McDonald's India to offer multi-millet bun burgers, co-created with Mysuru-based CSIR-CFTRI

Westlife Foodworld operates in the QSR space through its subsidiary Hardcastle Restaurants Pvt Ltd (HRPL). It has a franchisee relationship with McDonald’s Corporation USA to operate the QSR chain under its brand in West and South India.

Mysuru: Burger lovers can soon have buns made of nutrition-rich millets at their favourite outlets, across South and West India.

As part of the National Nutrition Week, Mysuru-based CSIR-Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), launched a multi-millet bun in collaboration with McDonald, taking a step towards enhancing the health and nutrition profile.

This partnership marks the first-ever collaboration of its kind, combining CFTRI's scientific expertise with a multi-national company as an industry partner.

The nutritional buns are made of five nutrient-rich millets like bajra, ragi, jowar, proso and kodo. The millets are sourced locally, from various regions including Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

Speaking to DH, CFTRI Director Sridevi Annapurna Singh said, the multi-millet bun combines nutrition, taste and innovation. "Millets, a traditional superfood of India, were once a staple in our diets and are now making a significant comeback, due to their impressive health benefits," she said.

"Through the dedicated efforts of CFTRI scientists in research, we have created a bun with 22 per cent millet content with five millets - three major and two minor. A multigrain bun should have 20 per cent of multi-grains, and this bun has 22 per cent millet, not compromising on taste or structure. It still offers the nutritional benefits of millets," she said.

Besides, the millets have been sourced from more than 5,000 farmers across India. If this creates a demand, it will definitely uplift and empower the farmers, she said.

The product was launched at a programme in Mumbai, on Wednesday. It focuses on the customer base in South and West India, initially. There are approximately around 400 McDonald outlets in this region. Wheat flour is replaced by 22 per cent millets, all cultivated in various states of India, she said.

When McDonald’s India approached us with an idea of creating a millet-based bun, we were eager to take up the challenge. Our task was to develop a bun that not only meets their high standards of taste and sensory appeal, but also delivers the nutritional promise of millets, Annapurna Singh said.