The CDC announced Wednesday that testing has confirmed that onions are the likely source of the McDonald’s E. coli outbreak.
15 more illnesses have been reported, bringing reported cases to a total of 90.
According to the CDC, the 15 new cases were from before McDonald's and Taylor Farms pulled onions from restaurants.
Following the news of the outbreak last week, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and KFC all pulled onions from their menu out of an abundance of caution.
At least 90 people got sick in 13 states, and one person died in Colorado.
The quarter-pounders are back on the menu at McDonald's this week, but some customers said they're hesitant to return to the restaurant.
"I like going to McDonald’s every once in a while, but I don't think I will for a while," said Anderson Township’s Judith Prince.
Demetria Myer, a Covington resident, said she recently got sick after eating a McDonald's hash brown and sausage McMuffin.
“I wasn't really surprised (about the E. coli outbreak),” Myer said. "I immediately told my best friend and husband, see, don't eat at McDonald’s."
McDonald’s is trying to bounce back after the company's stock took a 7% hit when news of the outbreak came out last week.
"They took swift action by taking the quarter pounders off the menu. I think that was a smart move,” said R.J. Hottovy, head of analytical research at Pacer.ai. “They've been out there communicating it had nothing to do with their beef.”
According to the CDC, the number of people who got sick from the outbreak is likely much higher than the number reported.
"With E. coli and bacteria that are that small, it's nothing you can see, nothing you can smell, or nothing you can taste," said Dr. Eric Cortez, with Ohio Health.
Since food contaminated with E. coli doesn’t have a foul smell or taste, it can be difficult to know if the food you’re eating is contaminated.
“It’s very difficult when it comes to food contamination and food poisoning,” Cortez said. “In many instances, it's not something that can be readily detectable when you're consuming the food."
Essentially, Cortez said there is no way to know. So, what can you do?
I asked Cortez if people should be staying away from onions or avoiding fast food altogether in the meantime.
"I think it's difficult to just make one blanket recommendation in these situations,” Cortez said in response. “I think the public health authorities are doing a great job with this. And again, it comes down to, you know, your personal level risk."
On Wednesday, the CDC said it is not necessary to avoid eating onions or other foods made with onions because the contaminated onions have been recalled.
The CDC said they believe the current risk to the public is very low. We'll be sure to keep you updated on the official cause of contamination following the investigation by health officials.
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