No more tomatoes in McDonald's menu items, company cited 'temporary’ issue

McDonald’s India issued an official statement on Friday that it is dropping tomatoes from its menu due to a “temporary” issue. In the statement, which was issued on July 7, the spokesperson of McDonald’s India- North and East said that the fast food chain is “constrained to serve tomatoes” in its menu items due to “seasonal issues” in procurement.

SEBI Registered Investment Adviser, Aditya Saha also tweeted that McDonald's in Delhi had put up a notice stating that even McDonald's cannot afford tomatoes now.

The official statement by McDonald's India - North and East read, "As a brand committed to the highest standards of food quality and safety, we use ingredients only after rigorous food quality and safety checks. However, due to seasonal issues and despite our best efforts, we are not able to procure tomatoes that pass our world-class, stringent quality checks. Hence, we are constrained to serve tomatoes in our menu items at some of our restaurants. This is a temporary issue and we would like to reassure our customers that we are looking at all possible ways to bring back tomatoes to our menu very soon."

While the company has not cited the lack of tomatoes in its menu to the rising prices but the price of tomatoes in India has skyrocketed due to heavy rainfall. This seasonal issue has affected supply chains, transportation and crop quality. Tomato prices in places like Delhi, Kolkata and Uttar Pradesh have reached R 130-1545 per kg.

Watch |Tomato prices in India: What's driving the hike? All you need to know

Several state governments have taken prompt actions to bring down the rising cost of tomatoes. In West Bengal, the Mamata Banerjee-led government has taken cognisance of the issue and directed its own retailing network, Sufal Bangala, to deliver fair prices at Rs 115 per kg. In Tamil Nadu, the government is working on selling tomatoes at a subsidised rate of Rs 60 per kg through fair-price shops.

McDonald’s and tomato problem

This is not the first time that the US-based burger chain, McDonald’s has sliced tomatoes out of their menu. In 2016 as well, McDonald’s in North and East India stopped using tomatoes in its burgers over the poor quality of the crop.

A notice was displayed in Delhi’s Connaught Plaza restaurants, explaining that the company was unable to add tomatoes tovarious products due to temporary unavailability. Unpredictable conditions have impacted the tomato crop, its quality and supply, the notice said.

Rising prices of tomatoes

The prices of tomatoes have significantly risen in northern regions, with rates reaching ₹250 per kg in Gangotri Dham and ₹180 to ₹200 per kg in Uttarkashi district. Local vegetable sellers have noted the sudden increase in tomato prices, which has led to a decrease in consumer demand. Similar price hikes have been observed in Gangotri and Yamunotri, where tomatoes are being sold at ₹200 to ₹250 per kg.

Karnataka has also witnessed a steep rise in tomato prices. In Bengaluru, prices range from ₹101 to ₹121 per kg. The increase in prices can be attributed to the sudden rise in temperatures during March and April, which resulted in pest attacks on tomato crops and subsequently led to higher market rates.

WATCH WION LIVE HERE