The Quarter Pounder Is Back On McDonald's Menus With One Ingredient Missing

The fast food world was rocked in the past week by news that a string of harmful (and in at least one case, deadly) E. coli bacterial infections had been traced back to McDonald's and its popular Quarter Pounder hamburgers. It was swiftly determined that the burgers' beef, the initial suspect in the infections, was not the culprit. Instead, contaminated onions from supplier Taylor Farms were determined to be the source of the E. coli outbreak affecting the world's biggest fast food chain. At least 75 people became ill as the result of the outbreak, while at least one person has died so far. Onions were swiftly removed from menu items in McDonald's restaurants across America, which account for over 13,000 stores of the more than 40,000 McDonald's locations in the world. Other chains, including Burger King, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Taco Bell, also cut the onions from meals.

Now, McDonald's feels confident putting the Quarter Pound back on its menu — sans onions. That's the case in stores that received shipments from Taylor Farms' Colorado Springs processing facility, where the E. coli contamination was traced to. According to a statement released by Cesar Piña, the chain's Chief Supply Chain Officer for North America, these stores are located in "Colorado, Kansas, and Wyoming, as well as portions of Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Utah." Non-affected stores will still be able to serve Quarter Pounders with slivered onions.

The Quarter Pounder, with or without cheese, is a perennially-popular McDonald's menu item. As the only burger on the McDonald's menu that you can order cooked fresh, it's a favorite choice for those who are looking for a meatier, more premium choice on a menu that is otherwise long on cheap, pre-prepped fare.

While it's understandable that you may feel nervous about ordering Quarter Pounders in the wake of the E. coli outbreak, McDonald's has vowed that there is nothing to worry about. In his statement, Piña made the strongly-worded declaration that McDonald's was "very confident that any contaminated product related to this outbreak ... is out of all McDonald's restaurants." The statement repeatedly emphasized McDonald's wish for transparency on the matter and the desire to make the situation right for anyone affected by the contaminated products.

It may feel like there are more foodborne illness outbreaks than ever before, but keep in mind that part of the reason we are reading so many reports is because the FDA and USDA have gotten better than ever at identifying and tracking these issues. That's opposed to years past when connected cases may have been dismissed as isolated and thus would have flown under the food-safety radar. So, you can very reasonably take all of this as a sign of a stronger food safety system.