It's Safe To Eat McDonald's Quarter Pounders Again

If you're a McDonald's fan who's been quaking in their boots over the recent E. coli outbreak in the chain's popular Quarter Pounder, you can breathe easy again; the company has taken measures to get its patties and other sandwich ingredients back up to par. That means it's all set to start churning out your favorite burgers again.

The original outbreak came after a lineup of food recalls this month, with meats being recalled for listeria and even Aldi brand frozen waffles being contaminated with harmful bacteria. The E. coli outbreak affected 75 people and led to more than 20 hospitalizations. It was also spread all across the United States, with 13 states reporting cases.

What was most concerning about the outbreak is that, while the Quarter Pounders were found to be the source of the trouble, it wasn't clear which ingredient was the exact culprit. Both the onions and the patties themselves were thought to be to blame, causing the sandwich to be pulled from store menus in certain states. The company also stopped using slivered onions in specific states to avoid contamination from this ingredient, too.

McDonald's has tested its quarter-pounder beef patties and has not found any E. coli bacteria. Despite this, they are still requesting a fresh batch of patties from their suppliers to ensure no further contamination or bacterial spread. As a result, the Quarter Pounder sandwich is set to make a comeback this week, so you'll once again be able to pick up these fast food burgers that boast being some of the best in the industry.

The onions, on the other hand, are a different story. The Food and Drug Administration is still working to figure out if these are the source of the outbreak. As such, while McDonald's Quarter Pounders burgers will be back soon, they'll be sans the onions until further notice.