McDonald's Japan flies in fries as US ports crisis stops chips by ship

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McDonald’s has sent 1,000 tonnes of frozen french fries by air to Japan, as the country’s outlets face running out owing to the US west coast port congestion. Clearly, however, air is not an economic option for the fast food outlet, and it has decided to cut portion sizes instead of using more air freight. Some 1,600 tonnes of fries are being sent from east coast ports, but won’t arrive until late January. The story has propelled the supply chain into the wider media. In fact, you can listen to The Loadstar managing editor, Gavin van Marle, talking to the BBC World Service on this same issue, here (about 14 minutes in).