The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has officially confirmed that McDonald's India utilizes 100% real cheese in its products, dispelling previous allegations of the use of substitutes or analogues. The announcement comes after an intense scrutiny following claims against one of McDonald's outlets in Maharashtra.
Westlife Foodworld, the foremost franchisee of McDonald's in India, made the revelation in a stock exchange filing, citing the FSSAI's verification as a testament to their commitment to maintaining stringent food quality standards. The company stated, "The verification confirms the brand’s assertion that it uses 100% Real Cheese and that it does not use any cheese analogues or substitutes in any of its products."
This validation is particularly crucial for McDonald's India, reassuring consumers about the authenticity and quality of ingredients used in their food offerings. The confirmation from FSSAI explicitly states, "Articles in question contain Cheese or cheese product as a part of the composition and does not contain analogue in the dairy context in any form."
McDonald's India has undergone additional tests conducted by an NABL-accredited laboratory, reinforcing the assertion of employing 100% real cheese across its products, particularly in the West and South zones of the country.
Westlife Foodworld operates nearly 380 McDonald's restaurants across 62 cities in Telangana, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Madhya Pradesh, and Puducherry. However, recent allegations emerged against the franchisee, accusing one of its outlets in Maharashtra of substituting real cheese with alternatives in burgers and nuggets.
Following these allegations, the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) took action against a McDonald's outlet in Ahmednagar district, revoking its license over cheese-related concerns. The state FDA accused McDonald's of potentially misleading consumers by using cheese analogues without proper disclosure.
Consequently, the suspension of the outlet's license prompted the removal of the term "cheese" from various menu items across select locations. After a period of review, the license suspension was ultimately lifted.
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