In a move to ensure customer safety amidst a recent food scare, Colorado-based restaurant chain Illegal Pete's has removed yellow onions from their menu. This decision follows a notice from their food supplier, US Foods, alerting them about a recall issued by Taylor Farms due to potential E. coli contamination. As Denver7 reports, the restaurant's quick response to the recall, emphasizes that it was done out of "an abundance of caution."
Further clarifying the situation, Illegal Pete's noted, that despite not using the slivered onions linked to a multi-state outbreak at McDonald's stores, they were subject to a "blanket recall" on yellow onions from certain lots by Taylor Farms. This was echoed in a statement saying, "We take this very seriously and are following their recall instructions to the letter," as obtained by KDVR. The restaurant chain also reassured that the diced/sliced white onion product, identified as the source of the McDonald's outbreak, was not used by Illegal Pete’s locations.
Amidst the onion caution, Colorado has been grappling with E. coli cases linked to a McDonald's outbreak. With at least ten instances reported across several counties. A spokesperson for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment suggested a widespread issue, citing concerns that, "all Colorado McDonald’s locations received ingredients from the same suppliers, so we believe all McDonald’s may be affected," as noted by The Colorado Sun. Although Taylor Farms has not been confirmed as the source of the McDonald's outbreak, the blanket recall on yellow onions has businesses like Illegal Pete’s acting with caution.
The scare has also reached beyond the state of Colorado. Over the weekend, more than 1,000 cases of green onions were subject to recall due to possible Salmonella contamination. These onions were distributed across Canada and the U.S. to various retailers including Trader Joe’s, adding another layer to the ongoing concern over contaminated produce. The situation continues to unfold as health officials carry out their investigations and suppliers like Taylor Farms recall products that could potentially be harmful to consumers.
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