McDonald’s is resuming the sale of its Quarter Pounder burgers at all of its US restaurants after ruling that ground beef is not at play as the source of the E. coli that left at least one person dead and dozens more sick.
The fast food giant said that samples of its beef taken by the Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) have been tested free of bacteria.
The company added that CDA has no plans to continue the inspection.
McDonald’s suspended sales of the Quarter Pounder last week at about one-fifth of its American restaurants because of the outbreak.
“The issue appears to contain a specific ingredient and country, and we remain confident that any contaminated product related to this outbreak has been removed from our supply chain,” said Cesar Piña, McDonald’s North America’s Supply Chain Officer. said the statement.
Earlier, the US Food and Drug Administration identified smoked onions in Quarter Pounders as another possible source of the outbreak.
McDonald’s said it has stopped working with the company that sells onions and has removed them from its stores.
“The 900 restaurants that previously received sliced onions from Taylor Farms’ Colorado Springs facility will resume the sale of Quarter Pounders without sliced onions,” McDonald’s said.
McDonald’s is facing lawsuits from many sick people.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advised people who ate the Quarter Pounder and showed symptoms such as diarrhea, fever and vomiting, to see a doctor.
Symptoms can develop up to four days after consumption of contaminated food.
Most people will recover on their own within five to seven days, but some cases may require hospital care.
McDonald’s shares have lost more than 7.5% of their value since the CDC reported the outbreak last week.
In July, McDonald’s posted an unexpected drop in global sales, its first quarterly sales decline in more than three years.
Fast-food chains such as McDonald’s and Burger King have had to focus on offering more attractively priced meals, as lower-income customers have felt the pinch from rising prices in recent years.
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