There have been a multitude of reports of E. coli outbreaks in McDonald’s restaurants from Sept. 12th to Oct. 21st. E. coli is a group of bacteria that causes infections in the gut, urinary tract, and other parts of the body.
It was determined that the onions in question were past their shelf life. McDonald’s said it found an alternate supplier for the 900 restaurants that had temporarily stopped serving Quarter Pounders. In October, restaurant visits and sales took a steep decline, and several lawsuits have been filed against the company. Shares of McDonald’s have fallen around 7% over the past month.
As of Nov. 13, there were 104 cases, 34 hospitalizations, and one death across fourteen states. The affected states include Washington, Oregon, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Nebraska, Kansas, Montana, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, and North Carolina. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), fresh slivered onions on Quarter Pounders were the outbreak’s source. Eventually, a recall was made to all onions from supplier Taylor Farms.
In response to this outbreak, McDonald’s is investing $100 million to help support their most impacted restaurants and rebuild consumer trust. Out of that amount, $65 million will go to supporting franchises that have lost business in the most affected states, and the remaining $35 million will go towards marketing, including a value deal focused on chicken nuggets. It entails a 10-piece McNuggets deal for $1 that can be redeemed weekly through its app until early next month, and extending its $5 meal deal.
Whether McDonald’s will be successful in luring back its customers remains to be seen. Fremd sophomore Bryden Li was asked whether this outbreak would affect his decision to eat at McDonald’s and if McDonald’s new outreaches will placate him.
“I stopped eating at McDonald’s because it became expensive after they stopped their $1 deals,” Li said. “I’m not too concerned about the outbreak since the problem’s now been taken care of, and since there haven’t been any cases in Illinois. I’m looking forward to getting a 10 piece Chicken McNugget meal for $1.”
The FDA has declared that there is no longer a food safety problem at McDonald’s.
In addition, McDonald’s North America Chief Supply Chain Officer, Cesar Piña, has issued the following message.
“We remain very confident that any contaminated product related to this outbreak has been removed from our supply chain.”