Federal officials on Wednesday reported 15 additional cases of E. coli poisoning among people who ate at McDonald’s — including three more in Colorado — as government investigators looking for the source of the outbreak identified a “major onion grower” in Washington state.
The Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority said this 90 people in 13 states have fallen ill during the outbreak, up from 75 at the end of last week. The number of hospital admissions increased by five to 27 people. One death, a resident of Mesa County in Colorado, has been linked to the outbreak.
The number of people sickened by the outbreak in Colorado rose from 26 to 29, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Officials have said raw, shaved onions on McDonald’s Quarter Pounder burgers are the likely source of the E. coli. McDonald’s said the onions came from a single supplier, California-based Taylor Farms. The company has since recalled the yellow onions it sent to McDonald’s and other restaurant chains.
The FDA said Wednesday it has begun inspecting Taylor Farm’s processing center in Colorado Springs, as well as a “major onion grower” in Washington state. The name of the grower was not mentioned.
More than 80% of people with E. coli interviewed by government researchers reported eating McDonald’s products containing fresh, chopped onions, the FDA noted.
McDonald’s said last week that onions from its Colorado Springs plant have been distributed to about 900 of its restaurants, including some in transportation hubs such as airports. The restaurant chain announced that it would resume service Quarter pounders at hundreds of its restaurants after testing beef patties excluded as the source of the outbreak.
The E. coli strain behind the outbreak can cause dangerous diarrhea and lead to kidney failure and other serious problems. It causes about 74,000 infections in the U.S. each year, leading to more than 2,000 hospitalizations and 61 deaths annually, according to the CDC.
FDA officials said Wednesday that the current risk of illness “is low because the onions have been recalled and should no longer be available.” They noted that all reported cases occurred before Taylor Farms and McDonald’s withdrew the onions from the market.
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