McDonald's stops adding tomatoes to its burgers in North and East zones

US burger chain McDonald's has stopped adding sliced tomatoes in its products in North and East India - the reason is that the crops being received by them is of poor quality. It came as a surprise to the customers when they found the tomatoes missing from their burgers and wraps.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 15 July 2016.

A notice displayed at the out lets by Connaught Plaza Restaurants, which operates McDonald's stores in northern and eastern regions of the country, has explained the situation. It seems the company was unable to add tomatoes in various products due to temporary unavailability. This is attributed to unpredictable conditions that have impacted the tomato crop, its quality and supply.
In the past few months, tomato prices in the country have gone up in leaps and bounds. The company was not using any substitute for tomato but are making do with lettuce and onions and waiting for proper supplies to resume.


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Kerala introduces a 'fat tax' of 14.5% on fast foods like burgers and pizzas

Kerala has set a new end in generation of revenue - the state has pioneered the fat tax in the country by introducing a 14.5 per cent levy on burgers, pizzas and similar food in branded restaurants. This concept is quite popular in some western countries as it tries to make food or beverages linked to obesity costlier in order to discourage their consumption.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 9 July 2016.

This fat tax has been levied by the new Left government in Kerala through its annual budget. A tax of 14.5 per cent is being levied on food items like burger, pizza, tacos, donuts, sandwich, burger-patty, pasta, bread fillings and others sold by branded restaurants as fat tax.

This is the first time in India that any state has imposed such a tax. Kerala hopes to earn around Rs 10 crore a year from the fat tax which is like a drop in the ocean because liquor had made the state exchequer richer by Rs 8,100 crore in 2015-16. Outlets like KFC and Domino's have mushroomed in the state and the government wants to tap the hidden potentials for earning more revenue.


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Indians ape western food habits - now, the west tells us Indian cuisine is the best

Believe it or not, the tables have turned. Indians have been aping western food habits and, now, the west admit that authentic Indian cuisine is the best. The focus is on Dalit cuisine - which is essentially full of whole grains, which means a high amount of fibre, nutrients and antioxidants. Replace those fat friendly western snacks, including consumption of pizzas and burgers, with herbs and spices traditionally used by Dalits. This is set to enter the Indian scene in a big way.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 3 July 2016.

Dalits love saffron-colored and-not-yellow turmeric sourced from water-distressed regions of Maharashtra along with pungent Bhiwapur chillies. These do not cause acidity even if consumed in large quantities. Such spices used by Dalits are scoffed at by the upper castes but are now being tapped by nutritionists for its healing properties. The reason is simple - poor Dalit settlements had an unusually large number people in their nineties and, in comparison, the longevity in Thakur 'bastis' was relatively low.
This is the opinion of Dalit columnist turned entrepreneur Chandra Bhan Prasad.
Dalits do not possess large tracts of land and usually grow crops like millets that do not need much water. Millets are good for health and, since they do not have money to buy and use chemical fertilizers, they use organic manures. They eat rotis with wheat husks and, today, the same is being touted as a superfood for diabetics. He plans to start selling these products online and source the raw materials from across the country where agriculture is done in old fashioned Dalit way, namely, no chemical fertilizers and less water.


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Pick up your pizza and burger from the railway station soon

Indian Railways are fast tracking food for its passengers and, in its latest innovation, it is trying to tie up with big names to make available burgers and pizzas at railway stations - thereby, the passenger can buy it and board he train. As per indications,train passengers will soon be able to order burgers and pizzas of their choice on the Indian Railways website and have them delivered right to their coaches. And, for last-minute purchases, vendor boys will be waiting on platforms with ready-to-serve burgers, pizzas and Indian thalis.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 28 June 2016.

The names doing the rounds are leading quick service restaurants (QSR) like Domino's Pizza, Burger King, Subway, KFC and Pizza Hut. They are expected to venture into new territory by opening up stores at railway stations to tap train passengers in the country. The potential is huge because the Indian Railways operates about 12,000 trains carrying 23 million passengers every day.
Such burger and pizza outlets are set to come up in food courts planned at stations such as Howrah, Mumbai, Madurai, Agra, Pune and Visakhapatnam. Railway passengers on an average spend around Rs 100-125 on a meal. It is less when compared to airports but, the volume of business in railways is many times more than airports.


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McDonald's comes up with Angry Birds burgers

On the occasion of release of 'Angry Birds' movie in China, the global food franchise McDonald's has launched its 'Angry Birds' brand of burgers in its restaurants. The burgers feature either red or green food coloring in the buns and, reportedly, look weirdly inedible. It has had mixed reactions on McDonald's fans.
This has been reported in nzherald.co.nz dated 26 May 2016.

It seems the colorful sandwiches include the "Naughty Green Pork Burger" with a pork patty, fried egg, lettuce, jalapenos, and "mystery sauce". Then there is the "Super Red Burger" - this features a double chicken sandwich with Louisiana-style hot sauce, a fried egg, and cheese.
These innovations are the latest in a long list of freakish food that has been put on trial overseas. Examples are KFC's edible nail polish, a black burger that had been launched by McDonald's Japan, and a 'pizza bomb' - a creation of a South Korean restaurant.


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