After McDonald's, few Subway India outlets drop tomatoes citing poor quality amid price hike

Amid soaring prices of tomatoes across the country particularly during the last few weeks, some Subway India outlets have stopped serving tomatoes in their salads and sandwiches citing quality issues.

According to a Reuters report, a Subway outlet at a Delhi airport terminal announced the "Temporary Unavailability of Tomatoes" in a sign saying the restaurant could not get enough supply that passed its quality checks.

"Hence for the time being we are forced to serve you products without tomatoes," it said. "We are working to get the tomatoes supplies back."

The retail prices of tomatoes shot up to Rs 200-250 per kilogram in several parts of the country as the supply chain got disrupted due to monsoon rains and other issues.  

Amid rise in prices, consumption of the staple reduced in many households and impacted the decisions of many brands as well. About two weeks back, McDonald's also dropped tomatoes from its menu items in many parts of India, hit by supply shortages and quality concerns after prices of the vegetable soared to records.

The fast-food chain removed tomatoes from its burgers, wraps, and salads in some restaurants from several parts of India.

Meanwhile, the government on Friday said that retail prices of tomatoes are expected to fall with a higher supply of new crops from Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.

In a written reply to Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Ashwini Kumar Choubey said, "Prices of tomato are expected to come down with the increase in arrival of new crop from Nashik, Naryangaon and Aurangabad belt in Maharashtra and also from Madhya Pradesh."

He said the "current increase in tomato prices may incentivise farmers to grow more tomato crop which is expected to stabilise the prices in coming months".

As on July 18, the average retail price in Delhi declined to Rs 130 per kg and to Rs 127.70 per kg in Punjab.

Choubey attributed the recent increase in prices to a combination of factors like "crop seasonality, white fly disease in Kolar (Karnataka), instantaneous arrival of monsoon rains in northern part of the country which adversely affected tomato crops in Haryana and Himachal Pradesh and logistics disruptions in isolated areas due to heavy rains."

(With Reuters, PTI inputs)

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