FDA redacts information from report showing Taylor Farms inadequate food safety measures related to McDonald’s E. coli outbreak

An FDA inspection report shows that Taylor Farms violated food safety regulations at the Colorado plant that processed slivered onions linked to a deadly E. coli outbreak.

The raw onions were served on McDonald’s Quarter Pounder hamburgers in several states. The Centers for Disease Control and Protection reported that 104 patients from 14 states were infected with E. coli O157:H7. Of those patients, 38 required hospitalization and one patient died. Four patients developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a serious condition that can cause kidney failure. 

Taylor Farms supplied the onions that were determined to be the source of the E. coli. Patients became ill from mid-September through Oct. 21, 2024. The company recalled its yellow onions on Oct. 22. By then, McDonald’s had stopped serving slivered onions on its products and temporarily stopped serving Quarter Pounders at some of its restaurants. Ground beef was tested and came back negative for E. coli contamination.

A report by Food and Drug Administration investigators for inspections from Oct. 28 through Nov. 11 shows a variety of violations at the Taylor Farms Colorado Springs, CO, vegetable processing facility.

The report has been redacted, leaving many elements unavailable to the public. However, unreacted portions of the report show the following:

Observation 1 — You did not implement your sanitation preventive control, monitoring, corrective action and verification.

Observation 2 — You did not have sanitation control monitoring, corrective action and verification records.

Observation 3 — You did not conduct operations under conditions and controls necessary to minimize the potential for contamination of food. 

The report details how peeled and slivered onions can be exposed to pathogens during processing. Specifically, there were areas throughout the facility where recontamination of environmental pathogens could occur. For example, on the inspection dates Oct. 28 to Oct. 31 and Nov. 4 and 5 inspectors observed numerous areas in the facility that could support pathogenic growth on various food contact surfaces, and non-food contact surfaces. The production rooms in the facility are maintained at temperatures that would support the growth of pathogenic organisms, such as Listeria. For example, pooling water was observed near the (redacted) cutting area. 

Several non-food contact surface areas in the production rooms tested positive for Listeria spp. These problems date back to Spring of 2023, and possibly earlier. They include:

(redacted)

1.“Drain behind (redacted) on Feb. 9, 2024 

2.“Line (redacted) on Feb. 9

3.“(redacted) line (redacted) line on Feb. 16

4.“(redacted) RTE products on May 15

5.Floor (redacted) for line (redacted) on June 5

6.“(redacted) er the (redacted) for line (redacted) on June 14

7.“Drain (redacted) room on Aug. 14, 18 and 19, 2023

8.“Drain, (redacted) Line (redacted) Oct. 9, 2023

9. “Drain (redacted) on Oct. 29, 2023

10. “Line drain for (redacted) line on Oct. 28, 2023

11. “Floor for high traffic area line (redacted) on Oct. 23, 2023 and

12. On the floor “employee high traffic area line (redacted) on March 20, 2023.

The report goes on to say that Taylor Farms had inadequate plans for some food safety requirements.

“Your corrective action procedure in your food safety plan for environmental monitoring does not address how your process will be addressed, and how the action taken will reduce the likelihood of the problem from reoccurring in the future. Your corrective actions listed in your “Environmental Monitoring” plan dated 8/19/2024 explains that you will (redacted) your results are returned from the third-party lab for (redacted). However, environmental monitoring records reviewed for 2023 and 2024 demonstrated this was not consecutively being completed. For example, in 2023, a positive result for Listeria spp., was received on (redacted), and the (redacted) tests were completed on (redacted). This was not completed the day after the test results were received (redacted). On 1/28/2024, you received a positive result for Listeria spp., and your follow-up test on (redacted) indicated a positive result on (redacted) and the tests were completed on (redacted) The follow-up test was not completed (redacted) were received as stated in your corrective action plan for Environmental Monitoring.”

The inspection report goes on to detail problems with Taylor Farms’ hazard analysis and sanitation controls plan. It also says certain company documents were missing.

“Your firm processes ready-to-eat (RTE) produce products including slivered onions. Your RTE produce products are exposed to the environment prior to packaging and do not undergo a lethal treatment step for pathogens. The hazard analysis titled, ‘Processed Vegetables Hazard Analysis’ dated 10/23/2024 is used for slivered onions. This hazard analysis did not identify the preventive control for the hazard, recontamination of environmental pathogens. The food safety plan titled, (redacted) Sanitation Preventative Controls- Processed Vegetables” dated 10/23/24 has the product description listed as ‘Diced Tomato.’ This food safety plan lists ‘environmental pathogens, such as Salmonella and Listeria’ as hazards that require a ‘sanitation control’. According to firm management, this food safety plan is used for all processed vegetables at this location, including slivered onions.

“The (redacted) cleanliness check documents titled, ‘Pre-Op Inspection from Today 9/24/2024 and 10/5/2024’ were missing, and are used as monitoring and verification for sanitation control. The PCQI trained individual signed off on all preventive control monitoring records in the production packet for 9/24/24 and 10/5/24, and did not note the missing records. There was no corrective action report.”

The FDA inspectors also noted that numerous wet surfaces were not properly sanitized and employees were not following food safety protocols. Also, plant management was not able to provide FDA inspectors with proper documentation regarding sanitization chemicals.

To read the full, redacted report, click here.

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Source: https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2025/01/fda-redacts-information-from-report-showing-taylor-farms-inadequate-food-safety-measures-related-to-mcdonalds-e-coli-outbreak/