Deadly E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounders

印刷用画面を開く

Posted

Category: Health

Listening

Unlocking Word Meanings

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.

  1. reassure / ˌri əˈʃʊər / (v.) – to make someone feel less worried or more confident about something
    Example:

    I called my friend to reassure her before her big job interview.


  2. sicken / ˈsɪk ən / (v.) – to cause someone to become sick
    Example:

    The bad food at the picnic sickened a few people, so they had to go home early.


  3. preliminary / prɪˈlɪm əˌnɛr I / (adj.) – happening before the main or most important part of something, such as an event or action
    Example:

    The team conducted preliminary research to see if the idea would work before investing money.


  4. pull up / pʊl ʌp / (phrasal v.) – to stop a vehicle somewhere, often for a short time
    Example:

    The car pulled up to the side of the road and parked.


  5. forthcoming / ˈfɔrθˈkʌm ɪŋ / (adj.) – helpful, honest, and willing to give information or to talk
    Example:

    She was very forthcoming with the details of the project.


Article

Read the text below.

McDonald’s worked on October 24 to reassure customers that its U.S. restaurants are safe as federal investigators tried to pinpoint the cause of a deadly E. coli outbreak linked to the fast food giant’s Quarter Pounder hamburgers.


McDonald’s pulled Quarter Pounders from one-fifth of its U.S. stores on October 23 as a result of the outbreak, which the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said had sickened at least 49 people in 10 states. One person died and 10 were hospitalized, according to the CDC.


A preliminary investigation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration suggested fresh slivered onions that are served raw on Quarter Pounder hamburgers were a likely source of the contamination. McDonald’s also serves raw, slivered onions on one of its breakfast sandwiches, but that sandwich isn’t available at the impacted stores. Other burgers, like the Big Mac, use diced, cooked onions.


McDonald’s said it was searching for a new regional supplier of fresh onions. In the meantime, Quarter Pounders were removed from menus in Colorado, Kansas, Utah, Wyoming, and portions of Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, and Oklahoma.


Adriean Madden, 37, pulled up outside a McDonald’s in Denver on October 24 for his usual afternoon snack but then decided against it. He said he was unsure how E. coli spreads or contaminates other foods, and he thinks McDonald’s should be more forthcoming.


“This affects my decision with coming to McDonald’s in the future,” Madden said. “I feel like the information isn’t as widely spread. I didn’t see any notices on the door, and then I saw vehicles going through the drive-through just as if nothing was going on.”


McDonald’s said it had worked closely with federal food safety regulators in October when it was alerted to the potential outbreak. The company said the scope of the problem and the popularity of its products have complicated efforts to identify the contamination source.


McDonald’s has more than 14,000 U.S. stores and serves 1 million Quarter Pounders every two weeks in the affected 12-state area.


This article was provided by The Associated Press.


Viewpoint Discussion

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.

Discussion A

  • How do you think pulling food from a menu just like McDonald’s Quarter Pounder affects a business’s reputation and customers’ trust? If you heard about a food safety issue at a restaurant, would you still go there? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Do you think it’s harder for big companies like McDonald’s to handle food safety issues? Why? In your opinion, how can a brand regain trust after a major food safety problem? Discuss.

Discussion B

  • Adriean Madden said he was unsure how E. coli spreads or contaminates other foods, and he thinks McDonald’s should be more forthcoming. How important do you think it is for restaurants to inform customers about food safety problems directly? Do you think signs or notices about food recalls in stores are helpful, or could they cause unnecessary fear? Why? Discuss.
  • Are there specific types of food or places where you feel more cautious about safety? How do you usually check if a place is safe to eat at (ex. I check reviews online, I ask other people)? Discuss.