The multinational fast-food company McDonald’s has come under fire from the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for using imitation cheese in place of genuine products in burgers and nuggets, according to a report in The Times of India. The franchise has decided to remove the term “cheese” from several menu items at their eatery located in Ahmednagar after the license of one of its outlets was suspended. The FDA is pushing the business to implement corrective action on the state and national levels.
The purpose of cheese analogues, referred to as cheese substitutes is to mimic the flavour, consistency and utility of conventional dairy cheese. The alternatives, which are reportedly found in multiple McDonald’s products, usually replace dairy or milk fat with less expensive vegetable oil. The food regulatory organisation accused the corporation of “misleading” consumers into believing they were eating real cheese by employing cheese substitutes without properly disclosing this information on food labels or electronic display boards.
FDA commissioner Abhimanyu Kale informed the media house that leaving out information of this significance is deceptive to customers and could lead to negative health effects. He revealed, “During the inspection, our officers did not find any mention of cheese analogues anywhere. Items like ‘cheese nuggets’, ‘cheesy dip’, and ‘cheeseburger’ were being labelled as such without indicating that the cheese was a substitute. Most other fast-food pizza and burger joints could be indulging in the same practice. We plan to investigate these chains as well.”
An examination of McDonald’s Kedgaon branch in Ahmednagar in October last year marked the beginning of the action against the company. After finding that at least eight items, cheesy nuggets, McCheese veg burger, McCheese non-veg burger, corn and cheeseburger, cheesy Italian veg and blueberry cheesecake contained cheese analogues, the food inspector served a show-cause notice to the establishment.
McDonald’s license was suspended because their explanation was considered inadequate after they contested the FDA action. Subsequently, the FDA commissioner issued a directive highlighting the need for unambiguous labelling, with font size and colour distinguishable from ordinary cheese. Furthermore, he asked that nutritional information including the quantity of fat and protein among other things should be displayed for items that contain alternatives.
According to Abhimanyu Kale, nutritional details should be presented on display boards that occupy up to 40% of the space in restaurants. He added, “Menu cards should clearly state the use of analogues, addressing allergen concerns, and diet concerns such as the presence of higher trans-fat.”
McDonald’s claimed in a letter to the FDA in December that they had renamed the products by taking the word “cheese” out. They rebranded the McCheese veggie burger as cheddar delight burger, blueberry cheesecake as blueberry cake and cheesy nuggets as veggie nuggets. The new names are being posted at select locations in Santacruz, Kurla and Bhendi Bazar. However, McDonald’s denied utilizing substitutes when they were questioned about it.
“Regarding the removal of the word ‘cheese’ from our menu at McDonald’s stores in Maharashtra, we want to reassure our customers that we use only real, quality cheese in all our products containing cheese. We are actively working with the relevant authorities on this matter,” a spokesperson from McDonald’s India (W&S) told The Times of India. The business released letters from their cheese suppliers stating that Dlecta Foods Pvt Ltd is the manufacturer of the cheese sauce used in frozen cheese nuggets and claiming it is not a counterfeit.