McDonald’s bans large and medium fries in Japan: supply chain issue, or clever marketing ploy?

The fast food giant has halted sales of large and medium portions, citing heavy snow in Canada that has delayed shipments and Covid- related staff shortfalls

Fans spot a loophole: just buy more small ones. While cynics wonder if that was the point all along, others say import-reliant Japan faces a very real problem

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McDonald’s Japan has brought in a temporary ban on large and medium portions of French fries, citing supply chain issues.

Published: 8:00am, 11 Jan 2022

Fast food giant McDonald’s has again halted sales of large and medium-sized portions of French fries in Japan, citing problems in its supply chain, although fans have been quick to share a workaround.

The solution for anyone who cannot go without a fix of fries, they say, is simply to order more small portions, even if doing so costs a little more.

On Friday, McDonald’s Holdings Japan announced it would stop selling large and medium portions of fries for around a month from Saturday. The company introduced similar restrictions in late December for a week, citing delays in imports of frozen fries from North America.

McDonald’s says the restrictions are being brought back due to unusually heavy snow in western parts of Canada that has caused havoc with local transport systems and bad weather in the northern Pacific that has delayed shipments. Those problems have been compounded by staffing shortfalls in Canada as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, flooding in areas close to the port of Vancouver, and a shortage of shipping containers.

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McDonald’s Japan restricts fries orders to small size amid potato shipping snags

The company said it would be impossible to meet demand by bringing frozen fries to Japan by air instead and that the rationing would be in force in around 2,900 restaurants across the country.