Tomatoes Removed from McDonald's Hamburgers... Replaced with Drink Coupons at Some Locations

"Free Drink Coupon Available for In-Store Use"

McDonald's will temporarily suspend the provision of tomatoes at some domestic stores.

On the 15th, McDonald's announced on its official website, "It may be difficult to provide tomatoes in products temporarily, and in such cases, we are offering free drink coupons that can be used at the stores."

In front of a McDonald's store in Seoul.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

A McDonald's representative said in a phone interview with Yonhap News Agency on the same day, "Starting today, tomatoes will be removed from products containing tomatoes, such as the Tomato Cheese Beef Burger, and free drink coupons will be provided to customers instead," adding, "The timing of the impact may vary by store."

Previously, the optimal temperature for tomato growth is 22-25 degrees Celsius during the day and 15-18 degrees Celsius at night. At temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius, viruses are easily induced, and growth is poor when it rises above 33 degrees Celsius. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration's analysis of the ‘2024 Summer Climate Characteristics’ released last month, the average temperature this summer (June to August) was 25.6 degrees Celsius, the highest average summer temperature on record. The nationwide average number of tropical nights also reached a record high of 20.2 days.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs explained that tomato crops in areas such as Jangsu-gun, Jeonbuk, have not been good due to the heatwave. Currently, McDonald's Korea receives about 2,000 tons of domestically produced tomatoes annually from regions including Gyeonggi-do and Chungcheong-do. According to price information from the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT) on the 14th, the retail price of tomatoes per 1 kg was 12,646 won, about 36% higher than last year's 9,297 won.

In June, McDonald's temporarily suspended the sale of French fries due to issues in the frozen potato supply chain.

McDonald's Korea stated, "Not only McDonald's but the entire market is affected, so it is difficult to predict when normalization will occur," and added, "Currently, it may be difficult to provide tomatoes at some stores, and we will do our best to restore supply as soon as possible."