by McDonald’s on Sunday ruled out beef patties as the source of the E. coli linked to Quarter Pounder hamburgers, which killed at least one person and sickened nearly 75 others.
“We remain confident that any contaminated product related to this outbreak has been removed from our supply chain and all McDonald’s restaurants,” Cesar Pina, the fast food chain’s chief supply chain officer, said in a statement. press release.
The Colorado Department of Agriculture said all subsamples from several batches of fresh and frozen McDonald’s brand beef patties tested negative for E. coli, adding that it conducted tests on meat from beef and did not anticipate receiving further samples.
McDonald’s said it will resume distribution of fresh Quarter Pounder and it is expected to be available in all restaurants in the coming week, according to the release.
Regulators were investigating whether McDonald’s beef patties could be affected.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
E. coli is killed in beef when it is properly cooked. The McDonald’s Quarter Pounder is served with sliced raw onions; Affected restaurants will serve burgers without these onions.
