As quality tomatoes are scarcer and prices soar, several fast-food restaurants in India have halted serving them with their burgers. The issue comes as tomato prices have been going up and up. The retail price of tomatoes in the capital touched ₹120 a kilo (€1.32) on Thursday. Typically, periods of July-August and October-November are lean production months for tomatoes.
This has led to notices indicating the unavailability of tomatoes were posted at some McDonald’s outlets in north and east India on Friday. However, McDonald’s clarified that the decision to remove tomatoes from its offerings is due to the inability of tomatoes in some regions to meet its global quality standards rather than the rising prices of the popular vegetable.
Responding to a query, a spokesperson for Connaught Plaza Restaurants Pvt. Ltd, which operates McDonald’s outlets in north and east India, said seasonal crop issues are limiting procurement of tomatoes. However, the fast food chain continues to serve tomatoes across its outlets in Punjab and Chandigarh, where it can source in adequate quantities.
Restaurant chain Burger King, however, continues to use tomatoes in its burgers.
Source: livemint.com