McDonald’s Japan will only serve small-sized fries for a week starting Friday, as a result of delays in potato shipments from Canada.
“Due to flooding near the Port of Vancouver and the global supply chain crunch caused by the coronavirus pandemic, there are delays in the supply of potatoes,” the company announced on Tuesday. Potatoes used to make french fries are usually imported from North America, McDonald’s Japan said.
Medium and large sized fries will not be available in McDonald’s restaurants across Japan from December 24-30 as a result. Customers switching the size of their fries from medium to small in set value meals will receive a discount of 50 yen.
Hash browns will reportedly continue to be served as usual, said McDonald’s in the statement. The restriction will be placed during the holiday season, and the busy year-end period when schools, colleges and offices are closed.
The chain suffered a similar issue in December 2014, due to a labour dispute taking place on the other side of the Pacific.
More than 3,000 McDonald’s restaurants in Japan – the biggest Asian market for US frozen potato products – said they would sell only small-sized portions of fries for the foreseeable future amid a protracted dispute between 20,000 dockworkers and terminal operators and shipping lines at 29 ports on the US west coast.
In response McDonald’s Japan took the emergency step of importing 1,000 tonnes of frozen fries by air.
Sources: DW.com and The Guardian with Agence France-Presse
