McDonald’s potato rationing spurs French fries ‘war’ in Japan

Fast food giant has halted sales of large and medium portions of French fries, citing import supply problems

Competitors take advantage of situation by upsizing their portions in a ‘welcome war for lovers of French fries’

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A small portion of McDonald’s french fries. Photo: Bloomberg

Published: 11:19am, 23 Jan 2022

The recent rationing of French fries by McDonald’s in Japan due to a disruption of potato imports is spurring competitors to seize a bigger share of the market, triggering what social media users have called “a potato war”.

The operator of McDonald’s restaurants in Japan has said it will only offer smaller portions of its French fries for about a month from January 9 at all of its around 2,900 stores nationwide. It is the second time in two months that the company has restricted sales of the popular item.

Flooding near a Vancouver port and a worldwide logistics disruption triggered by the coronavirus pandemic delayed potato imports from North America, leading the company to suspend sales of medium and large portions of fries for a week in December.

The fast food chain said the continued delay of imports due to bad weather had forced it to impose the further restriction on sales. The company also temporarily suspended offering hash browns at some locations.

The move by McDonald’s to suspend sales of medium and large size fries has rattled many consumers in Japan. Photo: Bloomberg

The move rattled many consumers in Japan, with the term poteto nanmin (potato refugees) going viral on social media.

“I felt so sad about the rationing because I like fries,” said a 30-year-old man who recently bought a small portion at a McDonald’s store in the Ginza shopping district of Tokyo. “I hope they’ll fix the supply problem quickly.”