Onions recalled by McDonald’s supplier as officials expect cases of E. coli outbreaks to increase

Taylor Farms has issued a recall for raw onions after preliminary data from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration indicated the ingredient was “a likely source of contamination” in a deadly E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounders.

In a recall notice from McDonald’s distributor US Foods obtained by ABC News, its supplier Taylor Farms, out of an abundance of caution, announced a recall of four raw onion products “due to potential E. coli contamination.”

“Our records indicate that the affected product may have been shipped to your location. It is urgent that you stop using the affected product as soon as possible,” the message said.

Four different products were involved in the recall: 30-pound bags of peeled large yellow onions, 4-5 pound bags of 3/8-inch diced fresh yellow onions, 5-pound bags of fresh diced yellow onions, and bags of 6-5 pounds with whole, peeled yellow onions.

“If you find any of the affected products, record the number of cases and then destroy the product,” the US Foods message said.

According to Bloomberg, Taylor Farms has not yet found any traces of E. coli and it is unclear whether the recall is related to the outbreak investigation at McDonald’s, but Taylor Farms is an onion supplier to the fast food chain.

Latest CDC data on the E. coli outbreak at McDonald’s

At the time of publication, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported 49 cases of E. coli with 10 hospitalizations and one death in 10 states linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounders.

Health officials have said they expect the number of sick people to grow.

“This is a rapidly evolving outbreak investigation. “Most sick people report eating McDonald’s Quarter Pounder burgers and investigators are working quickly to confirm which food ingredient is contaminated,” the agency said in a food safety alert. “McDonald’s has been stockpiling ingredients for these burgers and they will not be available for purchase in some states.”

As a result, McDonald’s has removed the Quarter Pounder from menus in states affected by the outbreak, which represents 20% of its U.S. locations.

McDonald’s announced Wednesday that it had proactively removed two ingredients from stores in two affected regions, but the company’s leadership team assured that the majority of other menu items are unaffected, according to the CDC study.

“Other beef products at McDonald’s, including the Cheeseburger, Hamburger, Big Mac, McDouble and the Double Cheeseburger, are not affected,” Joe Erlinger, president of McDonald’s U.S., said Wednesday.

A McDonald’s spokesperson said fresh onions, sourced from one supplier, or beef patties used for the Quarter Pounder could be behind the outbreak.

If onions are found to be the source of the E. coli outbreak, it would be the first time that onions are carriers of this specific strain of bacteria, company spokespeople said Wednesday.

The spokespeople also reiterated that the onions used in the Quarter Pounders, as identified by CDC tracking data, came from suppliers that also test for E. coli.