Tomato rotting oil reused by Indian McDonald's - company receives warning

Indian food safety officials discovered that the cooking oil at a McDonald's store in Jaipur was unfit for consumption, and the stored tomatoes were rotten. The regulatory authorities have issued a warning and have taken samples for testing.

Indian food safety official Jotwani disclosed to Reuters on Thursday (February 12th) that during an inspection conducted at a McDonald's store in Jaipur, a desert tourist destination in Rajasthan, on Monday (the 9th), the inspectors discovered that 40 liters of cooking oil had been repeatedly used for cooking and was not suitable for consumption.

Chotavin said that this violated food safety regulations, and "officials have collected the oil samples for further testing."

Chotavin said that McDonald's has received a warning that it must rectify the operations of its stores within 14 days; otherwise, it will face even more "severe" penalties. Officials will "inspect more McDonald's stores in the city".

The McDonald's spokesperson in the United States did not respond to Reuters' inquiries outside of working hours.

The franchisees of McDonald's in northern and eastern India, Connaught Plaza Restaurants, said that they are collaborating with the food safety department and "strictly adhering to" their guidelines, while also following "McDonald's strict global standards".

McDonald's is one of the popular chain restaurants in India, with hundreds of outlets. Food adulteration incidents are common in India, but it is rare for a major brand like McDonald's to have a food safety breach.