The fallout from the continues — but this time, at a different fast food company altogether. Yum! Brands Inc. is nixing onions from some of its Taco Bell, KFC, and Pizza Hut locations, it told in a statement today.
So far Yum! is doing so "out of an abundance of caution," it said, mentioning that it "will continue following supplier and regulatory guidance to ensure the ongoing safety and quality of our food." No specific list of restaurants or locations was mentioned, so which regions will be affected isn't quite clear yet. The company also didn't say which suppliers it gets its onions from, so as of now, there's no telling whether or not the decision is directly related to the McDonald's situation.
This is just a reminder that despite health regulations being in place, sometimes food contamination can cast a wide net and affect a large swath of customers. The McDonald's situation is particularly significant It's quite possible that more people were affected because the investigation is still ongoing, and not everyone who consumed the tainted product may have felt sick enough to report the issue. And fast food environments are commonly the center of outbreaks, since , cooking surfaces, and other areas.
Past mass fast food poisoning events include (the cause of which remains unsolved), and even though stringent health guidelines are usually built into standard operating procedures at chain restaurants, if a raw ingredient itself becomes tainted from higher up in the supply .
