Southeast Asian fast-food chains are being hit by a shortage of French fries as supply-chain problems slow shipments of the frozen item from the US and Europe.
At some of Yum! Brands Inc.’s KFC outlets in Singapore, customers were informed that the company would replace side orders of fries with potato waffles due to a “global supply disruption.” McDonald’s Corp. stores in Malaysia and Indonesia halted sales of large-size portions of fries late last month for the same reason, according to company notices posted on Twitter.
Global supply chains have come under pressure from the omicron virus variant in recent months, due to increased customs checks at ports and labor shortages across the transport sector. McDonald’s was forced to ration French fries in Japan late last year after flooding at Canada’s Vancouver port and the coronavirus choked off supplies. Fast-food chains generally use shipped frozen fries, rather than sourcing potatoes and making them themselves.
Source: bnnbloomberg.ca