Here’s why McDonald’s is dropping tomatoes in some of its restaurants in India

Supply and quality concerns have plagued a McDonald’s operator.

Some restaurants of the fast-food chain McDonald’s have dropped tomatoes from its menu in India.

In a report by Reuters, two McDonald’s stores in New Delhi have posted notices saying that they were not ‘able to get adequate quantities of tomatoes’ which passed quality checks.

Prices of vegetables soared in India with wholesale prices of the staple of traditional Indian cuisine surging 288% in a month to a high of 140 rupees. The government has blamed the high tomato prices on lead production season due to monsoon rains disrupting transport and distribution.

McDonald’s franchisee, Connaught Plaza Restaurants, which operates 150 outlets in north and east India has attributed the decision to drop tomatoes as ‘temporary seasonal issues’.

However, another McDonald’s franchisee, Westlife Foodworld (WEST.NS), who owns 357 restaurants, said there were "no serious tomato-related issues". The franchisee said that only 10% to 15% of its stores have stopped serving tomatoes temporarily.