In this photo illustration, people eat McDonald’s Quarter Pounder burgers at a McDonald’s restaurant in the Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City, on October 23, 2024.
Michael M. Santiago | Michael M. SantiagoGetty Images
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday Deadly E. coli outbreak Related to onion sticks supplied McDonald’s That’s over a little more than a month after the agency began investigating the spread of the outbreak.
The CDC says 104 people in 14 states have been infected in this outbreak. According to reports, one elderly person in Colorado has died and a total of 27 people have been hospitalized.
The agency first declared the outbreak on Oct. 22. Pointing to fresh onion shreds Food on Quarter Pounder Burgers and other menu items may be the source of this outbreak.
The Quarter Pounder is a core menu item at McDonald’s, earning billions of dollars in revenue annually. The company temporarily removed the burgers from some locations following the outbreak, but has since reinstated the menu items.
While the pandemic is officially over, McDonald’s is still dealing with the sales impact.
A research report from Gordon Haskett showed that customer traffic at its U.S. restaurants fell 6.6% on November 18 compared with the same period last year. This is an improvement from the low point on October 29 when the seven-day rolling average traffic fell by 11%.
The 10 states first linked to the outbreak by the CDC saw even steeper traffic declines, with total traffic down 9.5% on Nov. 18, the report said.
The company also reportedly plans to invest more than $100 million in marketing and targeted financial assistance to affected franchisees.
Despite going on a “farewell tour” last year, McDonald’s is bringing back its popular ribs starting Tuesday. The chain will also launch a new McValue menu in January, hoping to attract consumers looking for low prices.
McDonald’s shares have fallen 7% since the Centers for Disease Control first linked the chain’s Quarter Pounders to the outbreak. The company has a market capitalization of $209.6 billion.
