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McDonald's pledges $100M to rebuild trust after E. coli outbreak

By Chris Williams
Published  November 16, 2024 3:23pm EST
Food and Drink
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McDonald's E.Coli outbreak: What to know

A widespread E. coli outbreak has been linked to a McDonald’s product, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). LiveNOW's Carel Lajara spoke about the outbreak with Dr. Matthew Wise, Branch Chief of the CDC's Outbreak Response and Prevention Branch.

The Brief

    • McDonald's will invest $100M, including $65M for impacted franchises, to recover from an E. coli outbreak linked to Quarter Pounder onions.
    • The outbreak sickened 104 people across four states, with 34 hospitalized, one death, and a kidney complication in four cases.
    • Quarter Pounders are back on menus nationwide after a recall and switch to a new onion supplier.

McDonald's wants to invest $100 million in bringing back customers after an outbreak of E. coli food poisoning tied to onions on the fast-food giant's Quarter Pounder hamburgers.

The company said the investments include $65 million that will go directly to the hardest-hit franchises.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that slivered onions on the Quarter Pounders were the likely source of the E. coli. Taylor Farms in California recalled onions potentially linked to the outbreak.

RELATED: E.coli cases linked to McDonald's climbs to 104

Colorado reported at least 30 cases; Montana reported 19; Nebraska, 13; and New Mexico, 10. The illnesses were reported between Sept. 12 and Oct. 21. At least 104 people got sick and 34 were hospitalized, according to federal health officials. One person died in Colorado and four people developed a potentially life-threatening kidney disease complication.

In this photo illustration, a McDonald's Quarter Pounder hamburger meal is seen at a McDonald's on October 23, 2024 in the Flatbush neighborhood in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. \. (Photo Illustration by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

The Food and Drug Administration has said that "there does not appear to be a continued food safety concern related to this outbreak at McDonald’s restaurants."

But the outbreak hurt the company's sales.

Quarter Pounders were removed from menus in several states in the early days of the outbreak. McDonald’s identified an alternate supplier for the 900 restaurants that temporarily stopped serving the burgers with onions. Over the past week, McDonald's resumed selling Quarter Pounders with slivered onions nationwide.

The Source

  • The Associated Press contributed to this report. The information in this story came from previous reporting as well as statements made by McDonald's. This story was reported from Los Angeles. 

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