McDonald’s faces a class-action lawsuit involving an E. coli outbreak linked to onions used in their hamburgers.
On Tuesday, the South China Morning Post reported that consumers who claimed to have contracted E. coli infections after eating McDonald’s Quarter Pounder filed a lawsuit in federal court in Chicago.
Amanda McCray, a Chicago resident, and William Michael Kraft from Florida stated, “We developed symptoms of E. coli infection after eating the Quarter Pounder this month. If McDonald’s had informed us about the risk of contamination beforehand, we wouldn’t have purchased the burger.”
The lawsuit seeks damages for all consumers in the U.S. who purchased the E. coli-contaminated Quarter Pounder, regardless of whether they experienced any adverse effect. While the exact amount of damages has not been specified, it is expected to exceed $5 million.
On October 22, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that a strain of E. coli known as O157:H7, which causes foodborne illness, was detected in Quarter Pounder burgers sold by McDonald’s across ten states between September 27 and October 11. The CDC reported that one person has died and 29 others have been hospitalized due to this outbreak, with most cases occurring in Colorado and Nebraska.
In response to the outbreak, McDonald’s temporarily suspended Quarter-Pound sales at approximately 20% of its 14,000 U.S. locations.
Meanwhile, McDonald’s apologized to customers regarding the outbreak during its earnings report on Tuesday. CEO Chris Kempczinski stated, “It appears the issue has been resolved,” adding, “McDonald’s food is now safe.”