MOSCOW, August 21 (RIA Novosti) – McDonald's fast food restaurants in Russia used to strictly observe sanitary regulations, but started ignoring them recently, a practice Russian authorities will not tolerate, a Russian government source said Thursday.
“[Russian consumer rights watchdog Rospotrebnadzor says that] McDonald's used to strictly observe all the standards, but fails to do so now. If they fail to comply with quality standards, then why should we tolerate this?” the source told RIA Novosti on the condition of anonymity.
Earlier in the day, Deputy Prime Minister Olga Golodets said that Rospotrebnadzor is not planning a “total inspection” of McDonald’s restaurants throughout the country. Inspections of the burger chain’s restaurants throughout central Russia are ongoing due to sanitary issues that have been discovered, according to the official.
On Wednesday, four McDonald’s restaurants were shut in Moscow due to administrative violations. Rospotrebnadzor said numerous breaches of sanitary regulations had been found at the popular fast food outlets. The watchdog also stated that McDonald’s products contain more fat, protein and carbohydrates than allowed by the country’s “technological norms."
Earlier this year, the food chain had to remove several products from its Chinese menu when the company discovered that its supplier was using rotten meat.
As of 2014, 424 of the chain’s branches operate in Russia. A poll conducted by the SuperJob research center found that 62 percent of Russian respondents would support the closure of all McDonald’s restaurants in Russia.
