Biofilms, unwashed hands: FDA found violations at McDonald’s ex-onion supplier
The onion supplier behind a deadly E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounders this past fall had numerous health and sanitation violations, including employees with unwashed hands, dirty equipment, and puddles of Listeria bacteria. That’s according to a Food and Drug Administration inspection report that was obtained by CBS News via a Freedom of Information Act request.
On October 22, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced the outbreak investigation, which at that time had only been linked to 48 illnesses across 10 states, including one death. The slivered onions on the fast-food giant’s popular Quarter Pounder burgers were an immediate suspect. McDonald’s temporarily pulled the burgers from the menu in affected states, and the supplier of the suspect onions, Taylor Farms of Colorado, swiftly recalled thousands of cases. Ultimately, 104 were sickened across 14 states, with 34 people hospitalized and one dead.
On October 28, the FDA began a multi-day inspection of Taylor Farms’ facility in Colorado Springs, in which inspectors found numerous violations. The facility processes “ready-to-eat” (RTE) produce, like the cut onions, that do not go through a lethal treatment step for any environmental pathogens before being sold to consumers. This makes any unsanitary conditions in the facility particularly risky for food safety.
