McDonald's drops tomatoes from its menu, amid price rise

HYDERABAD: With the prices of tomatoes reaching an all-time high, fast-food chain McDonald's in India has removed tomatoes from their menu which is a crucial ingredient in their burgers, salads and wraps.

The popular food chain cited supply shortages and concerns about the vegetable's quality. On Friday, the Mc Donald's restaurants in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh also reported that the tomatoes are no longer part of their menu. Currently, tomatoes are being sold for Rs 120 per kg in Hyderabad and Vijayawada.

Heavy rains in tomato production areas and abnormal temperatures in June have resulted in crop failure in several parts of the country. Due to this, the prices of tomatoes had increased significantly this year. Generally, tomatoes become expensive in the months of June and July. But this year, the prices of tomatoes have shot through the roof.

Due to this, Mc Donald’s announced that it would be serving dishes sans tomatoes as it is a ‘temporary’ seasonal issue. In several locations, the store managers said that the problem was due to quality issues in the supply chain, rather than pricing. However, stores were still offering sachets of tomato ketchup to the customers, instead of serving tomatoes in the food menu.

Taking to Twitter, several customers expressed their displeasure over the decision taken by the fast food chain. A few of them even cited they were not loving the menu served by the fast food chain without tomatoes.