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OFT Food Safety & Injury Lawyers have filed the first lawsuit against McDonald’s onion supplier Taylor Farms arising from the multistate E. coli outbreak linked to the “slivered” onions used on McDonald’s Quarter Pounders. McDonald Corporation and Taylor Fresh Foods, Inc. (Taylor Farms) are defendants. The lawsuit has been filed in Cook County, Illinois, where McDonald’s is headquartered.
According to the Complaint, the Plaintiff is Colorado resident Logan Grinstead, who fell ill two days after consuming a McDonald’s Quarter Pounder containing contaminated Taylor Farms’ slivered onions.
In the wake of the outbreak, McDonalds indicated that slivered onions were a likely vehicle for the outbreak strain of E. coli, and McDonalds identified Taylor Farms as the source of those onions. OFT Lawyer Brendan Flaherty has called for both McDonalds and Taylor Farms to publicly release what they know.
Calls for Accountability: McDonald’s Onion Supplier Taylor Farms
“McDonalds believes contaminated onions rather than its beef were the source of the outbreak strain but really have not said what evidence they have. McDonalds keeps good track of its food suppliers, and says those onions came from Taylor Farms. But Taylor Farms has not publicly stepped up and taken responsibility or publicly identified the growing fields or the customers who received those onions. If you want the public to trust you, you’ve got to come clean. Transparency and trust go hand in hand,” he said in a recent interview. “That is why Mr. Grinstead brought his case: to find out how this happened and get those responsible to step up and take responsibility,” Flaherty said.
According to Flaherty, what will be most telling is whether any product or field testing of onions proves to be positive for E. coli. “I want to see the receipts,” he said. “If all tests, industry and public health, were negative, tell us. If there were any tests that were positive, tell us that too. Tests don’t lie.”
The outbreak has, so far, affected 75 people across 13 states, with two individuals developing a severe, life-threatening kidney condition known as hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), and one person has died. Unfortunately, these numbers are likely to rise as the investigation continues.
With over 50 years of combined experience, the attorneys at OFT Law have recovered tens of millions of dollars for victims of foodborne illness.
