(The Hill) — The E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald’s quarter pounders has come to a close as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) officially ends their investigation.
An outbreak across 14 states in October connected to McDonald’s slivered onions from the popular menu item impacted at least 100 people, causing the chain to temporarily pause sales of the burger in affected states. Officials previously said the onions were supplied by Taylor Farms, a California-based produce grower.
McDonald’s resumed sales of the quarter-pounder a week later upon finding a different supplier for the 900 affected franchises, according to company spokespeople.
McDonald’s confirmed that their E. coli outbreak was not related to the outbreak in ground beef around the same time.
Given the actions taken by the restaurant chain, the CDC maintained a low public health risk warning throughout November. The CDC officially closed the investigation on Dec. 3, reporting one death and 34 hospitalizations as a result of the outbreak.
McDonald’s company spokespeople told the media that they were focused on restoring customer confidence and are investing more than $100 million to help impacted franchises. They are not reconsidering their preparation processes and are unable to address questions on legal actions or lawsuits at this time.