Fast food restaurant company Subway has reportedly stopped using tomatoes in its salads and sandwiches across some of its outlets in India citing poor quality amid a surge in price, Reuters has reported.
The price of tomatoes in the country recently rose by nearly 400%. The Indian Government attributed the increase to a lean production season as monsoon rains disrupted transport and distribution.
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A sign was displayed at a Subway outlet in the Delhi airport terminal saying, “Temporary Unavailability of Tomatoes” and the restaurant could not get enough supply that passed its quality checks.
The sign said: “Hence for the time being we are forced to serve you products without tomatoes. We are working to get the tomato supplies back.”
The details of how many outlets have stopped serving tomatoes have not been revealed. However, according to the report, two outlets in India’s capital city Delhi, one in Uttar Pradesh and one in the southern city of Chennai have stopped the usage of tomatoes.
Everstone Group’s Culinary Brands, the master franchisee for some 200 of India’s 800 Subway stores, refused to offer any comment over the Reuters report.
Earlier this month, McDonald’s India also reportedly removed tomatoes from its burgers and wraps at some of its restaurants in the country following the surge in tomatoes’ price and quality concerns.
The chain intends to bring tomatoes back to its menu as soon as the supply chain improves.
