McDonald's took Quarter Pounders off the menu in response to an E. coli outbreak. Is it safe to eat them now?

The McDonald’s slogan may be “I’m lovin’ it,” but many customers can’t say the same — at least, not after a foodborne illness outbreak at the chain led many to press pause on their regular fast food runs. Now McDonald’s is hoping to bring diners back — leading many to wonder if it’s actually safe to head to the Golden Arches once more.

What’s happening?

In October, an outbreak of E. coli at McDonald’s was linked to the company’s Quarter Pounder burgers, and, later, to the slivered onions used in their production. E. coli is a group of bacteria; while it lives in the guts of humans and animals, certain strains can cause serious gastrointestinal illness, including diarrhea, abdominal pain and, in severe cases, kidney damage. People may encounter E. coli when they consume undercooked meat (like ground beef), drink unpasteurized milk or juice or eat contaminated fruits and vegetables.

At least 104 people fell ill and 34 were hospitalized. One person died in Colorado, and four others developed life-threatening kidney disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Subsequently, McDonald’s stock sunk as sales and customers dipped. The company, now the subject of a proposed class action lawsuit, previously apologized to its customers over the foodborne illness outbreak. And now, as CNN reports, McD’s is spending more than $100 million to get customers back. That includes shelling out $35 million on marketing, plus an additional $65 million directed toward McDonald’s stores that lost business due to the outbreak. (A part of this may include a slew of new promotions, like a 10-piece chicken nugget for just $1 through Dec. 2 and 'Buy One, Add One for $1,' which was announced Friday.)

Is it safe to eat at McDonald’s?

According to a November 13 update from the CDC, the affected onions served at McDonald's locations were recalled and are past shelf life. Its probe remains open to “investigate any other illnesses which occurred when the onions were available at McDonald’s.” The CDC says they “believe the risk to the public is low.”

The Food and Drug Administration, meanwhile, said, “At this time, there does not appear to be a continued food safety concern related to this outbreak at McDonald’s restaurants.”

In a statement available on its website, McDonald’s echoed these reports and said, “Food safety is something we will never compromise on, and we remain committed to doing the right thing. Thank you to all the public health authorities for their partnership and collaboration, which allowed McDonald’s to take swift and decisive action to protect our customers and public health.”

Despite McDonald’s and federal agencies assuring customers that its food is safe to consume, not every customer feels comfortable eating this fast food in the wake of the outbreak.

Food safety experts understand why trust is shaken, as food is a “very personal and emotional part of our lives,” and most of us are unfamiliar with how the food industry operates, Bryan Quoc Le, a food scientist, tells Yahoo Life. “There is an implicit trust between the consumer and a company that implies that the company will provide food that is safe for consumption,” he explains. “When there is the possibility of bodily harm from food, consumers quickly lose trust in the company.

Le, however, thinks that the food at McDonald’s is safe for consumption.

“Since McDonald's is under scrutiny by federal and state agencies, it is unlikely that another outbreak or contamination will occur,” Le explains. “Once a company has gone through some food safety issue, it's safe to say that they will be putting stricter safeguards on their supply chain almost immediately.”

He adds that, for a large company like McDonald's, they will have “the logistical and financial resources to conduct a quick recall and replace the onions with ingredients that are verified to not contain the contamination.”

Brian Labus, an infectious disease epidemiologist and assistant professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, tells Yahoo Life that this actually might be the safest time to eat at McDonald’s, as the company is currently “hyper-focused on food safety.”

“It's like getting pulled over for speeding — you are probably the safest driver on the road as you pull away from the curb after getting a ticket,” he explains.

However, Labus says that the goal of our food safety system is not to only do things right after an outbreak. Instead, it is “designed to protect every single diner at every meal by preventing problems in the first place.”

“McDonald's didn't become the biggest fast food chain on earth by making people sick,” Labus says, noting that all major chains have “teams of internal restaurant inspectors and epidemiologists dedicated to ensuring food safety throughout the company.”

Labus adds that while it can take months to declare an outbreak “over,” that doesn’t mean eating at a restaurant that experienced one is not safe. “Regulators are going to ensure that the restaurant is protecting the public through a variety of approaches, from simple fixes like removing menu items — like McDonald's did with the slivered onions — to more serious responses like closing the restaurant. If the restaurant is open, they have satisfied the health department's requirement to operate safely.”