In this photo illustration, a McDonald's Quarter Pounder burger is seen at a McDonald's on October 23, 2024 in the Flatbush neighborhood in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.
Miguel M. Santiago | fake images
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday that the deadly E. coli outbreak linked to cut onions served at McDonald's It is over, more than a month after the agency began its investigation into the spread.
The CDC said 104 people in 14 states were infected in the outbreak. It caused 27 hospitalizations and one previously reported death of an older adult in Colorado.
The agency first announced the outbreak on October 22. The CDC pointed to fresh chopped onions served in quarter-pounders and other menu items as the likely source of this outbreak.
Quarter Pounder burgers are a centerpiece of McDonald's menu and rake in billions of dollars each year. The company temporarily removed those burgers from some locations following the outbreak, but has since brought the menu item back.
While the outbreak has formally ended, McDonald's is still dealing with the sales fallout.
Foot traffic to its U.S. restaurants decreased 6.6% on Nov. 18 compared to a year earlier, according to a research note from Gordon Haskett. That's an improvement from a low point of a seven-day moving average of traffic declines of 11% on October 29.
The 10 states that the CDC first connected to the outbreak have seen steeper traffic declines, such as a combined 9.5% drop on Nov. 18, according to the note.
The company will also invest more than $100 million in marketing and targeted financial assistance for affected franchisees.
McDonald's has brought back its popular McRib as of Tuesday, despite a “farewell tour” last year. The chain will also launch a new McValue menu in January, hoping to appeal to consumers looking for affordable deals.
“Going forward, we must remain focused on regaining our customers' hard-earned trust and rekindling their brand affinity,” Michael Gonda, McDonald's North America Chief Impact Officer, and Cesar Pina, McDonald's North America Chief Impact Officer, wrote in director of the company's supply chain in North America. an internal memo on Tuesday.
McDonald's shares have fallen 7% since the CDC first linked the chain's Quarter Pounders to the outbreak. The company has a market capitalization of $209.6 billion.
