 "As prices go sky-high, several McDonald's outlets drop tomatoes from menu")
Many McDonald's stores in India have dropped tomatoes from their menu for the time being. However, stores have not attributed it to the recent increase in the price of the vegetable.
"Despite our best efforts, we are no able to get adequate quantities of tomatoes which pass our world-class stringent quality checks. Hence, for the time being, we are forced to serve you products without tomatoes. We are working to get the tomato supplies back," said a notice posted at Connaught Plaza Restaurants' outlet.
McDonald's operates in India through two master franchisees - Sanjeev Agrawal-led MMG group for north and east India and Westlife Group led by BL Jatia for west and south.
The price of tomatoes has spiked across the country due to tight supplies caused by rainfall in many parts. Prices were ruling around Rs 150 per kg in many cities.
A search on the online grocery and vegetable platform Blinkit revealed that tomato prices were quoted at around Rs 160 per kg.
Tomato prices usually rise during July-August as harvesting and transportation of highly perishable commodity supplies are hampered by monsoon.
The high prices have also been attributed to the sudden temperature increase in March and April, which resulted in pest attacks on tomato crops, resulting in lower yields and higher market rates.
In a similar incident in 2016, when tomato prices had spiked in some parts of India, many McDonald's stores in India had sliced off the vegetable from its menu.