FDA links lack of basic hygiene as cause of McDonald's October E. Coli outbreak in US; know dangers of this bacteria

Love eating burgers? If yes, then beware! The United States Food and Drug Administration turned up many violations at the popular McDonald's supplier related to a deadly outbreak of an infection called E. Coli.

After inspecting over 100 people across the globe who became sick and one person succumbed to E. coli in October, the FDA linked the outbreak to the slivered onions, which were earlier found as contaminated onions that were used in quarter pounders from McDonald's.

FDA officials worry that violations at McDonald's can be 'injurious to health'

According to the officials of the FDA, many violations were noticed during an inspection of a food production facility in Colorado, leading the authority to issue the McDonald's supplier a Form 483, which is a list of citations over conditions officials worried could be 'injurious to health.'.

Upon further investigations, those onions were found to have been sourced from Taylor Farms, which also produces several other products, such as salads, which are sold in grocery stores as safe and ready to eat.

McDonald's has issued a statement on the same, saying that it had stopped sourcing from Taylor Farm's Colorado facility. Additionally, they believe that they are holding their suppliers to the standards of food safety.

FDA discovered unhygienic conditions at the facility

The FDA officials, further found that various equipment had apparent biofilm and large amounts of food debris around Talyer Farms. This was the condition even after workers had completed their required cleaning procedures.

Discovering the food debris building up on the company's equipment, the FDA officials worried that it was leading to cross-contamination. Additionally, several food contact surfaces were also not visually clean and should have been marked as a 'Fail.'

Lack of basic hand hygiene reports FDA

Apart from the above-mentioned problems, the FDA also found that workers were cutting corners on required sanitisation steps and used hand sanitiser only when handling food that was ready to eat.

What is E. coli bacteria?

According to the Cleveland Clinic, Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a group of bacteria that normally lives in our gut, and this type that lives in our gut doesn't harm us; rather, it helps us digest food.

However, some strains of E. coli can cause infections that can lead to serious infections and diseases, including watery diarrhoea, stomach pain, and other digestive symptoms.

Symptoms of E. coli infection

• Diarrhoea.
• Stomach pains and cramps.
• Loss of appetite.
• Low fever.

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