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Hash browns disappear from McDonald’s Japan branches as country’s potato shortage continues

Casey Baseel Jan 11, 2022
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Supply line troubles between Japan and North America rob fans of breakfast bliss.

It was with great sadness that McDonald’s Japan suspended sales of medium and large-size orders of French fries in mid-December, but the nation’s spud supporters soldiered through the dark days thanks to the promise that this was only a temporary measure until the end of the year. Unfortunately, that ray of hope was extinguished a few days ago when McDonald’s announced that the fry rationing measures will continue until approximately the end of January as a result of the chain’s continuing potato shortage.

Now comes more sad news, as McDonald’s is also suspending sales of hash browns in Japan.

日本マクドナルドは台湾にも続いてハッシュポテトの販売を停止しました。

これで朝マックののお供はなくなりました。 pic.twitter.com/rQRoxf0r1u

— ひでゆき＠しがないSE+写真+その他 (@hide_phot787) January 10, 2022

Over last weekend, customers at some McDonald’s Japan branches started seeing poster-size notices like the one in the above tweet informing them that the same conditions that have led to the fry rationing, flooding damage at the port of Vancouver and the continuing worldwide coronavirus pandemic disrupting their supply line of potatoes imported from North America, are forcing the chain to take their hashed browns, or “hash potato,” as they’re called in Japanese, off the menu.

ハッシュポテトもないなんて聞いてない😭 pic.twitter.com/aTfIPTWzyR

— ミリ (@disney6942) January 9, 2022

It makes sense, since French fries and hash browns are essentially the exact same ingredients just cooked slightly differently, but still, reactions on Twitter have been mournful, with one going to far as to quote Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet.

“The time is out of joint.”
“I love McDonald’s hash brown so much that I usually order two or three at a time. This potato shock is a serious punch in the gut.”
“As someone who usually goes to McDonald’s for breakfast, I didn’t care about the French fries, but this one hurts.”
“As soon as they announced the French fry sales suspension, I started worrying about my hashed browns. Gonna miss my morning bliss.”

Some branches appear to still be selling hash browns, and a McDonald’s Japan representative speaking with media outlet J-Cast News says he expects regular sales to resume “from January 13 or 14.” With the French fry shortage expected to continue beyond that, it won’t be surprising if McDonald’s once again prioritizes French fries in using its precious potato resources in the near future and hash browns get pushed aside again, so if any of you happen to have an empty plane that you’re willing to fill with spuds and fly to Japan, we’d appreciate it.

Sources: FNN Prime Online, Yahoo! Japan News/J-Cast News, Twitter, Hachima Kikou
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