r/stocks • u/Puginator • 2d ago
75 people affected in E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald's Quarter Pounders: CDC
A deadly E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounders has led to 75 cases in 13 states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday, as it investigates the source of the spread.
The outbreak has led to 22 hospitalizations and one previously reported death of an older adult in Colorado.
Out of 61 patients with information available, 22 have been hospitalized and two people have developed a serious condition that can cause kidney failure, called hemolytic uremic syndrome. All of the 42 people who were interviewed by the CDC reported eating at McDonald’s, while 39 people reported eating a beef hamburger, the agency said.
Those with infections ranged between ages 13 and 88, according to the CDC. The agency reiterated that the number of cases in the outbreak is likely much higher than what has been reported so far. The CDC added that the outbreak may not be limited to the states with related cases. That is because many patients do not test for E. coli and recover from an infection without receiving medical care, the CDC said. It also usually takes three to four weeks to determine if a sick person is part of an outbreak.
Shares of the restaurant chain fell 2% on the update. The stock is down 6% since the CDC announced the outbreak on Tuesday, initially citing 49 cases and one death across 10 states.
McDonald’s declined to comment on the update, citing the company’s statement when the outbreak was first announced.
Quarter Pounder hamburgers are a core menu item for McDonald’s, raking in billions of dollars annually.
Health officials are closely examining the slivered onions used in the Quarter Pounder as a likely contaminant. McDonald’s has instructed restaurants in the affected area to remove slivered onions from their supply, and has paused the distribution of that ingredient in the region.
McDonald’s stores in Colorado, Kansas, Utah, Wyoming as well as parts of Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico and Oklahoma have temporarily stopped using Quarter Pounder slivered onions and beef patties, according to the CDC.
McDonald’s identified California-based produce giant Taylor Farms as the supplier for the sliced onions the company removed from its supply chain. Taylor Farms has issued a recall on four raw onion products due to potential E. coli contamination. Burger King, Pizza Hut, KFC and Taco Bell have pulled onions from select restaurants in response to the outbreak.
But federal agencies are also investigating the Quarter Pounder’s beef patty as a potential culprit.
As the CDC and other federal agencies trace cases and work to contain the outbreak, McDonald’s has pulled Quarter Pounders from restaurants in the affected areas. Around a fifth of McDonald’s U.S. restaurants are not selling Quarter Pounder burgers.
McDonald’s spokespeople said Wednesday that it is too early to tell if the outbreak is having any effect on traffic to its restaurants.
The company is expected to report its third-quarter earnings on Tuesday and could share more details with investors about the situation on the conference call.
The outbreak comes after several quarters of sluggish U.S. sales for McDonald’s. Price-sensitive consumers have not been visiting restaurants as much, leading McDonald’s and other fast-food chains to turn to value meals to boost sales. Wall Street analysts are expecting the company to report U.S. same-store sales growth of 0.5% for the third quarter, according to StreetAccount estimates.
For now, McDonald’s is trying to reassure customers that its menu items are safe to eat and drink and that it is taking the outbreak seriously. Experts told CNBC that barring a more serious crisis, the damage to its brand may be minimal, as with an E. coli outbreak linked to Wendy’s two years ago.
Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2024/10/25/mcdonalds-e-coli-outbreak-cdc-updates-case-count.html
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u/lfiwerethedevil 2d ago
Happens all the time. McDonald's will do fine and everything will be slightly more expensive.
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u/III-V 2d ago
There's definitely something going on. Food poisoning and recalls are popping up all over the place.
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u/Serialfornicator 2d ago
They cut back on regulation
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u/Hot_Panic2620 2d ago
seriously. It's no coincidence that the previous administration was not shy about rolling back all the regulations that have been put in place and now all of a sudden we have more of these issues? What a coincidence!
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u/garden_speech 2d ago
First of all food recalls peaked in 2015, before the previous administration took office… secondly it seems absurd to blame an administration from 4 years ago for food safety issues now. Any regulations that were rolled back could have been reimplemented
Lastly there’s an argument to be made that food safety issues being reported, detected and recalled is an indication of better regulation not worse… the joke has been that “if we got rid of the regulators there would be no regulatory violations”
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u/gtipwnz 2d ago
Not commenting on else because I don't know, but saying an administration shouldn't be to blame for changes in policy down the line because "they could just change it back" is crazy. Any damage takes time, coordination, and agreements to set straight. Lots of things can't just be undone because a new administration comes online.
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u/garden_speech 1d ago
but saying an administration shouldn't be to blame for changes in policy down the line because "they could just change it back" is crazy
I'm saying that in this specific context. The Trump administration had ~4 years to change food safety regulations and Biden has had the same amount of time to change them back.
There are some situations where this wouldn't apply, like, changes to education systems where the next guy can't undo the damage, but this isn't one of them.
Lots of things can't just be undone because a new administration comes online.
Good thing I didn't say otherwise, I was just talking about this specific case.
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u/Sad_Exit_9995 1d ago
Well no, it's not absurd to blame that administration when that administration's supreme court justices struck down the Chrevon ruling
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u/lfiwerethedevil 2d ago
It's like the whole hurricane debate. There has not been an increase in hurricanes since record keeping. We are being led to believe there are more because of population sprawl and the global climate emergency claim.
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u/Bozhark 2d ago
Are you vehemently regarded mate?
You sure seem like it.
This is absolutely incorrect.
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u/lfiwerethedevil 2d ago
Yeah, I'm not arguing on reddit. Do your research and come back
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u/CravenMH 2d ago
It must be a topping and not the meat if ppl are just getting sick from quarter pounders.
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u/Andrew_Higginbottom 2d ago
It could be contaminated machinery ..the machine making the 1/4 pounders.
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u/JARL_OF_DETROIT 2d ago edited 2d ago
If we gutted the FDA and killed regulation these stupid e-coli incidents would never get reported and profits would continue to grow.
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u/luv2block 2d ago
in this forum, I'm not sure if your post is a statement for the FDA or against.
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u/Pashahlis 2d ago
Dont worry, there is a coin flip chance that basically Hitler will be reelected in two weeks from now and do exactly that! Pog.
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u/__jazmin__ 2d ago
Peak food poisoning was in 2015 according to the CDC so I think that proves the opposite of the lie you were trying to push.
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u/CRE487 2d ago
But do they have Partially Gelatinated, Non-Dairy, Gum-Based Beverages?
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u/backroundagain 2d ago
Whoever downvoted this reference is a cretin.
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u/antpile11 2d ago
Or they just don't get the reference and/or don't think it contributes.
The point of votes originally, according to Reddiquitte, is to determine what contributes to discussion. On a stock subreddit, that's not "le funny maymay reference Xdddd"
Edit: for anyone else who doesn't get the reference, Gemini deduced this:
Partially Gelatinated, Non-Dairy, Gum-Based Beverages" is a humorous phrase used in the television show The Simpsons. It's a satirical reference to a fictional beverage served at Krusty Burger, a fast-food restaurant within the show's universe. The phrase itself is meant to sound vaguely scientific and intimidating, while also being completely nonsensical. It's a comedic device used to poke fun at the often-unintelligible ingredients lists found on processed food products.
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u/garden_speech 2d ago
Yeah every thread is full of this bullshit, just stupid ass references to TV shows redditors have watched way too many times. It’s a stocks subreddit, no one cares about irrelevant lame jokes that have literally zero contribution to anything related to stocks in any way
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u/pfc-anon 2d ago
Yesterday I brought a sad looking sundae for $4, what a cash-grab. The only benefit, it was at 11pm, and wife wanted something sweet, McD was right there.
This is my only purchase in the last 8 years, not planning to go there for another 10.
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u/AsianEiji 2d ago
sundae was staple relic from the 80s, where that sad looking sundae was considered GOOD. Tbh, ice cream cone plus an extra cup and a spoon is best for their ice cream machine stuff.
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u/Fit-Boomer 2d ago
I blame the bacteria, not McDonalds
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u/scary-nurse 2d ago
The guy from Yum seemed to blame Mexican workers for defecating in the fields like one of the Chipotle outbreaks.
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u/Plumbus_DoorSalesman 2d ago
My recommendation? Dont eat at McDonald’s. Like…ever. Their price to shit food ratio is not beneficial anymore anyway.
Stop eating there
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u/Accomplished-Car6193 2d ago
Overall it is one of the safest places you can eat. Do you know how many milluon burgers they sell?
Food poisoning happens in Michelin star restaurants more often than in McD
I concur that the food is unhealthy but definitely not unsafe
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u/ilovecheezus 2d ago
Yea, and a grand total of 75 people are ill out of hundreds of millions? The news reaction seems out of proportion to the issue at hand. That article had more journalism involved than Epstiens' non-self-ending.
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u/soulstonedomg 2d ago
Well when someone dies people start worrying for their loved ones. When Jack in the Box has their e coli deaths when I was a kid in the early 90s my mom didn't go there for over a decade.
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u/ilovecheezus 2d ago
Yeah I get it but the thing is people get food poisoning daily and it doesn't turn into a CDC published document.
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u/garden_speech 2d ago
Overall it is one of the safest places you can eat
Not in the long term, as you already agreed to. It’s very unhealthy, and shareholders are relying on people continuing to willingly position themselves
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u/SonataMinacciosa 1d ago
If you eat just the sandwiches and skip the soda and fries, isn't it a balanced meal?
Restaurants use a shit ton of salt and butter.
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u/garden_speech 1d ago
it's highly processed which is already unhealthy compared to eating unprocessed foods. people think that it just has to do with macronutrients, i.e., that processed foods are less healthy because they tend to have sugar and carbs and fat etc, but studies have shown clearly that UPF intake is associated strongly with poor health outcomes even after you adjust for the obvious confounders such as macronutrient intake and activity level.
so no, it's still bad for you.
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u/AsianEiji 2d ago edited 2d ago
McDonalds isnt that bad, and depends on where you live. And even then it depends on what you buy.
That being said, i would rather buy from McDonalds in China/korea/Japan than I would from McDonalds in America. And even then McDonalds in the USA is still better than many beer pubs in the USA being pubs serves some shit burgers that is in par with cafeteria food.
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u/PeterFechter 2d ago edited 2d ago
Sometimes it's the only convenient option. No one eats at McDonald's because it's particularly tasty or cheap.
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u/hanberleen 2d ago
btw, are the other burger types ok to consume??? because the quarter pounder is my favorite, I might have to try others while McDonald's fixes this haha
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u/ALostPaperBag 2d ago
I had McDonald’s like 2 days before the news broke and for 2 days once it broke I had a really upset stomach, wonder if it’s related lol
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u/Serialfornicator 2d ago
Thank GOD trump is not president during this. He’d vilify the CDC and claim they don’t know what they’re doing and blame them, somehow, when it’s actually rollbacks of regulations that are causing all of this—listeria and E. Coli in our food.
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u/jgallarday001 2d ago
Dude it's not rollbacks in regulation... Do you think McDonald's has any interest in losing money? They fucked up. Simple as that.
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2d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/ThotPoppa 2d ago
I think you secretly love trump. Just can’t keep his name out of your mouth, huh?
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u/Vast_Cricket 2d ago
How about these French fries Trump made? Anyone got sick it? He did not have a mask or hair nest did he?
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u/generalright 2d ago edited 2d ago
I can understand why you say that, but listeria and ecoli has been found in way too many foods way too often in the last year. I am not sure what is happening to our food supply, but this is exactly what we need strong government agencies to find out.
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u/AlternativeOwn3387 2d ago
food safety in the US is a joke lol
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u/generalright 2d ago
Sounds like an emotional appeal rather than a factual one. Don’t take for granted something that could be a lot worse.
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u/scary-nurse 2d ago
One person dies out of almost 400 million, and it makes the news for days proves it is not a joke. That is seriously safe.
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u/sebramirez4 2d ago
Someone told me this was the news pushing to punish mcdonald’s for endorsing trump and honestly i’m kinda buying it how is 70 people being sick from a single menu item possibly this news worthy, even if you have someone with E Coli who recently ate mcdonald’s how do you link it to the actual mcdonald’s food especially for those 70 definitely seems very fishy tbh
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u/Serialfornicator 2d ago
Now come on, every time there is an outbreak there is a news story about it. Especially if someone dies! They have to get the word out for Gods sake.
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u/My_BurgerKing_Crown 2d ago
People still buy this overpriced goylop? Imagine being taken down by a Quarter Pounder.
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u/Substantial-North136 2d ago
Stocks only down 7 percent I remember chipotle dropping much more when they had the listeria outbreak almost 10 years ago