At least 49 people have become ill in 10 US states due to eating contaminated food, according to health authorities.
US fast food chains, including Burger King, KFC and Taco Bell, have recalled fresh onions from some restaurants after an E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounder sandwiches, leaving dozens sick.
Burger King’s parent company, Restaurant Brands International, and Yum Brands, which operates Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and KFC, made the announcement Thursday as McDonald’s named a California-based supplier as the source of the onions linked to the food poisoning.
Illegal Pete’s, a Mexican fast food chain based in Colorado, also announced that it has temporarily recalled several menu items that include onions.
Taylor Farms, based in Salinas, California, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
McDonald’s has recalled its Quarter Pounder product from about one in five U.S. outlets after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) earlier this week linked the product to cases of food poisoning in 10 states.
At least 49 people have been infected with the disease, most of them in Colorado and Nebraska, including the death of one adult, according to health authorities.
Authorities have identified the bacteria causing these illnesses as E coli O157:H7, which causes more than 2,000 hospitalizations and 61 deaths in the United States each year, according to the CDC.
Symptoms of E. coli poisoning can occur within a day or two of eating contaminated food, and usually include fever, vomiting, diarrhea, and signs of dehydration.
E. coli is especially dangerous for young children, the elderly, pregnant women, or those with weakened immune systems.
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