Why KFC Australia and McDonald's Japan are restricting sales of chicken and french fries

The regulars of KFC Australia may not be finding it “finger lickin’ good” and those of McDonald’s Japan may not be “lovin’ it” as the two fast food giants are experiencing a shortage of some of their quintessential menu items. According to CNN Business, while KFC is struggling with its most important ingredient - fresh chicken, McDonald’s is concerned with the shortage of french fries, the essential side snack world over. We take a look at why two of the world’s largest fast food companies are struggling to meet the demands of their customers: What’s the issue While KFC Australia did not specify which menu items were affected, on Tuesday, Australian poultry processor Ingham’s, which is one of the suppliers working with the fast food giant, said that it was “experiencing significantly lower levels of staff availability, which is impacting production volumes and operational efficiency.” “The rapid spread of the Omicron variant… and the resulting staff shortages, are now also having a significant impact on the Australian supply chain, operations, logistics and sales performance of Ingham’s, and some of its suppliers and customers,” the company noted in a stock exchange filing, as reported by CNN Business. In Japan, McDonald’s customers have to make do with only small portions of french fries as the fast food chain continues to face supply shortage. The company had shortly suspended the medium and large portions last month as it faced potato shipment delays due to a large flood near the Port of Vancouver in Canada, which is one of its largest suppliers of potatoes from North America. When will they get chickens and potatoes KFC Australia said they were working with multiple suppliers to mitigate the impact and provide them with support. “..but we expect some disruptions to continue in the coming weeks," a company spokesperson told CNN Business. Meanwhile, the shortage of french fries at McDonald’s is set to continue this month as heavy snow and bad weather have also affected shipping services. If it’s any consolation to food lovers, the company said in a statement that it was working on “arranging new distribution channels” to secure a stable supply of potatoes in the future. With inputs from agencies Read all the Latest News , Trending News ,  Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.