McDonald's Quarter Pounder Returns To The Menu. Here's Why

Last week, McDonald's temporarily ceased sales of the Quarter Pounder in certain states as a result of a potential E. coli contamination. After further investigation, Quarter Pounder beef patties have been deemed safe, and the item will be returning to the McDonald's menu this week.

A review of the product began after the CDC reported an E. coli outbreak was linked to the Quarter Pounder and its varieties in several U.S. regions on October 22. The initial review from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) spotted Quarter Pounder beef patties and slivered onions — which are used as toppings to the burger — as probable sources of the outbreak. 

In response, McDonald's completely stopped its use of slivered onions and paused production of the Quarter Pounder in the impacted areas, which included Colorado, Kansas, Utah, and Wyoming, with specific areas in nearby states as well. Other fast food restaurants began taking onions off their menus as well as a precautionary measure.

On October 25, the FDA indicated slivered onions as the most likely cause of contamination, and two days later, McDonald's issued a press release that noted the Quarter Pounder beef patties were free from E. coli contamination, landing the item back on menus.

According to its press release, McDonald's compared its supply chain data to the CDC's Epidemiological data to rule out the beef patties as the cause of contamination. The Colorado Department of Agriculture released their testing results, which were negative for the detection of E. coli in the Quarter Pounder beef patties. The fast food chain will resume sales of the Quarter Pounder in the impacted regions — but without the slivered onions.

"The 900 restaurants that historically received slivered onions from Taylor Farms' Colorado Springs facility will resume sales of Quarter Pounders without slivered onions," it reads. "Those restaurants are in Colorado, Kansas, and Wyoming, as well as portions of Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Utah."

The E. coli outbreak has been contained to the specifically indicated region and ingredient, and any product related to the outbreak has been entirely removed from the fast food restaurant's production. This is among a series of food-related recalls (related to listeria and salmonella), but because of McDonald's swift response, the CDC labeled its public risk as very low.