McDonald's says the California-based company's onion e. coli outbreaks

A California-based manufacturing company was the source of fresh onions at McDonald's for deadly E. coli is linked to the food poisoning outbreak, officials at the restaurant chain said Thursday. Meanwhile, other fast-food restaurants — including Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, KFC and Burger King — have pulled onions from some menus.

McDonald's officials said Taylor Farms in Salinas, Calif., sent onions to a distribution facility, prompting the fast-food chain to remove quarter-pounder hamburgers from restaurants in several states. McDonald's did not say which facility.

An outbreak tied to the burger has sickened at least 49 people in 10 states, including one death, federal health officials said. Investigators said they focused on chopped onions as a possible source of infection.

US Foods, a major wholesaler to restaurants nationwide, said Thursday that potential E. Taylor Farms issued a recall this week for peeled whole and diced yellow onions due to coli contamination. A US Foods spokeswoman said the recalled onions came from a Taylor Farms facility in Colorado. But the wholesaler also noted that it is not a McDonald's supplier and that its recall did not include any products sold to the fast-food chain's restaurants.

Taylor Firm did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Officials at the US Food and Drug Administration have not confirmed whether the agency is investigating Taylor Farms. A spokeswoman said Thursday that the agency was “looking at all sources” of the outbreak.

Meanwhile, other national restaurant chains have temporarily stopped using fresh onions.

“As we continue to monitor the recently reported E. coli outbreak and out of an abundance of caution, we have proactively removed fresh onions from select Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and KFC restaurants,” Yum Brands said in a statement.

Louisville, Kentucky-based Yum Brands did not say where the onions were moved or whether the company was using the same supplier as McDonald's. Yum Brands said it will follow the instructions of the regulator and its suppliers.

Restaurant Brands International, which owns Burger King, said Thursday that 5% of its restaurants use onions distributed by Taylor Farms' Colorado facility. Burger King restaurants deliver whole, fresh onions and their employees wash, peel and slice them.

Although it has not been contacted by health officials and there is no indication of illness, Restaurant Brands said it asked restaurants that received onions from the Colorado facility two days ago to dispose of them. The company said it is restocking onions from other suppliers.

Chipotle said Thursday that it does not source onions from Taylor Farms or any other ingredients from our Colorado facility.

Onions have been implicated in previous outbreaks. In 2015, Taylor Farms recalled celery and onion mix used in Costco chicken salad after 19 people with E. Coli was infected. Last year, 80 people became ill and one died in an outbreak of salmonella poisoning linked to bagged onions at Gilles Onions in Oxnard, California.

At least 10 people were hospitalized in the McDonald's outbreak, including a child who suffered complications from a serious kidney disease as a result of the infection. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the illness was confirmed between September 27 and October 11.

The victims were infected with E. coli 0157:H7, a type of bacteria that produces a dangerous toxin. It causes about 74,000 infections in the United States each year, resulting in more than 2,000 hospitalizations and 61 deaths each year, according to the CDC.

In Greeley, Colorado, a man sued McDonald's for E. Suing after being infected with coli infection In a lawsuit filed this week, Eric Staley said he ate at a local McDonald's on Oct. 4 and became ill two days later. After he sought emergency care, health officials confirmed that his infection was part of an outbreak.

E. Symptoms of coli poisoning can occur as quickly as a day or two after eating contaminated food. These usually include fever, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, and symptoms of dehydration — little or no urination, increased thirst, and dizziness. The infection is especially dangerous for children under 5, the elderly, pregnant or those with weakened immune systems.