Tomatoes go missing in burgers as firms cite crop shortage
NEW DELHI : Amid soaring prices and a scarcity of quality tomatoes during the monsoon season, several fast-food restaurants in India have halted serving the culinary staple to customers. Notices indicating the unavailability of tomatoes were posted at some McDonald’s outlets in north and east India on Friday, posts on social media platforms showed. 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.
“Due to seasonal crop issues arising out of farm fields in a few regions, there are not enough quantities meeting our quality specifications available. To ensure our customers get the best quality we are known to serve, we are constrained to hold tomatoes for the time being. We reiterate that it is not due to the surge in prices," the company spokesperson added.
The chain is “working towards resolving this issue by employing sustainable agriculture practices including hydroponically-grown tomatoes in a completely controlled environment to de-risk our requirements from vagaries of season," the spokesperson said. “We should be able to bring back tomatoes to the menu soon," the company added. Restaurant chain Burger King, however, continues to use tomatoes in its burgers.
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