The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has said that the E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald’s (MCD) Quarter Pounder burgers is officially over.
The CDC said that its investigation into the matter is now closed, adding that a total of 104 people were made sick, 34 people hospitalized, and one person died because of an outbreak of E. coli at several McDonald’s restaurants in the U.S. Midwest.
The outbreak was first reported on Oct. 22 and was caused by slivered onions that were served on the company’s Quarter Pounder hamburgers.
In response, McDonald’s temporarily removed Quarter Pounders from some of its restaurants, though the popular burger has since been brought back to all locations.
Although the E. coli outbreak is now over, McDonald’s has taken a sales hit because of the incident.
Foot traffic at McDonald’s U.S. restaurants was down 6.6% year-over-year in November. Traffic had been down more than 10% at the end of October.
McDonald’s is reportedly planning to invest more than $100 million U.S. in marketing and financial assistance for franchisees that have been negatively impacted by the E. coli outbreak.
The restaurant chain also recently brought back its popular McRib sandwich despite holding a “farewell tour” for it in 2023 and plans to launch a new value meal in early 2025.
McDonald’s stock has fallen 7% since the E. coli outbreak was made public in late October. The company’s share price is flat on the year, having risen less than 1% to trade at $294.50 U.S.
