Yum! Brands Inc. and Burger King have removed onions from select locations as the restaurant industry responds to an E. coli outbreak initially traced back to McDonald’s Corp. Yum! Brands, which operates Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and KFC, announced the withdrawal of fresh onions “out of an abundance of caution” in a statement to Bloomberg News. However, the company did not specify which locations or regions were affected or identify the suppliers involved.
Burger King confirmed it sources some onions from a Colorado facility operated by Taylor Farms, which has supplied impacted McDonald’s restaurants. Taylor Farms has recalled certain batches of yellow onions, although no traces of E. coli were detected as of Wednesday. Restaurant distributors US Foods Holding Corp. and Sysco Corp. have also informed customers about the recall.
Despite receiving no communication from health authorities and no reported illnesses, Burger King stated it proactively instructed 5% of its restaurants that received whole onions from the Colorado facility to dispose of them immediately. The chain is currently restocking from other suppliers.
Fat Brands Inc., which owns Johnny Rockets, has also pulled all fresh onion products from Taylor Farms. The company identified a limited number of Buffalo’s Cafe locations and Ponderosa and Bonanza Steakhouses using Taylor Farms as their onion supplier.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that the E. coli outbreak, likely associated with pre-slivered onions served on McDonald’s Quarter Pounders, has affected dozens of individuals and resulted in one death. McDonald’s has removed the popular item from approximately 20% of its over 13,000 US restaurants and is cooperating with health authorities to identify the contamination source.
Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. stated that it does not source onions from Taylor Farms or from the affected Colorado facility. Inspire Brands Inc., which operates Arby’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, Sonic, Jimmy John’s, Baskin-Robbins, and Dunkin’, also confirmed that its onions are not sourced from the facility and had not removed any ingredients as of Thursday evening in New York.
