McDonald’s announced during a press conference on Sunday that Quarter Pounder burgers will return to locations impacted by an E. coli outbreak next week.

This announcement follows reports from the Colorado Department of Agriculture stating that tests of Quarter Pounder beef from restaurants have shown no signs of E. coli.

The fast-food giant confirmed that beef has been excluded as a potential source of contamination, utilizing data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and its supply chain in a statement made during the briefing.

“The problem appears to be localized to a specific ingredient and location, and we are highly confident that any contaminated products related to this outbreak have been eliminated from our supply chain and are no longer in any McDonald’s restaurants,” said Cesar Piña, Chief Supply Chain Officer for McDonald’s North America, in the statement.

The company indicated that Quarter Pounders will return without the sliced onions at the 900 restaurants that originally received slivered onions from the Colorado Springs facility operated by Taylor Farms, which is currently under investigation by the Food and Drug Administration.

Where Quarter Pounders will return without onions

McDonald’s stated that Quarter Pounders, previously removed from the menu, will be available again in the following states:

• Colorado
• Kansas
• Utah
• Wyoming

The burger is also set to return in parts of:

• Idaho
• Iowa
• Missouri
• Montana
• Nebraska
• Nevada
• New Mexico
• Oklahoma

While a specific date for the Quarter Pounder’s return has not been disclosed, McDonald’s mentioned that it has asked its beef suppliers to prepare a new batch of Quarter Pounder beef for restaurants.

Illness count reaches 75, expected to increase

As of October 24, the outbreak has resulted in 75 reported illnesses across 13 states, including 22 hospitalizations and one fatality in Colorado. Additionally, two individuals developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a severe condition potentially leading to kidney failure.

Colorado has reported the highest number of cases at 26, followed by Montana with 13 and Nebraska with 11 cases. Other states have reported five or fewer cases.

Food safety experts have indicated to YSL News that more cases may be connected to the outbreak, reinforcing statements made by McDonald’s.

Three lawsuits have been lodged against McDonald’s due to the outbreak, with attorneys for plaintiffs predicting that additional lawsuits may follow.