Coca-Cola's CEO says the E. coli outbreak at McDonald's won't affect sales

Coca-Cola CEO James Quincey said the company does not expect an associated outbreak of E. coli McDonald's affect the beverage company's sales.

“If you look at what's been in the media so far and which states are affected, I would say it's not going to have a big, significant impact on the business at this point,” Quincey said of Coke's third-quarter earnings release on Wednesday.

McDonald's is Coca-Cola's largest restaurant customer and the symbiotic relationship between the two companies has existed for nearly seven decades. Most recently, CNBC reported that Coca-Cola donated marketing funds to McDonald's this summer for its $5 meal, which also includes a small soft drink, to make it more attractive to franchisees who would otherwise shy away from steep discounts could.

“We're a big partner with McDonald's, they're a big partner with us,” Quincey said. “We will help them in any way we can as they process everything that is happening here.”

On Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that it had linked an E. coli outbreak in 10 states to McDonald's Quarter Pounder burgers. According to the authority, 49 cases were reported, with one fatality.

CDC investigators have narrowed down two ingredients as a possible cause: the burger's onions and its fresh beef patties. Both ingredients are unique to Quarter Pounder burgers, although cooking the patty to the proper internal temperature should kill the bacteria.

McDonald's said in a statement Tuesday that Quarter Pounders will be temporarily unavailable in several western states, including Colorado, Kansas, Utah and Wyoming, as well as parts of other states. The company also said it has directed all local restaurants to remove sliced ​​onions from their inventory and has stopped distributing the ingredient in the affected area.

“We are very confident that you can go to McDonald's and enjoy our classics. “We took quick action yesterday to remove the Quarter Pounder from our menu,” Joe Erlinger, president of McDonald's USA, said on NBC's “Today” show Wednesday morning.

At this point, it is unclear what impact the outbreak will have on McDonald's own sales.

The outbreak comes as consumers are generally spending less at restaurants, hurting both McDonald's and Coke. McDonald's and its fast-food rivals are relying on discounts in the hope that the deals will win back customers, while Coca-Cola is involved in marketing the combo meals to boost its own sales.

Despite sluggish consumer spending, Coca-Cola's third-quarter profits and revenue beat Wall Street estimates thanks to higher prices. The company's shares fell more than 2% in morning trading.