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McDonald's supplier Taylor Farms is the subject of a separate onion recall

Posted on by Kennedy
McDonald's supplier Taylor Farms is the subject of a separate onion recall

McDonald's has removed Quarter Pounders from some restaurants because onions may be linked to an E. coli outbreak. Now a supplier has recalled yellow onions due to the risk of contamination.

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After McDonald's removed Quarter Pounders served with raw onions from menus at many of its restaurants earlier this week due to a possible E. coli contamination threat, raw onions have become the source of another food safety recall.

US Foods, one of the nation's largest distributors to restaurants and other foodservice establishments, has issued a recall for raw, diced, peeled and whole peeled onions from its third-party supplier Taylor Farms Colorado. “The reason for the recall is possible contamination with E. coli,” states the recall, which was first reported by ABC News.

One of Taylor Farms' production facilities also supplied onions to McDonald's in areas affected by E. coli illnesses, McDonald's told USA TODAY on Thursday.

However, the recalled Taylor Farms Colorado onions were not related to the company's removal of Quarter Pounders, the company said.

US Foods, which distributed the recalled Taylor Farms Colorado yellow onions, is not a supplier to McDonald's, the fast-food chain said. US Foods also told USA TODAY in a statement that the company “is not a registered distributor for McDonald's restaurants and McDonald's restaurants are not included in US Foods' recall notifications regarding the recall of Taylor Farms Colorado onion products.”

The Wall Street Journal previously reported that Taylor Farms supplied onions to McDonald's locations affected by the outbreak. The company told the Journal that it had worked with federal regulators to remove yellow onions produced at its Colorado plant from the market.

Taylor Farms did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment.

What to know about the E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald's Quarter Pounders

The restaurant chain said Wednesday that it has removed the Quarter Pounder from the menu at a fifth of its restaurants after an E. coli outbreak linked to the sandwiches sickened 49 people in 10 states, according to the Food and Drug Administration . One person in Colorado died.

The federal safety agency's investigation into the E. coli outbreak focused on the beef patty or onion slices served on the sandwich as the likely source. Diced onions – a different type of onion than sliced ​​onions – served on McDonald's cheeseburgers and hamburgers will not be recalled, the company said.

The FDA told USA TODAY that there was no new information about the McDonald's Quarter Pounder investigation, but that the agency had not linked the outbreak to Taylor Farms. “We are still investigating all possible sources,” said spokeswoman Janell Goodwin.

Why are onions the suspected cause of the E. coli outbreak at McDonald's?

McDonald's has strict cooking standards and tests the heat of Quarter Pounder patties at 175 degrees. If there are E. coli bacteria in the patty, they would be killed at 160 degrees, the company said.

But the burgers are typically topped with shaved onions, the company said. “Initial information from the FDA suggests that onions may be a source of this outbreak,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday.

That makes onions the likely culprit, food safety advocate Bill Marler told USA TODAY on Wednesday. “It would be unusual to have undercooking in 10 different states, so it's probably a good bet that it's the onion supplier, but there's still a risk of cross-contamination within restaurants,” he said.

Follow Mike Snider on X and Threads: @mikesnider & Mikegsnider.

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