A sign is posted in front of a Taco Bell restaurant in Richmond, California on May 1, 2024.
Justin Sullivan | getty images
Burger King and Taco Bell owner yum brand Onions were harvested at some restaurants after an E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald’s.
“As we continue to monitor recently reported E. coli outbreaks, we have actively removed fresh onions from select Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and KFC restaurants out of an abundance of caution,” a Yum Brands spokesperson said in a statement to CNBC. . “We will continue to follow supplier and regulatory guidance to ensure the continued safety and quality of our food.”
Yum did not specify how many restaurants are included in the bill.
It comes after restaurant suppliers. american food On Wednesday, Taylor Farms issued a recall notice for four onion products. It’s unclear whether Yum has removed onions from specific locations in response to the recall.
Restaurant Brands International Burger King will remove onions from 5% of its U.S. restaurants after reviewing its supply chain and identifying onions produced at the Taylor Farms Colorado facility at the center of the recall.
The burger chain says it only uses fresh onions. Employees are chopping, peeling, washing and slicing onions in the restaurant.
“Despite no contact from health officials and no signs of illness, we have proactively asked 5% of restaurants that received whole onions from this facility to immediately dispose of them two days ago and are in the process of restocking them from other facilities. A Burger King spokesperson said in a statement to CNBC.
US Foods does not distribute onions to McDonald’s restaurants, and the company has not publicly named Taylor Farms as a supplier. Taylor Farms did not respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
Health officials are currently investigating the cause of the E. coli outbreak in 10 states, including Colorado, Nebraska and Wyoming, which has resulted in one death and 49 confirmed cases. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention interviewed 18 people, 14 of whom recalled eating a Quarter Pounder burger from McDonald’s as of Tuesday.
In response to the outbreak, McDonald’s pulled the Quarter Pounder from about one-fifth of its U.S. restaurants. The investigation looked into two ingredients in the burger: fresh beef patties and chopped onions.
McDonald’s said the affected restaurants all source their onions from a single facility, where they are cleaned and sliced. Beef patties, on the other hand, are sourced from several suppliers in the area. When cooked to internal standards, the temperature will kill any E. coli in the patty.
—CNBC’s kate rogers Contributed to reporting on this story.
