Gross Biofilms, unwashed hands: FDA found violations at McDonalds ex-onion supplier The outbreak sickened at least 104 across 14 states, killing one and hospitalizing 34. Beth Mole Jan 13, 2025 6:44 pm | 25 A Quarter Pounder hamburger is served at a McDonald's restaurant on March 30, 2017 in Effingham, Illinois. Credit: Getty | Scott Olson A Quarter Pounder hamburger is served at a McDonald's restaurant on March 30, 2017 in Effingham, Illinois. Credit: Getty | Scott Olson Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreThe onion supplier behind a deadly E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald's Quarter Pounders this past fall had numerous health and sanitation violations, including employees with unwashed hands, dirty equipment, and puddles of Listeria bacteria. That's according to a Food and Drug Administration inspection report that was obtained by CBS News via a Freedom of Information Act request.On October 22, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced the outbreak investigation, which at that time had only been linked to 48 illnesses across 10 states, including one death. The slivered onions on the fast-food giant's popular Quarter Pounder burgers were an immediate suspect. McDonald's temporarily pulled the burgers from the menu in affected states, and the supplier of the suspect onions, Taylor Farms of Colorado, swiftly recalled thousands of cases. Ultimately, 104 were sickened across 14 states, with 34 people hospitalized and one dead.On October 28, the FDA began a multi-day inspection of Taylor Farms' facility in Colorado Springs, in which inspectors found numerous violations. The facility processes "ready-to-eat" (RTE) produce, like the cut onions, that do not go through a lethal treatment step for any environmental pathogens before being sold to consumers. This makes any unsanitary conditions in the facility particularly risky for food safety.Inspection findingsInspectors found clear evidence of such risks. Numerous surfaces and pooled water in non-food contact areas of the facility tested positive for Listeria bacteria, a potentially deadly food pathogen behind an outbreak linked to Boar's Head meat last year. However, corrective action procedures were not properly implemented by Taylor Farms, FDA inspectors found.The inspectors also noted debris and dirty equipmentafter the employees had allegedly done cleaning procedures. "We observed numerous equipment with apparent biofilm and large amounts of food debris present after the firms post-operation cleans," the report notes. Taylor Farms had graded the cleaning procedures as "Pass" even though the equipment was left visibly dirty and should have been graded as "Fail," the inspectors wrote.Perhaps most concerning, FDA inspectors noted that employees were never seen washing their hands. Instead, they wore gloves, and if they touched dirty surfaces or items, they would simply put hand sanitizer on their dirty gloves and carry on. What they should have been doing was removing their dirty gloves, washing their hands, and getting clean gloves. However, the FDA inspectors never saw this happen, and managers confirmed that hand sanitizing gloves was common practice.The inspectors also noted that the facility's equipment was always wet. Employees applied sanitizing solutions on knives and other equipment used to dice and chop fresh produce. The sanitizing solution is meant to be air-dried before use, but Taylor Farms employees immediately used the equipmentstill dripping with sanitizing solutionto cut RTE produce.On one day of the inspection, FDA agents saw employees chop RTE lettuce with equipment that was wet with sanitizing solution at the maximum concentration, which was 200 ppm. In another instance, the inspectors saw an employee mix cleaning chemicals together to make a sanitizing solution, which the employee said was done "routinely." When inspectors asked about the mixture, Taylor Farms "could not find the source of this recipe," nor could they find the manufacturer label or other information stating the mixture was designed for use.Highest expectationsIn a statement to CBS, Taylor Farms said that it "immediately took steps to address" the problems found in the FDA's inspection, which resulted in no "administrative or regulatory action" against the company."Taylor Farms is confident in our best-in-class food safety processes, and in turn, the quality and safety of our products," the company said in the statement. "As is common following an inspection, FDA issued observations of conditions that could be improved at one of our facilities." The company added that "no illnesses or public health threat has been linked to these observations" in the inspection.McDonald's, meanwhile, said it had stopped getting onions from the facility."We hold our suppliers to the highest expectations and standards of food safety. Prior to this inspection, and unrelated to its findings, McDonald's stopped sourcing from Taylor Farms' Colorado Springs facility," McDonald's said in a statement.Beth MoleSenior Health ReporterBeth MoleSenior Health Reporter Beth is Ars Technicas Senior Health Reporter. Beth has a Ph.D. in microbiology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and attended the Science Communication program at the University of California, Santa Cruz. She specializes in covering infectious diseases, public health, and microbes. 25 Comments