The deadly E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald's Quarter Pounders has officially been declared over by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As the Golden Arches works to regain customer trust, the fast-food chain's president reinforced their commitment to food safety and announced new plans to restore consumer trust.
"We let people down. I want to apologize to all of our customers who were harmed by this incident," Joe Erlinger, president of McDonald’s USA, told "Good Morning America" in an exclusive new interview on Thursday.
The E. coli outbreak that was eventually linked to the raw slivered onions used on Quarter Pounders "in about 900 restaurants in Colorado and surrounding states" prompted McDonald's to "take swift and decisive action to remove those onions," Erlinger said.
"We stopped using the supplier facility from which they came and we stopped sourcing onions from the farm," he continued. "The CDC and FDA announcement earlier this week gave us the all-clear. The investigation is over, but the work's not done at McDonald's."
E coli outbreak linked to McDonald's Quarter Pounders declared over: CDCErlinger emphasized the fast-food chain's close collaboration with public health authorities. "Food safety is still our top priority," he said, adding, "we need to continue to rebuild trust with consumers – we have work to do that, it will be ongoing."
Erlinger also discussed McDonald’s plans for the new year, which includes the new rollout of McValue, a cost-conscious-driven concept with value offerings for an array of menu items, including the extension of the popular $5 meal deal through the first six months of 2025.
What's coming on the new McValue menu at McDonald's, plus $5 Meal Deal extendedErlinger also revealed exclusively to "GMA" that "the Snack Wrap will be back in 2025."
"It has a cult following," he said, but would not say "exactly when" it will hit menus.