Russia suspends operations of 4 McDonald's restaurants in Moscow
(Baonghean.vn) - Russia has ordered the temporary closure of four McDonald's restaurants in Moscow on Wednesday, August 20. The reason given is that food safety standards are not guaranteed, but this move seems more like a consequence of the tense relationship between the two countries over the Ukraine issue.
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"We are studying the main terms and the necessary steps to request the reopening of the suspended restaurants to serve customers as soon as possible," said a representative of McDonald's in Russia. Meanwhile, McDonald's headquarters in the US has not yet responded to a request for comment on the incident.
The first McDonald's restaurant opened in Russia in 1990 in Pushkin Square, Moscow. At the time, it was seen as a sign of warming relations between Russia and the United States under the reforms of Mikhail Gorbachev, signaling the end of the tense Cold War. The restaurant was very popular with Russians, who lined up outside to eat there and some even held weddings there. Another of the restaurants that was closed was in Manezh Square, just below the Kremlin wall where President Vladimir Putin's office is located.
It became clear last month that McDonald's was under the scrutiny of Russian authorities, when the country's food safety watchdog announced it had found violations of product quality standards, raising questions about the safety of the fast-food chain.
At the time, McDonald's said it had received no complaints from the regulator and had no information about any legal action. Many foreign food manufacturers who have had trouble with the watchdog have accused it of acting in the Kremlin's political interests, a charge Russia has denied.
Georgian wine has been banned as Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, strengthens ties with Washington. Moldova’s aromatics have also been banned as the former Soviet republic moves to deepen its ties with the European Union. Poland’s deputy prime minister, Janusz Piechocinski, said last month that the Kremlin’s decision to ban most fruit and vegetables from Poland was an act of “political repression.”
Europe accounts for 35% of McDonald's global operating profit, which the company does not break out by country. Earlier this month, Russia imposed a one-year embargo on all meat, fish, dairy products, fruits and vegetables from the United States, the European Union, Norway, Canada and Australia in retaliation for sanctions imposed by those countries over the Ukraine crisis. However, on Wednesday, August 20, Russia partially eased the embargo, allowing imports of some items needed for its domestic food and agricultural industries, such as seedlings and juveniles of salmon and trout. (The Moscow Times, August 20)
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