Slivered Onions Likely Culprit, Says McDonald's As It Tackles E-Coli Crisis

McDonald's Corp. supplier Taylor Farms is recalling some yellow onion batches produced in a Colorado facility in response to a deadly E. coli outbreak at the burger chain.

Taylor Farms, which supplied onions to the McDonald's restaurants impacted by a multistate health investigation, said it hasn't found traces of E. coli yet, but decided to pull the products "out of an abundance of caution." Another of Taylor Farms' big customers, US Foods Holding Corp., also told at least one restaurant it supplies to destroy the onions.

"Taylor Farms Colorado removed yellow onions from the market produced out of our Colorado facility. We continue to work closely with FDA and CDC during this ongoing investigation," the company said in a statement on Wednesday. 

McDonald's hasn't yet confirmed the source of an outbreak that has led to dozens of illnesses, one death, and 10 hospitalizations across 10 states. On Wednesday, it said that slivered raw onions that go into its popular Quarter Pounder burger are the likely culprit of the contamination, though it hasn't ruled out beef as a potential source. The burger chain pulled the Quarter Pounders from 20% of its more than 13,000 US restaurants in an effort to contain the outbreak. 

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration are still investigating the incidents and said the numbers of illnesses could grow.

US Foods, a major distributor to restaurants, sent a recall notice regarding Taylor Farm's onions, according to a copy of the communication seen by Bloomberg News. It listed several onion products among those that should stop being served, including peeled and diced options. 

One of the customers who received the notice was Illegal Pete's, a burrito chain with locations in Arizona and Colorado, the restaurant said in an email. US Foods didn't immediately reply to requests for comment.

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