Will McDonald’s salads ever come back on the menu?

As the number of people sick from the McDonald’s salads grows, there’s a question for the chain. Will the salads ever return once the source is found?

If you haven’t already heard, McDonald’s salads have been taken off the menu. Many of them have been linked to sickness due to a parasite known as Clyclospora. It’s tainted the greens and now 286 people are sick across 15 states. So far, 11 have been hospitalized.

This number keeps growing. McDonald’s CEO admittedly did act quickly (and voluntarily) in removing the tainted salads from the menu, but now there’s a big question: will these salads ever return? Will any salads ever return?

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The damage has now been done.

McDonald’s has switched to a different supplier for their salads. This hints that the chain wants to bring all salads back. However, there’s a concern that people won’t want to buy the salads again. New supplier or not, there’s the worry that contaminated salads could make their way back into the store again. After all, the numbers of affected people are growing despite the salads off the menu.

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(Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Now granted, it can take six weeks for Cyclospora infections to be identified clearly, according to a report from USA Today. There’s a chance that these people currently suffering are from the older batches of salad, but that doesn’t really do much to quell fears. CNN also reports that the symptoms can go away and return again at a later date.

What makes it difficult is that the source of the outbreak hasn’t been identified yet. This will make many people uneasy. Even if the salads did come back, would people eat them?

Salads are among the popular option for those wanting to lose weight. McDonald’s knows there’s a market for them, so it would be surprising if none came back at all. What we may see is one or two return to see if too much damage has been done to reputation first. Considering how quickly McDonald’s did act and has continued to act, it could be a saving grace.

Would you buy a salad from McDonald’s now? Should they return to the stores? Share your thoughts in the comments below.