16 June 2022| 15 Dhul Qadha 1443
Fried chicken chain KFC said Tuesday that high lettuce prices in Australia have forced it to switch to a cabbage mix in burgers and other products, prompting customers to complain the result is less than “finger lickin’ good.”
The local price of the verdant leaf has soared by as much as 300 percent in recent months, forcing the fast-food chain to tweak the Colonel’s recipe in some stores.
“We’re currently experiencing a lettuce shortage. So, we’re using a lettuce and cabbage blend on all products containing lettuce until further notice,” the company told customers.
The company blamed widespread flooding in the country’s east for the problem.
But supply chain expert Flavio Macau of Edith Cowan University said Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was also a factor, pushing up diesel and fertilizer prices.
A single head of iceberg lettuce in Sydney or Melbourne that once sold for about $2 now goes for close to $8.
The company told customers: “If that’s not your bag, simply click ‘customise’ on your chosen product and remove lettuce from the recipe :)“
The change was certainly not the “bag” of some social media users.
Source – Arab News