gives me peace of mind, fewer empty calories and a bit of extra dosh in my pocket. A pretty good exchange.

Meanwhile, take care and stay safe everybody!