According to CNN, at least 49 people have been sick and 10 are hospitalized as part of an E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounders.

The Food and Drug Administration states that “a specific ingredient has not yet been confirmed as the source of the outbreak, but most sick people report eating McDonald’s Quarter Pounder burgers. Investigators are working to determine if the slivered onions or beef patties on Quarter Pounder burgers are the likely source of contamination.”

McDonald’s released a statement that suggests the contamination came from slivered onions: “The initial findings from the investigation indicate that a subset of illnesses may be linked to slivered onions used in the Quarter Pounder and sourced by a single supplier that serves three distribution centers. As a result, and in line with our safety protocols, all local restaurants have been instructed to remove this product from their supply and we have paused the distribution of all slivered onions in the impacted area,” the company said.

McDonald’s is temporarily removing the Quarter Pounder from restaurants in the impacted area, including Colorado, Kansas, Utah and Wyoming, as well as portions of Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico and Oklahoma.

In other food safety news, “a recall of hundreds of frozen waffle products and other toaster foods sold in many U.S. grocery stores has expanded,” the Associated Press reports.

Supplier TreeHouse Foods Inc. said the updated recall includes all products made at a factory in Ontario, Canada, and sold at stores including Albertson’s, Aldi, Dollar General, Kroger, Publix, Target, Walmart and others. The recall includes frozen toaster waffles, Belgian waffles and pancakes, the company said. The recalled waffles are sold under a variety of names including Walmart’s Great Value and Target’s Good & Gather.

AP reports that no illnesses linked to the recall have been confirmed.

[Read “Anatomy of a Food Recall” in NACS Magazine for more on managing and communicating a food recall.]

TreeHouse issued a limited recall on Oct. 18 after routine testing found listeria at the Brantford, Ontario, factory. Production was halted and the company said it intends to restart production after taking steps that include “deep cleaning, sanitation, hygienic restoration” and other procedures.

Food safety is a core part of foodservice. Learn more about the NACS Food Safety Forum and request to be notified when registration opens for the April 8, 2025, event.