Flexport to Fly Three 747 Loads of Potatoes to Ease Japan French-Fries Shortage

An American freight forwarder Flexport Inc. will help fly three planes loaded with potatoes to Japan, where a shortage of spuds has caused McDonald’s in the country to ration french fries.

According to the details, the United States (US)-based freight forwarder contracted to fly three Boeing 747 full of potatoes to Japan to alleviate the large shortage of potatoes in the country.

“Flexport just contracted to fly three 747 loads of potatoes to Japan to help with the French fry shortage,” chief executive officer (CEO) Flexport, Ryan Petersen said in a tweet, without providing details.

“We considered involving flexport.org for this humanitarian relief operation but in the end decided that the for profit side was a better fit,” the CEO added.

Emirates 777-300 Nearly Crashed Due to Pilot Error

SereneAir Pilots Get Drunk in Istanbul, Passports Confiscated

It is to be noted that last week, fast food chain McDonald’s announced that its Japanese branches can therefore only offer small portions of fries. The shortage of potatoes in Japan is caused by flooding in a port in Vancouver, Canada, where many potatoes are usually loaded with Japan as the final destination.

The supply problems as a result of the coronavirus pandemic are also causing shortages. McDonald’s wanted to help solve the problem by getting the potatoes to Japan in a different way, for example by air freight.

McDonald’s has about 2,900 stores in Japan. The fast-food company has said it expects the issue to be resolved by New Year’s Eve and that it was arranging alternative shipment options like airplanes. Customers temporarily receive a discount on menus of just under 40 euro cents because of the smaller portions of fries. Usually the menus are served with a medium portion of fries, with customers having the option of choosing a larger or smaller portion.

Case registered against Nasla Tower officials

Nasla Tower Case: Police raid SBCA office in Karachi

McDonald’s Holdings Co. Japan couldn’t confirm or deny it’s using Flexport to import its potatoes. The sale of medium and large size fries will resume as planned on December 31, 2021, a spokeswoman said on Wednesday. Flexport’s Petersen didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

The shortage isn’t just limited to Japan. In New York, iconic burger joint J.G. Melon said in an Instagram post last week that it was suspending sales of its cottage fries due to supply-chain issues. Flow of products from cream cheese to chicken tenders has also come under strain.