McDonald’s RATIONS fries in Japan due to supply shortage, with customers only allowed small portions
- McDonald’s stores in Japan set to remove medium and large fries from menus
- The move comes in response to a potato shortage caused by supply chain issues
- The fast food giant imports potatoes from Canada for its Japanese restaurants
- Takeaway restaurants see some of their busiest sales periods over Christmas
Fast food giant McDonald’s is set to limit the portion of fries they offer to customers in Japan as a result of global supply chain issues.
McDonald’s Holdings Company Japan said earlier today it would suspend the sale of medium and large-sized french fries for a week starting on Friday due to supply chain bottlenecks.
The company is seeing delays in potato shipments due to supply chain issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic as well as from shipping disruptions in Canada.
Despite the potato shortages, the popular fast-food company said that fries will still be sold in small-size portions.
McDonald’s stores in Japan are set to limit the portions of fries customers can buy with their meals to just smalls – removing medium and large for a week (stock image)
A spokesperson for the company said earlier today that a ‘continuous supply’ of french fries would be available thanks to the emergency rationing.
Additionally, the company will be offering a small discount on meal prices as a result of the disruption.
The company did not quantify the financial impact that the the temporary suspension of medium and large fries would have.
Japan represents one of McDonald’s largest consumer markets outside of the US anywhere in the world – with 2,900 restaurants found in the country.
This isn’t the first time that McDonald’s have been affected by global supply chain issues.
The company is seeing delays in potato shipments due to supply chain issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic as well as from shipping disruptions in Canada (stock image)
In October, McDonald’s restaurants in the UK were plagued by a shortage of its popular Chicken Legend burger – resulting in stores removing it from their menus.
McDonald’s initially said supply chain woes were ‘impacting the availability’ of the Chicken Legend and that it was working hard to return the item as soon as possible.
In a later statement to Mail Online it said the item should still be available inside restaurant chains, just not for delivery orders.
While in August, restaurants were also hit by a shortage of milkshakes as supply chain issues took hold.
Since September, countries around the world, including Japan, the UK, the US and Canada – where the potatoes are imported from – have been battling snarled supply chains.
Ships have spent days off the coasts of the world’s major ports, unable to unload their cargo due to a shortage of delivery drivers and technical staff.
Japan represents one of McDonald’s largest consumer markets outside of the US anywhere in the world – with 2,900 restaurants found in the country (file image of a store in Tokyo in 2008)
Container ships have plied their routes with their vessels only partially loaded, due to logistical issues in ports and warehouses.
The crisis has led to fears that stores and restaurants may not have enough supplies for the holidays.
The potato shortage comes amid a busy period for fast food restaurants in Japan – which traditionally sees rival KFC dominate the festive market.
For 51 years, many families in Japan have turned to KFC as their meal on Christmas Day.
The manager of the country’s first-ever KFC store initially marketed ‘party barrels’ as an alternative to roast turkey on Christmas day.
The campaign proved so successful that it was eventually launched nationwide in Japan and has since become a tradition for many families.
In 2019, it was estimated that Christmas sales of KFC represented around five per cent of the company’s total annual revenue in Japan.
And in a bid to dethrone KFC as the festive fast-food favourites, McDonald’s has launched a campaign pushing chicken nuggets as an alternative to turkey.
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