Federal health officials confirmed 507 cases of illness from customers who became sick after eating McDonald’s salads. The Food and Drug Administration said the illnesses linked to the cyclospora parasite occurred in 15 states and New York City. These include: Michigan, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, and Indiana. Officials also said customers sickened in Florida, New York City, Virginia, Tennessee, and Connecticut had traveled in Illinois and Kentucky.
In July, McDonald’s said it removed its existing salad blend from identified restaurants and distribution centers—a move that included roughly 3,000 U.S. restaurants primarily located in the Midwest. It stopped serving salads until it located a different supplier. The FDA said it is still investigating the supplier of romaine lettuce and carrots. The cyclospora parasite can cause diarrhea, intestinal pain, nausea, and fatigue.
In a different incident, on August 23, the New York State Department of Health and Chautauqua County Health Department said they were investigating multiple reports of illnesses, which could be linked to a McDonald’s in Jamestown, Chautauqua County, per CNBC. The report said 22 McDonald’s guests reported nausea, vomiting or diarrhea from August 4–21. The Department is looking at whether breakfast sandwiches sold at the restaurant made people sick. The franchise owner temporarily shut down the restaurant to clean it and review its preparation methods. CNBC said the store was also ordering new ingredients to use when it reopens and would have a follow-up meeting with the county health department.