US fast-food chains remove onions following McDonald’s E. coli outbreak

Several US fast-food chains are pulling fresh onions from their menus after a suspected E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald’s restaurants sickened 49 people and killed one. On Thursday, Restaurant Brands International, the parent company of Burger King, and Yum Brands, which operates KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell, announced they were removing onions as a precautionary measure.

McDonald’s identified Taylor Farms as the supplier of the sliced onions and has since recalled several batches of yellow onions from its Colorado facility.    

Although 5% of Burger King locations also source onions from Taylor Farms, the chain reported no illnesses and has not been contacted by health authorities. Yum Brands stated that the decision to remove onions was made “out of an abundance of caution.”
In response, McDonald’s has removed its Quarter Pounder, which is served with raw onions, from about 20% of its US locations, particularly in states like Colorado, Kansas, and Utah.
David Tarantino, an analyst from Baird Equity Research, downgraded McDonald’s shares, expressing concern that the outbreak could hurt consumer sentiment and impact sales. Despite the outbreak, some customers remain loyal to McDonald’s, while others, like Monica Martinez in Colorado, have shifted to competitors like Burger King.