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Teen With E. Coli Is Battling Kidney Failure After Eating McDonald’s Quarter Pounders + More
In the days before Kamberlyn Bowler became ill, she went to McDonald’s several times for her favorite meal: a Quarter Pounder with cheese and extra pickles. The previously healthy, active 15-year-old is now hospitalized and battling kidney failure — a rare and potentially life-threatening complication of E. coli poisoning.
Kamberlyn, of Grand Junction, Colorado, is one of dozens of people who say they became sick after having eaten McDonald’s Quarter Pounders. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at least 75 people across 13 states have been infected with E. coli following meals at the fast-food chain. One person has died.
In her first interview about her ordeal, Kamberlyn, a high school freshman, wiped away tears as she summarized how the past few weeks have felt: “Not fun,” she said via Zoom from her hospital room Monday afternoon.
Fruit, Vegetable Pesticide Exposure May Impair Sperm During IVF Cycles
High intake of pesticide residue from fruits and vegetables for male partners was tied to lower fertilization rates for couples undergoing fertility treatment, according to findings presented at the ASRM Scientific Congress & Expo.
“There are actually no specific [dietary] guidelines for [fruits and vegetables] to recommend for couples undergoing fertility treatment or couples trying to conceive specifically,” Jorge E. Chavarro, M.D., ScD, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said during the presentation. “But we do have very robust dietary guidance for the general population for maintaining health in general and for specific factors.”
Researchers observed associations between high intake of high pesticide residue from fruits and vegetables for male partners and low fertilization rates (P = .04), whereas fertilization rates were higher for couples in which male partners had a low intake of high pesticide residue from fruits and vegetables (P = .02).
In addition, the probability of low fertilization cycles was low among couples in which the male partner had a low intake of high pesticide residue from fruits and vegetables (P = .001). However, low fertilization cycles were more likely among couples in which the male partner had a high intake of high pesticide residue from fruits and vegetables (P = .04).
“Our data suggest that exposure to pesticide residue through diet may have this important impact on reproductive function beyond what we have previously described with effects on semen quality,” Chavarro said. “This suggests that exposure to pesticides at levels that are assumed safe for human consumption by U.S. regulatory agencies may impair the ability of the sperm to fertilize oocytes.”
TreeHouse Foods Expands Recall of Waffles, Pancakes
TreeHouse Foods expands its recall of waffles and pancakes from major retailers, like Walmart, Target, Aldi, Dollar General, Kroger, Publix, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s and more.
TreeHouse Food has extended its voluntary recall of frozen breakfast products to include all waffle and pancake items manufactured at a single facility, due to potential contamination with Listeria monocytogenes. This expanded recall covers a range of brands and products distributed across North America, affecting numerous well-known retailers.
The recall includes toaster waffles, Belgian waffles and pancake products across various brands and retailers, broadening the scope significantly. While no confirmed illnesses have been linked to the recall, L. monocytogenes presents serious health risks, especially for pregnant women, the elderly, and immunocompromised individuals.
The expanded recall now encompasses several product types and brands sold by major retailers, such as Walmart, Target, Aldi, Dollar General, Kroger, Publix and many more.
The affected products have best-by dates ranging from Oct. 1, 2024, to Oct. 11, 2025, and can be identified by lot codes starting with “2C.”
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Are Synthetic Food Dyes Bad for You? Here’s What the Science Says.
Synthetic food dyes — and their links to neurobehavioral issues in children — are having a moment.
Last month, California governor Gavin Newsom signed the California School Food Safety Act into law, banning the state’s public schools from serving or selling foods containing six synthetic food dyes starting in 2028. Earlier this month in Michigan, protests broke out in front of the Battle Creek headquarters of WK Kellogg Co., after the company drew renewed criticism for their broken commitment to remove synthetic food dyes in U.S. products, including cereals.
Meanwhile, the same dyes banned in California are still approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The agency doesn’t appear to be changing course, maintaining that there isn’t sufficient evidence to prove that synthetic dyes cause issues like attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, hyperactivity or lack of focus.
The list of foods containing synthetic food dyes is a long one. And fueling the uproar is the impossibility of discerning the risk a child has while consuming them. When federal and state guidelines aren’t aligned, it can be tricky to find out what foods contain the dyes and if they should be avoided altogether.
Sprouts and Bagged Salad Greens: What Food Safety Experts Steer Clear of to Avoid E. Coli
An E. coli outbreak that has sickened at least 75, killing one, is a reminder of the contamination risk that can plague certain types of fresh produce, according to food safety experts.
The four professors said they routinely avoid particular raw fruits and vegetables themselves, such as sprouts, bagged salad greens and cantaloupe.
Though the investigation is ongoing, federal officials suspect prewashed, slivered onions that were served raw on McDonald’s Quarter Pounders are the likely source of the E. coli outbreak. For those who specialize in foodborne illness prevention, the news was not a surprise.
Don Schaffner, a professor of food science at Rutgers University, said that the more food is handled and processed on its journey from the farm to a restaurant or grocery store, the more opportunities there are to introduce or spread bacteria. That includes slicing, prewashing or adding ingredients.
“The more manipulation you do, certainly the more places there are for things to go wrong,” Schaffner said.
