To overcome Japan’s shortage of potatoes, US freight forwarder Flexport will fly 747 loads of spuds to the country.
The announcement was made by the company’s Chief Executive Officer, Ryan Petersen on Twitter.
A 747 can carry about 112,760 kgs, and a serving of large fries at McDonalds is about 154g. About 2.2 Million servings if anyone is wondering. https://t.co/YcVehRD1Lu
— Gyanendra Mishra (@_gyani_) December 29, 2021
He had earlier said in a post on the microblogging platform that he was learning about french fry shortages in Japan.
The floods in Canada squeezed potato imports in Japan due to which the country has to ration its current supply.
“When we look back at the state of the agriculture sector in 2021, we can say this year has been marked by extreme climate change weather events,” Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau said in a recent speech.
“That includes the worst drought in 60 years in Western Canada and the devastating atmospheric rivers in British Columbia,” she added.
Also read | Study says eating french fries good for health
Fast food restaurant company McDonald’s is selling small-sized French fries for a week from Friday to avoid shortages.
“Due to large-scale 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,” it said in a statement on Tuesday.
The company said it has taken the measure to ensure that customers can still order fries, even though the “stable procurement of resource materials” is proving difficult.
The restriction comes during the busy year-end period, with schools and offices beginning to close for the holidays.
It will also be in place on New Year, commonly celebrated in Japan with a hearty serving of another US fast-food behemoth, Kentucky Fried Chicken, which is heavily marketed around the festive period.
(With inputs from agencies)
