Patron dies from McDonald’s E. coli outbreak

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Patron dies from McDonald’s E. coli outbreak

Rational, irrational, and godly fear

October 25, 2024 -

Tray full of fast food in McDonalds Restaurant. Cheeseburger, French fries, and soda to illustrate the recent E. coli outbreak. By FOTO_STOCKER/stock.adobe.com

Tray full of fast food in McDonalds Restaurant. Cheeseburger, French fries, and soda to illustrate the recent E. coli outbreak. By FOTO_STOCKER/stock.adobe.com

Tray full of fast food in McDonalds Restaurant. Cheeseburger, French fries, and soda to illustrate the recent E. coli outbreak. By FOTO_STOCKER/stock.adobe.com

On Tuesday, the CDC opened an investigation into the global fast-food restaurant, McDonald’s. An E. coli infection reportedly caused around fifty people to become sick, with one person dying from the infection. The outbreaks specifically seem to stem from their Quarter Pounders. Are you in any risk eating at McDonald’s? 

The McDonald’s E. coli outbreak 

According to the Associated Press, “A preliminary investigation suggests raw slivered onions served on Quarter Pounders are a likely source of the outbreak.” While the beef patties could also be the problem, the bacteria will die if they cook the patties to health code standards. On the other hand, the onions are served raw. Some strains of E. coli are harmless, but this strain, O157:H7, is dangerous for vulnerable populations like children.

As a precaution, McDonald’s removed slivered onions and beef patties from the following States, according to the CDC

  • Colorado 
  • Kansas
  • Utah
  • Wyoming 

They also removed them from some locations in: 

  • Idaho 
  • Iowa 
  • Missouri 
  • Montana 
  • Nebraska 
  • Nevada
  • New Mexico
  • Oklahoma

All told, the potentially dangerous foods are no longer available at one-fifth of all US-based McDonald’s. In addition, one of McDonald’s major onion suppliers issued a recall

Investigators are helping identify the source of the outbreak with more certainty. If you experience symptoms of this strain of E. coli as listed by the CDC, contact your healthcare provider immediately. 

The irrationality of fear

One of the most dramatic cases of restaurants and foodborne illnesses was Jack in the Box in the 1990s. The illness killed four children and infected over 700 people. It became a public scandal when the parents of one of the deceased children asked Bill Clinton a question about it on live TV. Subsequent lawsuits were settled for tens of millions of dollars.

As of this writing, no one has sued McDonald’s or their food suppliers. However, the two cases illustrate our fear of the unknown rather than our fear of statistically likely danger. 

It’s scary to think about the possibility of foodborne illness, especially if it can lead to death. But, you’re still exceptionally unlikely to get sick from restaurant food. And, even if you do, it’s even less likely to kill you. However, both Jack in the Box and McDonald’s are “dangerous” for a reason that has nothing to do with E. coli. 

In one sense, obesity is far more life-threatening than the bacteria. Fast food (and “ultra-processed” food more generally) is tied to heart disease and, potentially, to cancer. In other words, the Quarter Pounder was already dangerous before the E. coli outbreak, but that that doesn’t “scare” us (though perhaps it should). 

The point is that our fear is often irrational. We fear what we don’t know more than what we do know, even if the latter is far riskier. However, sometimes knowing something can increase fear.

Fearing God

The Bible frequently says to fear God, not by being scared, but by placing due weight on his eminence and power. 

Fear of God is something deeper than just rationality, as though such a thing were like two plus two is four. Instead, as Proverbs 8:13 states, “The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil” (emphasis added). In other words, fear of the Lord means attesting to the glory of God through our actions. The more we understand the character and grandness of God, the more we revere him. 

We don’t, of course, cower with fear as though we were going to be punished. Christians know that God is perfecting his love for us, as sons and daughters (1 John 4:18). Instead, we delight in fearing God, knowing that we are redeemed by him (Nehemiah 1:11).

Do you fear God? If not, how can you cultivate such a reverence, today? 

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