A deadly E. coli outbreak linked to a popular McDonald's menu item is the latest in a number of cases involving dangerous food-born illnesses.

It's prompting concerns and questions over the safety of our food supply.

Stephanie Sigh has more.

Jeff, federal officials are investigating a deadly E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald's

quarter pounder hamburgers.

At least 49 people have gotten sick in 10 states and one person has died.

McDonald says it serves about 1 million quarter pounders in those combined

states every two weeks. The company believes the food poisoning is tied to

sliced onions on the burgers supplied by a single vendor.

McDonald's USA President Joe Erlinger spelled out in a video for customers what the company is now doing.

We've taken steps to proactively remove slivered onions,

which are used in quarter pounders from restaurants in select states.

We also made the decision to temporarily remove the quarter pounder from restaurants in select states.

The decision to do this is not one we take lightly and it was made in close consultation

with the CDC.

Erlinger also said McDonald's other meat products are safe and will continue to be sold in those states.

For more on this case and ongoing concerns about food safety. I'm joined by Donald

Schaffner who's focused on this subject at Rutgers University. Don thank you so

much for joining us. With this case many of us will remember the Jack in the Box,

hamburger outbreak of E. coli that occurred in the early 1990s.

This case with McDonald's doesn't seem to rise to that magnitude.

Still, as somebody who studies these incidents, how surprised are you that this outbreak

...