McDonald’s, Here We Go Again: Deadly E. Coli Outbreak Linked to McDonald’s | Episode 88

In this episode of Don’t Eat Poop!, our hosts Matt and Francine are talking about the hot topic of the past few weeks: the deadly McDonald’s E. Coli outbreak.

This is a multistate outbreak with cases in 13 states and one death so far. Tune in to learn more about the facts surrounding the outbreak as well as Matt’s and Francine’s expert opinions on the situation.

They’ll also address the food safety controversy around Donald Trump’s publicity stunt at a McDonald’s on October 20, 2024.

In this episode:

💩 [03:15] The current McDonald’s E. Coli outbreak

💩 [05:10] The source of the outbreak and what we should worry about

💩 [09:09] The incredible shift that happened over a generation

💩 [11:11] The process to confirm the outbreak source

💩 [12:28] When the issue is most likely in the supply chain

💩 [17:09] Food safety facts about Trump’s publicity stunt at McDonald’s

💩 [24:27] Trip down fast food memory lane

Disclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice.

Resources from this episode

Catch up with our talk with Tia and Jill from Catalyst LLC. in Episode 36 | Food Safety Talk with Tia Glave and Jill Stuber from Catalyst.

Check out Burger King’s vintage commercial Francine mentions, Have It Your Way.

Food Safety News articles on this Outbreak (up until October 28, 2024):

• McDonald’s linked to deadly outbreak of E. coli infections
• McDonald’s says Taylor Farms supplied onions linked to deadly E. coli outbreak
• More patients identified in outbreak traced to McDonald’s; Taylor Farms recalls onions
• Colorado and McDonald’s officials say hamburger was not a source of E. coli outbreak

Noteworthy quotes from this episode

“I've been in these Taylor Farms facilities, their sanitization routine is amazing. So, if they had a bad batch of E. Coli laced onions that went through the facility, the chances of that E. Coli being still in that facility, either on the belts, on the machines, or in anything is close to zero. They're not clean, they are sanitized.” – Matthew Regusci

“You can't go into a McDonald's and say, ‘I want a rare burger’. It isn't going to happen. They're not going to give you a rare burger. Policies and procedures that they have in place for cooking those burgers are pretty intense. You might get a burnt one, but the odds of getting a rare one are pretty slim.” – Francine L Shaw

We hope you enjoy this episode!

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