Westlife Foodworld stock rises 3% as firm says FSSAI verified McDonald’s India uses '100% Real Cheese'

The 'clean chit' from FSSAI comes days after Maharashtra FDA has revoked the licence of a McDonald’s outlet in the state’s Ahmednagar district after taking action against it over cheese

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26 Aug, 2025 12:21

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Westlife Foodworld stock rose 3% on March 5 after it said FSSAI verified McDonald’s India uses "100% Real Cheese".

"The apex food safety standards regulator of the country, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) under the administration of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, has verified the cheese used by McDonald’s India as ‘100% Real Cheese’. The verification confirms the brand’s assertion that it uses 100% Real Cheese and that it does not use anycheese analogues or substitutes in any of its products," said Westlife Foodworld (formerly Westlife Development) in a stock exchange filing.

"The confirmation from the FSSAI explicitly states that “Articles in question contain Cheese or cheeseproduct as a part of composition and does not contain analogue in dairy context in any form”. This clean chit is a testament to McDonald’s India’s commitment to upholding stringent food quality standards across all its restaurants, at all times," added the QSR firm.

On March 5 at 1425 hours, Westlife Foodworld's scrip on BSE was trading 3% higher at Rs 756.

The 'clean chit' from FSSAI comes days after Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has revoked the licence of a McDonald’s outlet in the state’s Ahmednagar district after taking action against it over cheese.

The eatery belonging to the fast food giant had faced FDA scrutiny for allegedly using a “cheese-like” product in their dishes without indicating that it was actually a cheese substitute, thereby misleading customers, he said.

Following an inspection and subsequent objections, the licence of the outlet was suspended, but it was revoked recently after the chain filed a compliance report confirming that they had removed the word ‘cheese’ from product names.

Saurabh Kalra, MD, McDonald's India (West & South) 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.”

McDonald’s India (W&S) received the results of the tests conducted by NABL (National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories) accredited lab yesterday, also confirming the use of 100% Real Cheese across its products, added Westlife.

Pursuant to the clean chit, McDonald’s India (W&S) has retained the term "cheese" in the names of its products containing cheese and remains steadfast in its commitment to transparency and consumer trust, said the firm.

"McDonald’s India (W&S) has always taken immense pride in sourcing authentic ingredients from globally recognised and approved suppliers, ensuring the highest levels of food quality for its valued customers. As a stringent and mandatory process, all the suppliers of the company rigorously test their products sold to McDonald’s, twice a year, by independent NABL-accredited food testing labs. For example, even preceding the recent media coverage, the brand's cheese had already undergone and passed the evaluations as of September 2023," said Westlife Foodworld.