he Maharashtra FDA’s accusation of McDonald’s using cheese analogues prompted inspections at 25 fast-food chains, including Subway, KFC and Domino’s.
Amid the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) accusation of the fast-food chain Mcdonald’s of using cheese analogues instead of real cheese in their offerings, the other fast-food chains offering cheese items on their menus came under the radar of the administration.
Notices have been issued to the other fast food chains concerning the cheese matter and other instances of non-compliance, encompassing insufficient documentation, disparities in purchase bills and hygiene-related issues.
The FDA inspected 13 McDonald’s outlets and 25 additional fast-food chain restaurants, including Subway, KFC, Pizza Hut, Domino’s, Barbeque Nation, Burger King and Chaos Control Cafe.
“In an age of growing awareness of health and hygiene factors, it becomes the responsibility of all food providers – be it FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) packaged food or restaurants/ chains – to ensure that they maintain high-quality ingredients as well as follow stringent QA practices in the preparation and serving of food to customers,” said Anjali Malhotra, Customer Strategy Expert & Senior Partner at BOD Consulting.
Nearly all restaurants have some form of QA program involving the entire chain of sourcing fresh and clean ingredients, cleaning, food tasting, presentation, customer service, etc. Most brands deploy audits, secret shopper programs, food testing and surprise visits to ensure compliance & to protect the brand.
Virtually all restaurants implement a comprehensive Quality Assurance (QA) program that encompasses the entire supply chain, from sourcing fresh and clean ingredients to maintaining cleanliness, ensuring food quality through tasting, emphasising presentation and upholding customer service standards, she highlighted.
According to Malhotra, most brands deploy various tools such as audits, secret shopper programs, food testing initiatives and unannounced visits to guarantee compliance and safeguard the integrity of the brand.
Brand Image Fallout
The impact of negative publicity that reveals substandard ingredients and/or their unhealthy use, can lead to strict non-compliance penalties by authorities like the FSSAI.
More importantly, the loss of reputation caused by this can be highly detrimental to customer perceptions.
“It can be pretty harmful to brand image and significantly reduce trust in the brand. Moreover, in matters of health, no customers would like any compromise whatsoever,” Malhotra asserted.
Furthermore, she underlined the importance of transparency in communication with customers as these elements are essential for building trust.
The presence of the FSSAI logo on menus and pamphlets enhances the credibility of the restaurant business and assures customers of the food’s quality, she added.
Meanwhile, after the Maharashtra FDA pushed down on McDonald’s, the brand assured that they use real cheese in their items.
“We use only real, quality cheese in all our products containing cheese. Our commitment to transparency in our ingredients and dedication to providing delicious, high-quality meals to our customers remains unwavering,” the brand said in a post on X.
Here’s a fact check for you: We use only real, quality cheese in all our products containing cheese.
Our commitment to transparency in our ingredients and dedication to providing delicious, high-quality meals to our customers remains unwavering.#McDonalds #McDonaldsIndia pic.twitter.com/FDI0aKQeu6
— McDonald's India (@mcdonaldsindia) February 23, 2024
