McDonald’s limits french fry sales in Japan because of potato shortage
By Akanksha Sharma, Mayumi Maruyama, and Sana Noor Haq, CNN
McDonald’s Japan is temporarily limiting the sale of french fries due to delays in shipments of potatoes to the country, the company said in a press release Tuesday.
The supply issues were caused by floods in Canada, a major transit point for shipments, as well as the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on global distribution, it said.
From December 24 to December 30 only the small size servings of french fries will be available to customers nationwide in Japan. Medium and large size McFries will not be sold during this period, the company press release said.
According to McDonald’s Japan CEO Tamotsu Hiiro, the company imports potatoes on a large scale from North America through a port near Vancouver in Canada. Import delays had occurred due to “flood damage” and coronavirus-related disruption to the global distribution network, he said.
“We sincerely apologize for this inconvenience to all,” McDonald’s Japan added.
It said that despite the supply disruption, it is proactively seeking “alternative measures such as arranging airmail,” to continue to serve the “McDonald’s Potato” in the small size from December 24 to December 30.
Customers reacted to the news on social media, with one user tweeting, “A truly disastrous end to 2021.”
“Potato shortage — a 2-word horror story,” another user tweeted.
The-CNN-Wire
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