After hitting McDonald’s, the E. coli, caused by the use of infected onions, is now forcing Burger King, KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell to stop using the food in their meals.
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The decisions came after an outbreak that infected 49 people following a visit to McDonald’s led to the death of a man in Colorado. The latter had become seriously ill after eating a quarter of a pound.
There are 10 people who are still hospitalized due to the severity of their symptoms.
The onions, which are grown at Taylor Farms in California, were subject to a recall after the FDA identified their “high potential for contamination.”
Yum Brands, which owns the PFK, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell chains, said in a press release that it had removed fresh onions from its menus. There is no indication that anyone became ill after attending the restaurants, according to the company.
A spokesperson for Restaurant Brands International, which manages Burger King restaurants, assured that despite the fact that “no cases of illness have been recorded by health authorities, we have proactively asked our restaurants who use potentially infected onions to discard them immediately. The chain will restock from other suppliers.
McDonald’s has stopped selling the Quarter Pounder at its restaurants in Colorado, Nebraska, Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, of Kansas and Oklahoma.
Investigators are trying to determine whether the infected onions were sold in supermarkets. If so, the outbreak could turn out to be much more serious than expected.
Signs of an E. coli infection
A person infected with E. coli may experience a range of symptoms, including:
- Nausea
- A slight fever
- Headaches
- Vomiting
- Severe stomach cramps
- Watery or bloody diarrhea
Symptoms appear within 10 days of exposure. The majority of symptoms disappear within 5 to 10 days.
