Author: Shailendra Singh, Suva
Publication: India Abroad
Date: May 9, 2001
Hindus in Fiji are alarmed after
reports that French fries served by US fast food giant MacDonald's contains
beef extracts.
A Hindu lawyer, on the condition
of anonymity, said the community was closely following developments with
the possibility of filing a lawsuit against McDonald's Fiji.
Pundit Rudra Nand, a community leader,
added that the recent disclosures by two Los Angeles-based vegetarian software
engineers could not be taken lightly. Indian Americans Anand Kulkarni and
Hitesh Shah claimed last week that French fries sold by McDonald's in the
US contained beef extract.
McDonald's has two outlets in Fiji,
in the capital Suva and in Nadi, 190 km from here. McDonald's Fiji managing
director Mark McElrath said both outlets use 100 percent vegetable oil.
The Daily Post newspaper says a
poll conducted in Suva revealed that most Hindus and vegetarians had stopped
eating McDonald's food after they were told of the existence of the beef
extract.
Hindu organizations in Fiji have
stopped short of calling for a ban on McDonald's restaurants. But Nand
said, "Hindus should follow the reports and make up their minds."
McElrath has denied the use of beef
or animal extract in McDonald's cooking in Fiji. He said Hindus formed
a large part of their clientele in Fiji and the company was well aware
of the taboos associated with beef.
He added that nutritional information
is available for any customer who requests it, that it details the type
of cooking oil used, the menu items that are cooked using this and the
nutritional value of each menu. "Although beef extract is used in the US,
it is not used in Fiji."
He said in Fiji and Indonesia, McDonald's
serves "halal" (meat prepared as per Islamic law) and vegetarian meals.
Nand said Cathy Gilbert, coordinator
of McDonald's customer satisfaction department at the company's corporate
headquarters in Oak Brook, Illinois, had confirmed that natural beef flavoring
was used in the fries in US. "We use something similar to beef broth, just
to enhance the flavor," Gilbert was quoted as telling the India- West newspaper.
According to India-West, Shah had
read an article about the food franchise using meat and beef products.
He e-mailed McDonald's customer service department asking whether its French
fries contained beef and if they did, why was it not listed as an ingredient.
"For flavor enhancement, McDonald's French fry suppliers use a minuscule
amount of beef flavoring as an ingredient in the raw product," the reply
from the company reportedly said.
