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McDonald's president urges customers to ‘enjoy our classics’ after E. Coli outbreak kills 1: ‘We are very confident…’
Even after an E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounder burger, the fast food giant’s executives are urging customers to continue dining.
Even after an E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounder burger, the fast food giant’s executives are urging customers to continue eating at their restaurants. Joe Erlinger, president of McDonald's U.S. operations, asserted that the company acted promptly and made sure that the item was removed from the menus in affected areas.
‘You can go to McDonald’s and enjoy our classics’
The Quarter Pounder was pulled in states like Colorado, Kansas, Utah, Wyoming, and some areas of Idaho, Iowa, and Missouri after one person died. Erlinger said that two potential contamination sources that were identified were the onions and beef patties specifically used in the Quarter Pounder.
“We are very confident that you can go to McDonald’s and enjoy our classics,” Erlinger told the press, according to The Mirror. “We took swift action yesterday to remove the Quarter Pounder from our menu.”
E. coli food poisoning linked to this particular food item at McDonald's made at least 49 people sick in as many as 10 states. Federal health officials said that one person died and at least 49 had to be hospitalised in 10 states.
The company said in a statement that as per initial findings, some of the illnesses are linked to onions sourced from a single supplier. “We take food safety extremely seriously and it’s the right thing to do,” the company said, after distribution of the slivered onions was halted and the Quarter Pounder temporarily removed from certain areas.
According to Cleveland Clinic, “E. coli is a group of bacteria that can cause infections in your gut (GI tract), urinary tract and other parts of your body. Most of the time, it can live in your gut without hurting you. But some strains can make you sick with watery diarrhea, vomiting and a fever. Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) is most likely to cause severe illness.”
