McDonald's will begin selling its Quarter Pounders again amid E. coli outbreak

By Ayana Archie

Published October 28, 2024 at 2:58 AM EDT

In this photo illustration, a McDonald's Quarter Pounder hamburger meal is seen at a McDonald's on Oct. 23 in the Flatbush neighborhood in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.

McDonald’s says it will resume selling the Quarter Pounder in all its restaurants this week, as 75 people have become sick due to E. coli detected in an onion supply.

The company said in a Sunday statement it is serving the burgers without onions, which were supplied by California-based Taylor Farms. The company said 900 restaurants across 12 states were receiving onions from Taylor Farms.

The E. coli cases were concentrated in 13 states, including Washington, Oregon, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Montana, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin, Missouri and Michigan.

McDonald’s has stopped using onions from Taylor Farms’ Colorado facility indefinitely, it said.

“That said, health officials have noted that with increased awareness, more people will seek medical attention and case counts will grow,” McDonald’s said. “This awareness is a good thing, as it can lead to people being vigilant and connecting with medical professionals.”