French fry fail: Supply chain issues force McDonald's to suspend sales

McDonald's Korea has halted sales of french fries due to supply chain interruptions, with no timeline given for a resumption.

McDonald's Korea will not sell french fries for the time being due to a disruption in its supply chain. Pictured is a McDonald's store in Korea on May 1, a day before the fast food franchise raised prices for 16 items on its menu by an average of 2.8 percent. [YONHAP]

McDonald's has suspended sales of french fries in Korea due to an interruption in its supply chains.

"Due to an unexpected issue within our supply chain, we are temporarily unable to provide french fries," McDonald's Korea said in a statement on Thursday.

The U.S.-headquartered fast food franchise did not give a specific date on when they would start selling fries again, instead saying they would do their best to resume sales as soon as possible.

Customers will not be able to purchase set meals that come with fries. Instead, a medium-sized cola will be given for free with all burger purchases.

McDonald's Korea briefly halted french fry sales in August 2021 and February 2022 because of supply chain disruptions. In 2021, McDonald's gave out different sides in place of fries after potato imports became difficult due to the Covid-19 pandemic and because of disruptions in overseas cargo transports in 2022, also due to the pandemic.

The Korean branch imports all of its potatoes for its fries from the United States, according to the company's website.

BY KIM JU-YEON [kim.juyeon2@joongang.co.kr]