Deadly E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounders
Deadly E. coli Outbreak linked to |
E. coli [ ee KOH-lahy ]
14:38
deadly – causing or able to cause death
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Escherichia coli or E.coli – a bacterium that lives in the intestines of people and animals that cause illness if they get into food or water
Escherichia [ eh-shr-I-kee-uh ]
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bacterium [ bak-TEER-ee-uhm ]
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outbreak – a sudden start or increase of fighting or disease
linked to – cause or associated with or the connection
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reassure [ ree-uh–shoor ]
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confident – having a feeling or belief that you can do something well or succeed at something
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confidential – secret or private
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confidant – a trusted friend you can talk to about personal and private things
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fidere – trust
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sicken [ SIK–uhn ]
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Personalized FEEDBACK
VOCABULARY
deadly – causing or able to cause death
Escherichia coli or E.coli – a bacterium that lives in the intestines of people and animals that cause illness if they get into food or water
outbreak – a sudden start or increase of fighting or disease
linked to – cause or associated with or the connection
confident – having a feeling or belief that you can do something well or succeed at something
confidential – secret or private
confidant – a trusted friend you can talk to about personal and private things
GRAMMAR
You said: Difficult question. I often go McDonalds because reasonable price, cheaper, breakfast is cheap, sometimes they campaign for chicken nuggets.
Better: That’s a difficult question but I often go to McDonalds because of the reasonable price of breakfast and sometimes, they have a special promo for chicken nuggets.
You said: It’s like a snack, so if we thought that is dish, that is not so good but if thought that is a snack, maybe good.
Better: If we consider chicken nuggets as a snack, then they’re good, but if we consider them as a dish, then they may not be good.
PRONUNCIATION
E. coli [ ee KOH-lahy ]
reassure [ ree-uh–shoor ]
sicken [ SIK–uhn ]
Posted November 26, 2024
Category: Health
Listening
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Unlocking Word Meanings
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.