Russia Sues McDonald’s for Alleged Contamination and False Nutritional Information
The Russian consumer protection agency, Rospotrebnadzor, has reportedly
announced that it filed a claim alleging that McDonald’s has misrepresented
the nutritional information of several hamburger and ice cream menu items
and that two restaurant locations showed traces of E. coli contamination
in their salads and Caesar wraps. Although Rospotrebnadzor said it filed a lawsuit on July 3, 2014, a McDonald’s representative told the media in late
July 2014 that the company had not received either an official complaint
from the court or a notice from the agency. The complaint allegedly accuses
McDonald’s of listing nutritional information that indicated its hamburgers
and milkshakes had about one-half or one-third of the actual calorie, fat,
protein, and carbohydrate counts. According to The New York Times, Russia
has targeted food imports during geopolitical tension before, banning cheese
and wines from post-Soviet neighbors during times of disagreement with
those countries. Following Russia’s annexation of the Crimean peninsula in
March 2014, McDonald’s closed its three Crimean restaurants, citing potential
business and regulatory implications. This move reportedly led to Russian
politicians calling for a ban on the country’s some 400 McDonald’s locations.
See The New York Times and Law360, July 25, 2014.
Issue 532
