E. coli found in McDonald’s after Trump “worked” at the checkout
29 October 2024 10:05
Transactions in the McDonald’s network fell by 6% after it became known about cases of E. coli infection associated with Quarter Pounder burgers. This was reported by Bloomberg, according to "Komersant Ukrainian"
According to the publication, online sales fell sharply in the days after the information about the outbreak became public. This was a serious blow to McDonald’s, which had previously tried to overcome the drop in attendance with promotions such as $5 combos and a high-profile advertising campaign for a temporary novelty, the Chicken Big Mac. Prior to the disclosure, the chain’s transaction problems had been growing.
On Sunday, Joe Erlinger, president of McDonald’s U.S. division, apologized to customers:
“I know that our relationship is built on trust. You trust us to serve safe food. On behalf of the McDonald’s system, I want you to hear me: we are sorry.”
McDonald’s suspects that the carrier of the bacteria was sliced raw onions that are put in the Quarter Pounder. The chain, which has removed the burgers from about 20% of its U.S. locations, said on Sunday that it plans to return them this week, ruling out the possibility of beef contamination. The burgers will be served without onions.
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The drop in attendance was observed across the country, but in states where the burgers were taken off the market, the decline was even greater. For example, in Colorado, which has the highest number of E. coli cases, attendance fell by 33% on October 25 compared to last year.
According to the Center for Disease Control, the outbreak has sickened 75 people in 13 states and caused one death. The CDC believes that the risk to the public is “very low” given the actions of McDonald’s and onion supplier Taylor Farms, which recalled several batches of the product. McDonald’s said it would stop buying onions from the facility that was the subject of the investigation.
At the same time, it is worth noting that the outbreak of E. coli in the chain occurred a day after US presidential candidate Donald Trump “worked” at a McDonald’s restaurant. The politician visited one of the restaurants in Pennsylvania, put on branded clothing and handed out food to customers.
After that, McDonald’s was criticized, but the company said that Trump’s action did not require approval from the company’s top management, as the fast food chain operates on a franchise basis. And the owner of a particular restaurant in Pennsylvania voluntarily allowed Trump to hold his campaign.
Trump’s campaign at McDonald took place on October 20, and E. coli was found in the burgers the next day, on October 22.
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