A sign is displayed outside a Taco Bell restaurant on May 1, 2024 in Richmond, California.
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Yum Brands has removed onions from certain Taco Bell, KFC and Pizza Hut locations following a Outbreak of E. coli linked to McDonald’s.
“As we continue to monitor the recently reported E. coli outbreak, and out of an abundance of caution, we have proactively removed fresh onions from certain Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and KFC restaurants,” a spokesperson for Yum Brands in a statement to CNBC. . “We will continue to follow supplier guidelines and regulations to ensure the continued safety and quality of our food.”
Catering Supplier American foods issued a recall notice for four onion products on Wednesday produced by Taylor Farms. It’s unclear whether Yum removed onions from certain locations in response to the recall.
US Foods does not distribute onions to McDonald’s restaurants, and the hamburger chain has not publicly named Taylor Farms as a supplier. Taylor Farms did not respond to a request for comment from CNBC.
Health authorities are currently investigating the source of the epidemic of E. coliwhich resulted in one death and 49 confirmed cases in 10 states, including Colorado, Nebraska and Wyoming. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention surveyed 18 people, 14 of whom recalled eating a McDonald’s Quarter Pounder hamburger on Tuesday.
In response to the outbreak, McDonald’s from quarter books of about a fifth of its American restaurants. The investigation focused on two ingredients present in the burgers: fresh beef patties and sliced onions.
McDonald’s said the affected restaurants all source their onions from a single facility, which washes and slices the onions. Its beef patties, for their part, come from multiple suppliers in the region. If cooked to internal standards, the temperature would kill any E. coli present in the patty.
—CNBC Kate Rogers contributed reporting for this story.
