New Food and Drug Administration report reveals dozens of food safety violations at McDonald’s onion supplier linked to nationwide outbreak E. coli which sickened more than a hundred people.
CBS News got the report via a Freedom of Information Act request, describing a recent FDA inspection of a Colorado food manufacturing facility operated by Taylor Farms. It describes a number of food safety issues at the facility, such as a lack of adequate contamination control and dirty equipment. McDonald’s E. coli The outbreak has been linked to contaminated onions produced by Taylor Farms, specifically chopped onions used exclusively for Quarter Pounder burgers.
America’s first Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported outbreak at the end of October. Ultimately, at least 104 cases were documented in 14 states, leading to 34 hospitalizations and one death. Although some other fast-food chains temporarily pulled their own onion products as a precaution, the outbreak was linked solely to fresh chopped onions. delivered by Taylor Farms. Taylor Farms followed up with a major recall of its other onion products, although no more cases outside of McDonald’s appeared to have occurred.
After switching to another onion supplier, McDonald’s soon returned the Quarter Pounder and sliced onions to its menu. By early December, government health officials declared the end of the epidemic. But the FDA’s report points to glaring problems at Taylor Farms that could have allowed the outbreak to occur in the first place.
The FDA inspections took place between October 28 and November 12, 2024. Although some parts of the report have been redacted, the intact parts list several food safety violations at the Taylor Farms facility in Colorado. FDA inspectors found, for example, “numerous pieces of equipment with visible biofilm and large amounts of food residue.” Inspectors also found areas where “re-contamination with environmental pathogens could occur” as well as manufacturing facilities maintained at temperatures that could allow the growth of germs, such as bacteria Listeria. In one particular case, inspectors found water pooling in an area that had tested positive earlier in the year Listeria. Workers also apparently only occasionally used hand sanitizer when handling “ready-to-eat” food, and several cutting boards used to chop “ready-to-eat” lettuce and celery were “severely discolored” and filled with deep cracks and cracks.
In a statement to CBS News, Taylor Farms said the report did not result in “administrative or regulatory action” being taken against the company, and that it has taken steps to address the issues found. “Taylor Farms is confident in our best-in-class food safety processes, and in turn, the quality and safety of our products. As is customary after an inspection, the FDA issued observations regarding conditions that could be improved at one of our facilities,” Taylor Farms told CBS News.
Per some measurefood safety has never been better in the US Annually reported foodborne illnesses are down from a decade ago, for example, even though they comprise only a small percentage of total cases. At the same time, frequency common germs such as Listeria and Salmonella has not changed in recent years, while the incidence has increased for other diseases such as Campylobacter and Cyclospora. Overall, the U.S. is not on track to achieve the lower rates of foodborne illness that the federal government has set as a 2030 goal.
McDonald’s E. coli the outbreak was significantly less dangerous than the infamous one Jack-in-the-Box E. coli outbreak of an epidemic which occurred in the early 1990s, sickened over 700 people and killed four people. But it underscores the reality that today’s food supply is still not free of its problems.