A McDonald’s lawsuit is seeking to ban the company from serving up some of its products in Russia based upon the concern that fast food has high calories. But some critics believe it’s possible Vladimir Putin is targeting the U.S. company due to the tensions over the Ukraine crisis.
In a related report by The Inquisitr , McDonald’s profits have plunged in recent times but only in the U.S. market, not in their global franchises. The fast food company has “attempted was to push their employees to speed up service and keep it friendly, while maintaining a higher quality of products,” but some people believe health concerns and a focus on healthy living may have contributed to the decline, while others believe it may be due to the controversy over the minimum wage .
The Russian consumer protection agency called the Rospotrebnadzor is accusing McDonald’s of violating Russia’s regulations regarding nutritional quality of food in several of its products, including ice cream, milkshakes, cheeseburgers, and Filet-o-Fish and McChicken sandwiches. The agency claims the fast food has high calories and they are seeking a ban because the products “do not satisfy the demands of the existing legislation.”
Anna Popova, head of regulator Rospotrebnadzor , alleged violations of consumer-safety and labeling regulations:
“Infringements have been found that call into question the quality and safety of products of the whole chain of McDonald’s restaurants.”
Ultranationalist politician Vladimir Zhirinovsky is claimed to have close links to Russian President Vladimir Putin. He is calling for McDonald’s to shut down all over Russia “so there is not a scent of them left”and he has declared McDonald’s products to be “poisonous food” that should be off the market:
“McDonald’s has closed its restaurants in Crimea. Very well…. It would be good if they closed here too… if they disappeared for good. Pepsi-Cola would be next.”
Earlier this year, Putin said that “Russia is in need of its own fast-food chain that would be based on different types of traditional Russian cuisine and compete in quality standards with restaurant chains such as McDonald’s.” Ukraine’s milk and milk products have also come under fire and it’s believed the McDonald’s lawsuit is part of a plan to target U.S. companies in general in response to the U.S. sanctions against Russia.