McDonald’s Holdings Co. Japan said due to flooding at a Vancouver port and supply chain issues, its access to potatoes had been limited, prompting the fast-food giant to begin rationing its fries, offering only small sizes of its crispy fries at its locations across Japan.
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While the effects of climate change are being felt around the world, no one predicted flooding in B.C. would lead to a shortage of McDonald’s fries in Japan.
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Last month, McDonald’s Holdings Co. Japan said due to flooding at a Vancouver port and supply chain issues, its access to potatoes had been limited, prompting the fast-food giant to begin rationing its fries, offering only small sizes of its crispy fries at its locations across Japan.
Footage from a local television report showed customers forming long lines at one of the stores in Tokyo to get their last orders of the larger portion fries before the ration went into effect.
U.S. freight forwarder Flexport Inc. was then tapped to help fly three planes loaded with potatoes to Japan, to hopefully end the shortage.
“Flexport just contracted to fly three 747 loads of potatoes to Japan to help with the French fry shortage,” Chief Executive Officer Ryan Petersen said in a tweet, without providing details. Petersen said in a post last week that he had been learning about McDonald’s struggle with french fry shortages in the country.
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The fast-food company had said it hoped the issue would be resolved by New Year’s Eve and that it was arranging alternative shipment options like airplanes. McDonald’s Holdings Co. Japan couldn’t confirm or deny it’s using Flexport to import its potatoes.
The sale of medium and large size fries was set to resume on Dec. 31, a spokeswoman had said by telephone on Wednesday. Flexport’s Petersen didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
The shortage isn’t just limited to Japan.
In New York, iconic burger joint J.G. Melon said in an Instagram post last week that it was suspending sales of its cottage fries due to supply-chain issues. Flow of products from cream cheese to chicken tenders has also come under strain.
–with files from Postmedia
