Share price plummets

E. coli bacteria in burger: McDonald’s customer dead

There have been outbreaks of E. coli bacteria in several McDonald's branches in the USA. Restaurants in ten states have been affected; according to the CDC, one person has died and ten others have been hospitalized.

A total of 49 cases have been reported, most of them in Colorado and Nebraska. The share price of the world's largest fast food chain fell by over six percent at times in after-hours US trading on Tuesday.

Hamburger Royal partially removed from the range
According to McDonald's, sliced onions, which are only used in the Quarter Pounder, the American equivalent of the Hamburger Royal, are suspected to be the cause. They came from a supplier that supplies three distribution centers. In five US states and parts of seven others, the Quarter Pounder is now being temporarily withdrawn from supply.

Infections from minced meat or onions
All those affected stated that they had eaten at McDonald's before the outbreak, most of whom explicitly mentioned the Quarter Pounder burger. According to the CDC, it is currently investigating whether fresh onions or ground beef could be the cause of the infections.

Abdominal cramps, diarrhea, vomiting
Symptoms of an E. coli infection include severe abdominal cramps, diarrhea and vomiting. The incident is reminiscent of the outbreak of E. coli at the Chipotle chain in 2015, which led to a loss of sales and damaged the company's image.

Trump show at McDonald's branch
The incident also overshadows the latest PR appearance by former US President Donald Trump, who is currently campaigning in the election. Last weekend, the Republican presidential candidate prepared burgers and served customers in a McDonald's branch to great media effect.