By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-11-16 21:51:41 | Updated at 2024-11-27 22:41:25
1 week ago
McDonald's plans to shell out $100 million to lure back its customers after its multi-state E. coli outbreak.
The outbreak - which the CDC has linked to the slivered onions on the Quarter Pounders - has spanned across 14 states so far, leaving 34 people hospitalized, one man dead and 104 people sick.
Now, the fast-food giant is investing the large sum to 'accelerate recovery and support the most heavily impacted franchisees', the company told CBS News on Saturday.
'A total of $65 million will be invested into supporting franchisees who have lost business, targeting those in the states that were most affected,' they added.
The burgers were initially taken off the menu from roughly 20 percent of McDonald's restaurants, but have returned this past week.
However, in hundreds of locations, the menu item is being served without the onions.
Last month, investigators at the CDC confirmed the chopped yellow onions used in Quarter Pounders, produced by California-based Taylor Farms, were the likely source of the E.coli outbreak.
But the company identified an alternative supplier for the 900 restaurants that stopped serving the meal.
McDonald's is now investing $100 million to 'accelerate recovery and support the most heavily impacted franchisees' and get customers back into their stores
The burgers were initially withdrawn from a fifth of McDonald's restaurants after the outbreak was linked to the slivered onions in the Quarter Pounder, but have returned this past week
In the wake of the scandal, Colorado reported at least 30 cases, Montana reported 19, Nebraska reported 13 and New Mexico reported 10.
A CDC update on Wednesday said at least one more case of E.coli has been detected in connection with the onions in North Carolina but no other details were given.
Out of the 34 people in the hospital, four of them developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS, which is a serious condition that can cause life-threatening kidney failure.
Illnesses began on dates ranging from September 12 to October 21, but there are likely more to come as symptoms of E.coli typically take between three to four weeks to appear.
The agency also said the 'true number of sick people in this outbreak is likely much higher than the number reported.'
This is because many people recover from E.coli after only experiencing mild symptoms or without ever receiving treatment.
This past October, an 88-year-old Colorado native and marine veteran visited his regular McDonald's and ordered his usual - a Quarter Pounder hamburger.
But just a few days later, he became severely sick, experiencing bloody diarrhea and dizziness so severe that he couldn't walk and was rushed to the hospital where he stayed for four days.
The E. coli outbreak has spanned across 14 states so far, leaving 34 people hospitalized, one man dead and 104 people sick overall
His lab results revealed that he had E. coli, and within just days he was violently sick, suffering from excruciating stomach pain that became so bad he would thrash his arms and legs around.
But he tragically passed away on October 20 - just two days before public health officials announced the outbreak.
At least four people have developed serious kidney complications - including a 15-year-old girl and an 88-year-old-woman - which could leave them needing treatment for the rest of their lives.
Kamberlyn Bowler, a 15-year-old softball player in Colorado, ate a Quarter Pounder with cheese and extra pickles several times between late September and early October.
But a short time later, she started to suffer from a fever and stomach pain, which she and her mother initially wrote off as the flu.
When she also began to throw up and have bloody diarrhea, she went to the ER.
The first visit showed nothing untoward, but the second on October 11 revealed her kidneys had stopped working — and she was quickly airlifted to a nearby hospital.
Doctors there diagnosed her with an E. Coli infection which had begun attacking her kidneys, leaving them unable to filter waste from the blood properly.
Her mother, Brittany Randall, said: 'It's definitely been a roller coaster from the time that we've gotten here until now. Every day has been new tests or new things that pop up, or it's basically watching her body just not work.'
An 88-year-old Colorado man is the first and only person so far to pass away from the disease after eating a Quarter Pounder with slivered onions this past October
Kamberlyn Bowler, a 15-year-old softball player in Colorado, became sick after she ate a Quarter Pounder - and it was discovered that her kidneys were failing after being infected
Out of the 34 people in the hospital, four of them developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS, which is a serious condition that can cause life-threatening kidney failure
The extent of the lasting damage to her kidneys remains unknown and she may need to undergo additional rounds of dialysis.
Burger King, Taco Bell, KFC and Pizza Hut all also stopped using onions as a 'proactive' measure amid the outbreak.
But the Food and Drug Administration said that 'there does not appear to be a continued food safety concern related to this outbreak at McDonald's restaurants', CBS News reported.
Victims of the E. coli outbreak are now suing McDonald's over their illnesses.
In the US, there are about 265,000 cases of E. coli every year and more than 100 people die from the disease, according to health officials.
Infections are most commonly caused by eating contaminated food, such as ground beef — where a contaminated part of an animal's intestine has seeped into the supply — vegetables — which may have been grown using contaminated water — and unpasteurized milk.
Symptoms can include diarrhea, stomach cramps and nausea, which may clear up within a few days.
If people start to suffer from diarrhea that is persistent, severe or bloody, however, it is recommended that they seek urgent care in hospital.
