Amidst skyrocketing tomato prices in India due to severe weather conditions, McDonald’s India, specifically in the North and East, has been forced to exclude tomatoes from its menu temporarily, according to an official statement released on Friday, July 7. McDonald’s articulated that the decision was not driven by soaring prices, but due to difficulties in procuring tomatoes that pass their rigorous quality checks.
Commenting on the situation, SEBI Registered Investment Adviser Aditya Saha tweeted about a notice McDonald’s had placed in its Delhi outlets, indicating that the fast-food giant was also feeling the tomato squeeze.
Tomato prices in regions like Delhi, Kolkata, and Uttar Pradesh have escalated dramatically, reaching INR 130-1545 per kg due to a combination of heavy rainfall, affected supply chains, transportation, and crop quality. Several state governments, including West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, have intervened to control the rising costs, with initiatives to sell tomatoes at a reduced rate through fair-price shops.
Interestingly, this is not McDonald’s first brush with tomato-induced changes. The company similarly removed tomatoes from their menu in 2016 in North and East India over crop quality concerns. The unpredictable climate conditions have continually impacted the tomato crop, prompting a decrease in consumer demand due to escalated prices, especially in the northern regions.
As customers await the return of tomatoes to their favorite McDonald’s meals, the company reassures that this is a temporary issue and all possible measures are being taken to resolve the situation at the earliest.