McDonald’s drops tomatoes from India offerings, citing quality concerns as prices surge

Fast-food chain McDonald’s restaurants have dropped tomatoes from their burgers and wraps in many parts of India, stricken by supply shortages and quality concerns after vegetable prices soared to record levels.

In some regions, wholesale prices for traditional Indian cuisine rose 288 percent in a month to 140 rupees ($1.7) per kilogram on Friday, with retail prices are still higher, Motivate many people to reduce consumption.

The government blames the rise in tomato prices on the light production season when monsoon rains disrupt transportation and distribution, but it comes after consumers have struggled with soaring prices of items ranging from milk to spices in recent months.

Also read: Report: Rising prices of tomatoes and pulses push up average cost of Indian thali in June

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“Despite our best efforts, we have not been able to obtain sufficient quantities of tomatoes that pass our rigorous quality checks,” read the notices posted at two McDonald’s stores in New Delhi.

“We are forced to offer products without tomatoes.”

Store managers said the problem was due to quality issues in the supply chain, not pricing.

In a statement to the media, Connaught Plaza Restaurants, which operates around 150 outlets as a McDonald’s franchisee in north and east India, attributed the decision to “temporary” seasonal issues.

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However, Westlife Foodworld, McDonald’s franchisee for the western and southern regions of India, with 357 restaurants, said there were “no serious tomato issues.”

It added that the problem is seasonal and has forced 10 to 15 percent of its stores to stop offering tomatoes temporarily.

However, McDonald’s Delhi stores still served sachets of tomato ketchup, and nearby Subway restaurant said there were no problems serving tomatoes.

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In Mumbai, vegetable vendor Vijay Sharma said sales have plummeted from the 40 kilos he hauled around every day.

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“Most of my customers have stopped buying tomatoes,” he said. “Now, I only carry five kilos.”

As Indians cut back on tomatoes, some companies are suggesting alternatives.

“Tomato prices are going up? Cook with tomato puree instead!” An advertisement pops up among the results obtained by searching for tomatoes on Tata Group’s BigBasket shopping app.