McDonald’s Japan is rationing french fries as the fast food chain can’t import enough potatoes amid the supply chain crisis

• For the next week, customers at McDonald’s Japan will only be able to buy small-sized servings of french fries.
• The restriction is due to a potato shortage as the global supply chain crisis hits food imports.
• Japan is a major importer of cooked and prepared frozen potatoes.

McDonald’s Japanese outlets are set to suspend the sale of large and medium-sized french fries as the fast-food chain contends with potato shortages. 

From this Friday, customers at all 2,900 McDonald’s stores in Japan will only be able to buy small-sized servings of fries for a week, the fast-food chain said in an announcement on Tuesday.

The company is instituting the policy following a potato shortage caused by global supply chain disruptions and massive floods in Canada, which hit operations at the Port of Vancouver.

McDonald’s Japan said it’s proactively securing its supplies with alternative means, such as shipping via air freight.

It’s not the first time the company has dealt with a potato crisis.

In 2014, McDonald’s Japan outlets put a limit on customer purchases of french fries after a US labor dispute caused shipping delays, Reuters reported. The fast-food giant had to import over 1,000 tonnes of frozen fries using air freight at the time to deal with the emergency.

According to the US Department of Agriculture, Japan is a major importer of cooked and prepared frozen potatoes.