(Reuters) – McDonald’s (NYSE:) on Sunday ruled out beef patties as the source of the E. coli outbreak linked to Quarter Pounder burgers that has killed at least one person and sickened nearly 75 others.
“We remain confident that any contaminated product associated with this outbreak has been removed from our supply chain and removed from all McDonald’s restaurants,” Cesar Pina, the fast-food chain’s chief supply chain officer, said in a statement.
The Colorado Department of Agriculture said all subsamples from multiple lots of McDonald’s brand fresh and frozen beef patties tested negative for E. coli, adding that it had completed beef testing and does not expect to receive any more samples.
McDonald’s said it would resume distribution of fresh supplies of the Quarter Pounder and it is expected to be available in all restaurants in the coming week, the statement said.
Regulators had been investigating whether McDonald’s beef patties could be affected.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
E. coli is killed in beef when cooked properly. The McDonald’s Quarter Pounder is served with raw, sliced onions; affected restaurants will serve the burgers without such onions.
US fast food chains have removed fresh onions from their menu items after the vegetable was named as the likely source of an E. coli outbreak.
McDonald’s has removed the Quarter Pounder from about a fifth of its U.S. restaurants, including in Colorado, Kansas, Utah and Wyoming, and in parts of Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico and Oklahoma.
Previous E. coli outbreaks have hampered sales at major fast-food restaurants as customers avoid the affected chains.
