McDonald's E. Coli outbreak: Taylor Farms of Salinas onions deadly fast food food poisoning

SALINAS, Calif. (KGO) — We learn more about the deadly E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald's quarter-pounders.

McDonald's says onions from Taylor Farms in Salinas are the source of E. coli food poisoning that sickened 49 people in 10 states. One person died.

Federal investigators believe the raw onion slices are responsible for the deadly outbreak.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the quarter-pounders were linked to the 49 cases of E. coli food poisoning.

McDonald's has removed the Quarter Pounder burger from the menu at 20% of its stores in the US. And now other fast food restaurants, including Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, KFC and Burger King, are removing onions from some menus.

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According to McDonald's officials, Salinas-based Taylor Farms sent onions to a distribution facility.

Taylor Farms has recalled peeled whole and diced yellow onions due to possible E. coli contamination.

The recalled Salinas onions went to a Taylor Farms facility in Colorado, according to a U.S. Food spokesperson.

Taylor Farms issued a statement Thursday saying, “We test both raw and finished products for pathogens and have found no traces of E. coli. We have never seen E. coli O157:H7 associated with onions in the past.”

At Thursday's farmers' market at the Ferry Building in San Francisco, a local producer talked about how production on small farms differs from larger farms like Taylor Farms.

RELATED: 1 dead in multi-state E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald's Quarter Pounders, CDC says

Ramon Rojas is at Rojas Family Farms in Tulare, near Fresno.

“We produce very small quantities of fruit, which gives us a lot more time and more attention to detail,” Rojas said. “What we try to do is have as much quality control as possible. Look at the harvest. And again, in large companies, you may not have the same attention to detail.”

“E. coli has never been associated with onions,” said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, professor of medicine at UCSF. He said this E. coli outbreak is an important reminder of the importance of strict food safety standards for all manufacturers.

“In 1993 there was a major outbreak in meat and Jack-in-the-Box, which led to further improvements in meat production. Now that more vegetables are affected, we need to think about other things and develop new strategies, such as the irrigation system, to keep our food supply as safe as possible,” Chin-Hong said.