FSSAI confirms McDonald’s India uses 100% real cheese

Westlife Foodworld, operating McDonald’s restaurants in West and South, has announced the verification in an exchange filing.

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the apex food safety standards regulator of the country, under the administration of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, verifies that the cheese used by McDonald’s India is ‘100% real cheese’, as mentioned by Westlife Foodworld in a BSE filing.

The verification confirms the brand’s assertion that it uses 100% real cheese and that it does not use any cheese analogues or substitutes in any of its products. The confirmation from the FSSAI states that, “Articles in question contain cheese or cheese product as a part of composition and does not contain analogue in dairy context in any form”.

The company adds, "This clean chit is a testament to McDonald’s India’s commitment to upholding stringent food quality standards across all its restaurants." Recently, news reports stated the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) revoked the license of a McDonald’s outlet in the Ahmednagar district after discovering that it used cheese substitutes without adequately informing consumers.

The FSSAI is a statutory body formed and empowered under the food law i.e. the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, as the apex regulator as regards food law and food standards in India. FSSAI frames, issues, and lays down food regulations and food standards applicable throughout the country, and the same are final and binding on both companies in the food business and the state-level and local-level food and health authorities, administrations, and departments.

In addition, McDonald’s India (W&S) has received the results of tests conducted by NABL (National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories) accredited lab, affirming the use of 100% real cheese across its products.

Saurabh Kalra, MD, McDonald's India (W&S) said, “The clean chit we have received from FSSAI, the India’s apex food safety standards regulator, affirms that our products contain 100% Real cheese, sourced from globally renowned suppliers. The recent tests conducted by NABL-accredited labs also validate this and the fact that our products do not contain any cheese analogues or substitutes. Since the inception of our operations in 1996, we have maintained a steadfast commitment to the highest levels of food quality. We assure our customers and stakeholders that all our products are crafted with genuine, quality ingredients without any compromises whatsoever.”

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