Mumbai: McDonald’s, the global fast-food giant, has regained its license to operate in the Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra, after facing action from the state’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) over the use of cheese analogs in its products. The FDA had suspended the license of the outlet in Kedgaon in November 2023, after finding that the products were not made of pure cheese, but a mixture of milk fat and vegetable fat.
The FDA official who inspected the outlet, Rajendra Bede, said that they had noticed that the names of the products, such as American Cheese Burger, American Cheese Nuggets, Cheese Burger, Italian Cheese Lava Burger, and blueberry cheesecake, were misleading the consumers, as they implied that they contained cheese. He said that they had tested the products and found that they were using cheese substitutes, which are technically called cheese analogs. He said that they had asked the company to explain why they were using cheese analogs, but their response was not satisfactory.
The company, Hardcastle Restaurants, which is a subsidiary of Westlife Foodworld Limited and has the franchise rights to own and operate McDonald’s restaurants in the western and southern markets of India, said that it was cooperating with the “competent authorities” in this matter. It said that it had filed a compliance report, in which it had removed the word cheese from the product names, and replaced it with cheese analogs. It said that it had also updated the labels and the menus to reflect the change.
The FDA official said that after receiving the compliance report, they had decided to revoke the suspension and allow the company to resume its business as before. He said that the FDA’s action was aimed at ensuring that the consumers get the right information about the products they consume and that the company follows the food safety standards. He said that the FDA would continue to monitor the quality of the products and take necessary action if any violation is found.
