Colorado beef patty e. McDonald's to resume selling quarter pounders at all restaurants after negative test for coli CNN

McDonald's associated with its famous burgers is an e. It will resume selling quarter pounders at all restaurants next week after considering new information about the coli outbreak, the company announced Sunday.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a food safety alert Tuesday after dozens of people reported eating quarter-pounder sandwiches at McDonald's before becoming ill.

The E. coli outbreak has caused 75 illnesses in 13 states, including 22 hospitalizations and one death, according to the CDC's latest data, with most of the related illnesses occurring in Colorado.

Federal agencies said Friday that a specific ingredient has not been confirmed as the source of the outbreak, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration previously said slivered onions or beef patties in quarter-pounder sandwiches were possible sources of contamination.

On Sunday, the Colorado Department of Agriculture reported that McDonald's beef patties used for the Quarter Pounder were contaminated with E. Tested negative for coli The department tested fresh patties from restaurants linked to the outbreak.

Based on Colorado Department of Agriculture findings and after comparing its own supply chain data with CDC data, McDonald's is confident in ruling out fresh beef patties as the source of the contamination, according to a Sunday news release.

The company is now asking beef suppliers to make a new supply of fresh beef patties, and quarter pounders are expected to be available at all restaurants next week, the release said.

The 900 restaurants that received sleeved onions from McDonald's supplier Taylor Farms' Colorado Springs facility will resume sales of quarter pounders without sleeved onions, the release added. “These restaurants are located in Colorado, Kansas and Wyoming, as well as parts of Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Utah,” it said.

The FDA and CDC said they are continuing to work with partners to investigate the source of the outbreak. CNN has reached out to the FDA to confirm that it is E. coli has ruled out beef patties as the source of the outbreak. Contacted by CNN on Sunday, the CDC cited its Friday release, which did not name a specific ingredient as the cause.

“The FDA is using all available tools to determine whether onions are the source of this outbreak,” a spokeswoman previously said. “FDA and state partners are also collecting onion samples for analysis.”

Taylor Farms removed yellow onions from the market “out of an abundance of caution,” the company said in a statement Wednesday, and distributor US Foods issued a recall of four onion products due to “possible E. coli contamination.”

“I know our relationship is built on trust,” McDonald's U.S. President Joe Erlinger said in a video message posted Sunday. “You trust us to serve you safe food every time.”

“On behalf of the McDonald's system, I want you to hear from me: We are sorry,” Erlinger added. “To the customers affected, you have my promise that, guided by our values, we will fix this.”