By Krishn Kaushik and Riddhima Talwani

NEW DELHI, July 22 (Reuters) – Some Subway India shops have stopped serving tomatoes of their salads and sandwiches attributable to high quality issues, the most recent transfer by a international model as costs of the staple have soared almost 400% to file highs within the nation.

A Subway outlet at a Delhi airport terminal introduced the “Temporary Unavailability of TOMATOES” in an indication saying the restaurant couldn’t get sufficient provide that handed its high quality checks.

“Hence for the time being we are forced to serve you products without tomatoes,” it mentioned. “We are working to get the tomatoes supplies back.”

Everstone Group’s Culinary Brands, which has the grasp franchisee for some 200 of India’s 800 Subway and manages the availability chain for all of them, didn’t reply to a request for remark.

It was not clear what number of shops have been affected.

Many Indian shops have been nonetheless providing tomatoes, in line with checks of meals ordering apps and calls to shops, however at the least two in New Delhi, one in Uttar Pradesh and one in Chennai within the south had stopped.

“It’s very expensive,” mentioned one Subway retailer worker.

Two weeks in the past McDonald’s eating places in India dropped tomatoes from their burgers and wraps in lots of components of India attributable to high quality points.

In the capital New Delhi, tomatoes was retailing for about 168 rupees ($2.05) a kg (93 cents a pound) on Saturday, after touching round 240 rupees.

The authorities blames the upper costs of tomatoes on a lean manufacturing season as monsoon rains disrupt transport and distribution. It follows months of upper costs for gadgets starting from milk to spices.

The authorities in latest weeks has organised cell vans to produce tomatoes at cheaper charges, with lots of queuing every day.

Global restaurant chains like Domino’s and KFC are additionally launching lower-priced merchandise in India, the place shoppers have lower spending attributable to excessive inflation. Domino’s is aggressively selling a 60-cent seven-inch pizza, the model’s most cost-effective worldwide, within the nation. (Reporting by Krishn Kaushik, Riddhima Talwani, Aditya Kalra, Sriram Mani, Dhwani Pandya, Praveen Paramasivam and Euan Rocha; Editing by William Mallard)