Westlife Foodworld, the operator of McDonald’s restaurants in west and south India, announced on Tuesday that the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has verified McDonald’s India’s cheese as ‘100% Real Cheese’. This confirmation from FSSAI sparked a rally in Westlife Foodworld shares, which surged over 6%.
In a regulatory filing, Westlife Foodworld stated that the confirmation from FSSAI explicitly declares that the products containing cheese do not contain any analogues in the dairy context.
Additionally, McDonald’s India (West & South) received test results from a NABL-accredited lab confirming the use of 100% Real Cheese across its products.
Following this validation, McDonald’s India (W&S) has decided to retain the term “cheese” in the names of its products containing cheese.
Earlier, McDonald’s had temporarily removed the word “cheese” from its menu in Maharashtra due to allegations of using cheese substitutes in some items.
Saurabh Kalra, MD of McDonald’s India (W&S), stated, “The clean chit from FSSAI affirms that our products contain 100% Real cheese, sourced from globally renowned suppliers.”
In the December quarter, Maharashtra’s Food & Drugs Administration suspended the license of a McDonald’s outlet over claims of non-compliance with local food standards. This action was taken due to allegations of using cheese substitutes without proper labeling.
Following the announcement, Westlife Foodworld shares surged as much as 6.6% to an intraday high of ₹785.00 on the BSE. As of 2:50 pm, the shares were trading 6.45% higher at ₹783.60 apiece on the BSE.
