Predictably adverse publicity and customer disaffection followed the outbreak of E.coli O157:H7 attributed to onions incorporated into Quarter Pounder sandwiches served by McDonald’s franchisees in a multistate area. To date, 104 cases have been confirmed in 14 states with 24 hospitalizations and one fatality. The Company is now committing $100 million to assist franchisees. Of this total, $65 million will support operators with a quantifiable loss in business during October.

It is apparent that the outbreak is now over, but lawsuits have been filed against both McDonald’s and Taylor Farms, operators of the Colorado packing plant in addition to onion growers in Washington State.

The speed at which health authorities including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention responded to the outbreak attests to the capability public health authorities to respond to comprehensive databases including Food Net.  Identification of onions as the vehicle of infection and the elimination of beef patties based on laboratory assays, limited the financial consequences of the outbreak.