The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced this on Tuesday deadly E. coli outbreak combined with sliced onions, that are served alongside McDonald's is over, greater than a month after the agency began investigating the spread.
According to the CDC, the outbreak infected 104 people in 14 states. It resulted in 27 hospitalizations and one previously reported death of an older adult in Colorado.
The agency first announced the outbreak on Oct. 22. The CDC indicated that freshly sliced onions served on Quarter Pounders and other menu items were the likely reason behind this outbreak.
Quarter Pounder hamburgers are a key menu item for McDonald's, bringing in billions of dollars annually. The company temporarily removed these burgers from some locations following the outbreak, but has since reintroduced the menu item.
Even though the outbreak is officially over, McDonald's remains to be combating declining sales.
According to a research note from Gordon Haskett, foot traffic to its U.S. restaurants fell 6.6% as of Nov. 18 in comparison with a 12 months ago. That's an improvement from the low point of a seven-day rolling average of 11% traffic declines on Oct. 29.
The 10 states that the CDC first linked to the outbreak saw larger drops in traffic, corresponding to a combined decline of 9.5% on Nov. 18, based on the discharge.
The company also reportedly plans to speculate greater than $100 million in marketing and targeted financial support for affected franchisees.
McDonald's has brought back its popular McRib starting Tuesday, despite a “farewell tour” last 12 months. The chain can even introduce a brand new McValue menu in January, hoping to appeal to consumers on the lookout for value deals.
“Looking forward, we must remain focused on regaining our customers’ hard-earned trust and reviving their brand affinity,” wrote Michael Gonda, McDonald’s North American chief impact officer, and Cesar Pina, the corporate’s North American chief supply chain officer an internal memo on Tuesday.
McDonald's shares have fallen 7% for the reason that CDC first linked the chain's Quarter Pounders to the outbreak. The company has a market capitalization of $209.6 billion.
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