Taco Bell Feels the Fallout of the McDonald’s E. Coli Outbreak. Here’s How.

Taco Bell in Colorado and a few other states have been feeling the effects of the recent McDonald’s E. Coli outbreak. The Mexican-inspired fast-food giant is taking precautions to prevent a similar outbreak in its restaurants. Let’s take a look at how the McDonald’s E. Coli outbreak is affecting other restaurants in the area, including the popular fast-food giant.

Taco Bell Is Afraid of the E. Coli Outbreak

According to Denverite, Taco Bell and local restaurant chain Illegal Pete’s are temporarily taking onions off their menus amid a recall and worries over an E. coli infection at fast-food behemoth McDonald’s.

According to Illegal Pete’s higher-ups, the company was notified by its supplier on Wednesday about a recall of onions because of “potential E. coli contamination.” Additionally, the Denver-based burrito company informed consumers of the change by posting signage.

Similarly, at least one Taco Bell run by Alvarado Restaurant Nation in the south Denver metro area said it was temporarily ceasing to serve onions “out of an abundance of caution.”

Like many other eateries, Taco Bell and Illegal Pete’s use onions from Taylor Farms, which has been connected to the McDonald’s epidemic. Pete Turner, the founder and president of Illegal Pete’s, claims his restaurant was not always close to the outbreak.

“It’s important to note that we don’t use a diced/sliced white onion product that has been identified as the source at McDonald’s,” he wrote in an email to the outlet. “Taylor Farms [where the company purchases its onions] has issued a blanket recall on their white onion product from certain lots, as seen in the attached letter. We believe Taylor Farms is doing this through an abundance of caution and we agree with the decision.”

Taco Bell, meanwhile, did not issue a statement connected to the onions or the McDonald’s outbreak.

McDonald’s Outbreak Tied to Either Onions or Beef

A multi-state E. Coli outbreak that has killed one person and infected 49 others has been connected to McDonald’s Quarter Pounders.

As of Tuesday, Oct. 22, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) formally declared that an investigation into the outbreak had begun.

“Most sick people are reporting eating Quarter Pounder hamburgers from McDonald’s and investigators are working quickly to confirm which food ingredient is contaminated,” read the announcement, in part. “McDonald’s has pulled ingredients for these burgers, and they won’t be available for sale in some states.”

The federal body also acknowledged that the probe is underway and has just begun. However, that hasn’t stopped the problem from becoming worse, apparently every minute. According to ABC News, a bacterial strain identified as O157:H7 has caused illness in 49 people across 10 states. Nine residents of Nebraska and 27 residents of Colorado are among the 49 individuals who have reported being unwell.

Ten of these individuals, including one kid, have also been admitted to hospitals, and one Colorado resident has passed away as a result of the illness. Before getting sick, every patient claimed to have eaten a Quarter Pounder.

As of right now, the CDC has identified two potential contributing factors to the outbreak: the patties and onions. McDonald’s has notified the CDC that it has eliminated both components from its locations in the outbreak-affected states. As a result, Quarter Pounders will be temporarily unavailable in a few areas, such as Colorado and Nebraska.

Concerns about how the outbreak may affect other menu items are raised by the news of this incident, which coincides with reports that several products — which also include fresh onions and beef patties — have returned to the market.

Although the early worries were limited to McDonald’s goods, it is now clear that other items from other firms, such as Taco Bell, are also a source of worry. How many other fast-food establishments will be impacted by this outbreak is still unknown.