Why is there a potato chip shortage 2021?
Supply chain disruptions during the pandemic resulted in a shortage of many commodities. The latest one to join the ranks is the beloved potato. Potato shortage has severely impacted fast-food restaurants in Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Kenya and the United States and cut deep into their stocks to make fries and chips.
It should come as no surprise that this is owing to interruptions in the supply chain brought on by old mate Corona and harsh weather conditions. The Washington Post reports that potatoes are the most recent food item to become scarce throughout the world.
Why is there a potato shortage 2021? Potatoes are not in limited supply; rather, there is a disturbance in the supply chain, which is having an effect on both the import and export of the item.
There is what's said to be a “growing global potato shortage,” according to the Washington Post as far back as January 2022—and in large part this has to do with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and “extreme weather.” It's said that there's a “global potato shortage."
The Department of Agriculture (DA) has earlier confirmed there is a global shortage in the processing variety of potatoes, particularly those commonly used for fast food fries. Filipino farmers mostly grow table potatoes and unfortunately, producing such variety locally is not yet seen as viable yet.
The low supply of Lays chips comes after harsh weather conditions caused a potato shortage throughout the country, which has left the manufacturers of the renowned chips brands Lays and Simba chips, PepsiCo, with little stock.
This is because PepsiCo Inc. 's Frito-Lay subsidiary, the brand that's famous for producing your favourite chip brands like: Doritos, Lays, Tostitos and Cheetos, has outright stopped stocking store shelves because Loblaws refused to accept higher chip prices. The two giants had been negotiating for months, to no avail.
There's a growing global potato shortage — a real problem for a planet addicted to french fries and chips. A number of popular items, including marmite and cream cheese, have faced scarcities amid supply chain disruptions wrought by the coronavirus pandemic and extreme weather.
Fast-food suppliers' freezers are full of frozen fries, hash browns and potato skins and their storage sheds are packed with potatoes, farmers and experts told Reuters. Their demand is down because four in 10 U.S. restaurants are closed, as are schools, hotels and workplaces.
Daniels says that meat and poultry are in short supply in many supermarkets. This is due to several factors, with manufacturing plant labor shortages causing most of the issues. Beef will likely see the most shortages because work in beef plants is more labor-intensive, according to Food Business News.
Why did KFC run out of fries?
A combination of factors including the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, unpredictable weather patterns and supply chain constraints had caused severe disruption to potato shipments around the world in recent months.
Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), an American fast-food restaurant chain, announced that it had run out of potato fries even as local farmers struggled with an oversupply of the produce.
Daniels says that meat and poultry are in short supply in many supermarkets. This is due to several factors, with manufacturing plant labor shortages causing most of the issues. Beef will likely see the most shortages because work in beef plants is more labor-intensive, according to Food Business News.
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.
They are currently in storages. And it's primarily because of the changing supply and demand channels. Where in the past, about 41% of all the potatoes grown in the United States were destined for processing plants, and the United States would produce frozen french fries, tater tots, hash browns, and other products.
Pandemic or no, potato shortages crop up from time to time because of bad weather, blights or labor disputes. China, Russia, India and the United States are the world's top potato producers.
