After a major E.coli outbreak at hamburger chain McDonald’s, measures were also taken in a number of Pizza Hut, KFC, Burger King and Taco Bell restaurants in the United States. Many fast food establishments have removed onions, the ingredient believed to be responsible for the infections, from their menus.
Meanwhile, a Colorado man has filed a lawsuit against McDonald’s. It is the first case against the fast food chain since the American health service CDC linked the deadly outbreak to the so-called ‘quarter pounder’ hamburgers.
The case was filed on Wednesday in an Illinois court. The indictment states that Eric Stelly went to his local McDonald’s in Colorado in early October and began experiencing nausea, abdominal cramps, dehydration and bloody stools a few days later. On October 8, he tested positive for E.coli.
According to the Reuters news agency, the complainant is seeking damages of more than $50,000 because McDonald’s is said to have been negligent regarding the hygiene of the food and its processing. McDonald’s itself suspects that the cause of the contamination lies with the onions used for the hamburger.
According to the CDC, nearly 50 people in total have been infected with the same strain of the bacteria. Ten people had to be hospitalized. People have become ill, especially in Colorado and Nebraska, but a total of ten different states in the western US have reported infections. An elderly Colorado resident has died.