In addition to a chip shortage, there is now also a chip shortage: from Friday, the Japanese McDonald’s will only sell chips in small portions for a week due to a potato shortage in the archipelago, the fast food chain announced. in a statement. Due to major flooding at the port of Vancouver, Canada – where the potatoes are loaded – and problems with the international supply chain caused by the pandemic, Japanese fry lovers will be put on a ration for the next week. The ration is valid until December 30.
Eliminating medium and large portions from the menu was necessary “to ensure that as many customers as possible still have access to our French fries,” the company said. Meanwhile, as an emergency measure, a thousand tons of frozen potatoes are being flown into the country, the British newspaper reports The Guardian.
French fries are yet another victim of problems with the international supply chain – previously it has been the turn of book paper, Ikea furniture and Nike sneakers worldwide. “The potatoes come from the United States, where the ports are experiencing congestion,” said Hiroshi Ohashi, an economics professor at the University of Tokyo. to NBC News.
Milk
Japan is one of McDonald’s largest markets outside of America. It has 2,900 locations throughout the country with a population of 125.9 million (Netherlands: 225) and is the largest fast food chain there. In second place is the chain Sukiya (2,300 locations), which specializes in gyudon, a rice dish with braised beef. To accommodate McDonald’s customers, they receive a 50 yen (39 euro cent) discount on most menus.
Earlier this year, Japan was already dealing with other shortages. This month, car brand Toyota announced two factories to close temporarily, due to a shortage of car chips. There is also a shortage of another fast food item in Japan this month: fried chicken, writes Bloomberg. Supermarket chains such as 7-Eleven and Family Mart have too little of this, because the Thai factories where the chicken comes from have been closed due to factory employees infected with the corona virus. It is a national tradition in Japan to eat fried chicken at Christmas.
Japanese who experience a shortage of chicken and fries in the coming week can indulge themselves with another product: milk. The country has a surplus. At a press conference on Tuesday, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida asked whether the population would like to drink an extra glass of milk a day and use milk products when cooking. The government estimates that 5,000 tons of raw milk will remain this winter.
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