The recent E. Coli outbreak connected to McDonald’s has reportedly been traced to Taylor Farms, a major produce supplier based in Salinas, California. Taylor Farms provides the onions used in McDonald’s Quarter Pounder burgers,
The FDA is now stepping in to investigate the farm’s operations as the number of cases continues to rise after McDonald’s was quickly able to identify the source of the alleged outbreak.
Taylor Farms, a subsidiary of U.S. Foods, insists it has not found any signs of contamination in its products. “We test both raw and finished products for pathogens and have found no traces of E. coli,” a company spokesperson told KSBW. “We have never seen E. coli O157:H7 associated with onions in the past.” Despite the denial of contamination, the company has voluntarily recalled certain batches of onions from its facilities “out of an abundance of caution.” Taylor Farms has said they will work closely with both the FDA and the CDC to ensure public safety.
Though Taylor Farms is headquartered in Salinas, the onions in question came from their Colorado Springs facility, which has also been targeted as part of the ongoing investigation. The CDC reports that 49 people have been affected so far by the outbreak, with one fatality involving an older adult in Colorado. Additionally, 26 cases have been reported in Colorado, along with nine in Nebraska. At least ten individuals are currently hospitalized, including a 10-year-old child diagnosed with hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a severe complication that can result from E. coli infections.
In response to the outbreak, Taylor Farms has issued a broad recall of various onion products, including the slivered onions used by McDonald’s. The recall covers several product types and batch codes, including:
“Taylor Farms 30-pound bags of jumbo peeled yellow onions in a pillow pack. Batch codes: TFC278, TFC281, TFC282, TFC283, TFC284, TFC285, TFC288, TFC289, TFC290 andTFC292
Cross Valley Farms 4/5 pound bags of diced 3/8 yellow onions. Batch codes: TFC277, TFC278, TFC281, TFC282, TFC283, TFC284, TFC285, TFC288, TFC289, TFC291 and TFC292
Taylor Farms 5-pound bags of diced yellow onions. Batch Codes: TFC278, TFC281, TFC283, TFC285, TFC288, TFC290 and TFC292
Taylor Farms 6/5 pounds bags of whole peeled yellow onions. Batch codes: TFC278, TFC281, TFC282, TFC283, TFC284, TFC285, TFC288, TFC289, TFC290,TFC291 and TFC292”
