Potato shortage causes popular supermarket item to 'disappear' from shelves

Aussie farmers have been warning us for months that a national potato shortage is on the horizon, and it looks like the situation has finally come to a head.

Huge amounts of crops were wiped out by wild weather earlier in the year, leaving farmers struggling to make ends meet.

Now, a crowd-favourite potato item has been hit hard by the shortages: Potato chips!



Supermarkets are reporting that their chip stock levels have been impacted by adverse weather, causing popular brands like Smith's, Twisties, Sunbites, Burger Rings and Tasty Toobs to disappear from shelves.

It's understood that the issue is affecting major grocery stores, including Coles, Woolworths and Aldi.


Screen Shot 2022-10-19 at 10.23.16 AM.png
The weather and supply chain issues have resulted in a surprising product shortage at supermarkets across the country. Credit: Getty Images.



PepsiCo Australia – which manufactures some of our country's most beloved chips – said it could be several months before supermarket shelves return to normal.

'High levels of rainfall have impacted some potato crops, and while we are managing potato supply, we have been working closely with our retail partners to ensure our brands continue to be widely available,' said a spokesperson for the company.

'Consumers can still have confidence that their favourite chips will be available at their local retailers in the coming months.'



Restaurants have been telling customers for months that they may have to pay more for the salty snack due to the current potato problems.

There aren't 'enough potatoes to go around,' as one Adelaide restaurant owner put it, because farmers in NSW and QLD were unable to harvest the crop because of the flooding.

Due to the nationwide shortage of hot chips, one pub in NSW even went so far as to post a sign on their door announcing that they were 'unable to offer bowls of chips and loaded fries' anymore.


Screen Shot 2022-10-19 at 10.23.23 AM.png
Shoppers are saying that several brands of potato chips are 'disappearing' from supermarket shelves. Credit: news.com.au.



In the meantime, shoppers may want to consider other snack options as their favourite brands become increasingly unavailable.

This is just the latest in a long string of grocery items that have been affected by the weather crisis, which has included a nationwide lettuce shortage as well as chickpeas and various cold and flu items.
Key Takeaways

  • Supermarkets are facing shortages of potato chips due to adverse weather conditions in Australia.
  • This is the latest in a long line of grocery items that have been affected by the weather crisis in the country.
  • Shoppers on social media have been poking fun at the situation, with some declaring it 'the last straw'.


We don't know about you, but here at the Seniors Discount Club, we absolutely love our chips! They're the perfect snack food, especially when they're nice and hot.

But unfortunately, it seems like our favourite salty treat is going to be in short supply for a while. Here's hoping that the potato situation improves soon and that our favourite chips will be back on shelves before we know it!

If your usual go-to brand isn't on shelves when you next pop in to do your weekly shop, don't panic – there are plenty of other delicious options available. Or, of course, you could always just make them yourself. To find out how, watch the video below!


Credit: Akis Petretzikis.
 
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It's all a con just because there is a shortage they shouldn't cost any more it is just supermarkets rorting, and don't you love how they warn you that they rip you off before they do it I just don't buy the things that go up like that
 
I've seen alot of items missing from the shelves.
Toilet paper ...still
Tissues ....big problem.
Eggs ....
Frozen vegetables eg broccoli.
Fresh vegetables
So many pantry items.

This is online shopping at coles not sure what it's like in store

I know my average week shop has risen from $250 to around $320
 
It's all a con just because there is a shortage they shouldn't cost any more it is just supermarkets rorting, and don't you love how they warn you that they rip you off before they do it I just don't buy the things that go up like that
Where in the article does it say the price is rising or that the supermarkets are rorting and ripping us off? As far as I can see they're just telling us we might not see them on the shelves for a while.
 
Aussie farmers have been warning us for months that a national potato shortage is on the horizon, and it looks like the situation has finally come to a head.

Huge amounts of crops were wiped out by wild weather earlier in the year, leaving farmers struggling to make ends meet.

Now, a crowd-favourite potato item has been hit hard by the shortages: Potato chips!



Supermarkets are reporting that their chip stock levels have been impacted by adverse weather, causing popular brands like Smith's, Twisties, Sunbites, Burger Rings and Tasty Toobs to disappear from shelves.

It's understood that the issue is affecting major grocery stores, including Coles, Woolworths and Aldi.


View attachment 7445
The weather and supply chain issues have resulted in a surprising product shortage at supermarkets across the country. Credit: Getty Images.



PepsiCo Australia – which manufactures some of our country's most beloved chips – said it could be several months before supermarket shelves return to normal.

'High levels of rainfall have impacted some potato crops, and while we are managing potato supply, we have been working closely with our retail partners to ensure our brands continue to be widely available,' said a spokesperson for the company.

'Consumers can still have confidence that their favourite chips will be available at their local retailers in the coming months.'



Restaurants have been telling customers for months that they may have to pay more for the salty snack due to the current potato problems.

There aren't 'enough potatoes to go around,' as one Adelaide restaurant owner put it, because farmers in NSW and QLD were unable to harvest the crop because of the flooding.

Due to the nationwide shortage of hot chips, one pub in NSW even went so far as to post a sign on their door announcing that they were 'unable to offer bowls of chips and loaded fries' anymore.


View attachment 7446
Shoppers are saying that several brands of potato chips are 'disappearing' from supermarket shelves. Credit: news.com.au.



In the meantime, shoppers may want to consider other snack options as their favourite brands become increasingly unavailable.

This is just the latest in a long string of grocery items that have been affected by the weather crisis, which has included a nationwide lettuce shortage as well as chickpeas and various cold and flu items.
Key Takeaways

  • Supermarkets are facing shortages of potato chips due to adverse weather conditions in Australia.
  • This is the latest in a long line of grocery items that have been affected by the weather crisis in the country.
  • Shoppers on social media have been poking fun at the situation, with some declaring it 'the last straw'.


We don't know about you, but here at the Seniors Discount Club, we absolutely love our chips! They're the perfect snack food, especially when they're nice and hot.

But unfortunately, it seems like our favourite salty treat is going to be in short supply for a while. Here's hoping that the potato situation improves soon and that our favourite chips will be back on shelves before we know it!

If your usual go-to brand isn't on shelves when you next pop in to do your weekly shop, don't panic – there are plenty of other delicious options available. Or, of course, you could always just make them yourself. To find out how, watch the video below!


Credit: Akis Petretzikis.

not going to to bother me as I dont eat them and I only eat sweet potatoes anyway
 
Please the floods has not affected all potatoe growers, Tasmania a lot of Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia. It’s another grab by the Supermarkets being the bosses of supplies to starve the market and then hike prices
Sorry, I just don't see it. If just 5 or 10% of the whole potato crop is ruined it means that something, somewhere is going to miss out on supply. It's not the Supermarkets refusing to sell chips it's the manufacturers who deal with the growers that are having the problem. Manufacturers buy whole farms worth of produce and if those particular farms are under water there's nothing for them to buy.
 
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Reactions: Ezzy and barbaranne
With all the ongoing weather problems - fires, floods, droughts, etc. - we have seen, and are still seeing, many disastrous and heartbreaking results.

To list just a few examples of the impacts of the floods on their own:
* People are being deprived of fresh water, shelter, and the most basic of food items;
* People are suffering from the damage, loss, and trauma of flooding, in many cases more than once;
* Some people have lost basically everything they own;
* Many people are dealing with having become effectively homeless;
* Farmers are losing their only form of income, in some cases their annual income;
* Workers/businesses are losing jobs/incomes;

. . . and we're upset because we can't buy potato chips?

Whatever the cause of the lack of chips, be it directly as a result of the floods, or an intentional money grab from supermarkets/retailers/manufacturers, I am still puzzled.

What a strange world it is where the temporary loss of "a favourite salty snack" is even worth mentioning amidst the very real and devastating cost to all those directly affected by these tragic weather events.

(Not meaning to be all "doom and gloom" - just stating my personal perspective.)
 
Last edited:
N
Aussie farmers have been warning us for months that a national potato shortage is on the horizon, and it looks like the situation has finally come to a head.

Huge amounts of crops were wiped out by wild weather earlier in the year, leaving farmers struggling to make ends meet.

Now, a crowd-favourite potato item has been hit hard by the shortages: Potato chips!



Supermarkets are reporting that their chip stock levels have been impacted by adverse weather, causing popular brands like Smith's, Twisties, Sunbites, Burger Rings and Tasty Toobs to disappear from shelves.

It's understood that the issue is affecting major grocery stores, including Coles, Woolworths and Aldi.


View attachment 7445
The weather and supply chain issues have resulted in a surprising product shortage at supermarkets across the country. Credit: Getty Images.



PepsiCo Australia – which manufactures some of our country's most beloved chips – said it could be several months before supermarket shelves return to normal.

'High levels of rainfall have impacted some potato crops, and while we are managing potato supply, we have been working closely with our retail partners to ensure our brands continue to be widely available,' said a spokesperson for the company.

'Consumers can still have confidence that their favourite chips will be available at their local retailers in the coming months.'



Restaurants have been telling customers for months that they may have to pay more for the salty snack due to the current potato problems.

There aren't 'enough potatoes to go around,' as one Adelaide restaurant owner put it, because farmers in NSW and QLD were unable to harvest the crop because of the flooding.

Due to the nationwide shortage of hot chips, one pub in NSW even went so far as to post a sign on their door announcing that they were 'unable to offer bowls of chips and loaded fries' anymore.


View attachment 7446
Shoppers are saying that several brands of potato chips are 'disappearing' from supermarket shelves. Credit: news.com.au.



In the meantime, shoppers may want to consider other snack options as their favourite brands become increasingly unavailable.

This is just the latest in a long string of grocery items that have been affected by the weather crisis, which has included a nationwide lettuce shortage as well as chickpeas and various cold and flu items.
Key Takeaways

  • Supermarkets are facing shortages of potato chips due to adverse weather conditions in Australia.
  • This is the latest in a long line of grocery items that have been affected by the weather crisis in the country.
  • Shoppers on social media have been poking fun at the situation, with some declaring it 'the last straw'.


We don't know about you, but here at the Seniors Discount Club, we absolutely love our chips! They're the perfect snack food, especially when they're nice and hot.

But unfortunately, it seems like our favourite salty treat is going to be in short supply for a while. Here's hoping that the potato situation improves soon and that our favourite chips will be back on shelves before we know it!

If your usual go-to brand isn't on shelves when you next pop in to do your weekly shop, don't panic – there are plenty of other delicious options available. Or, of course, you could always just make them yourself. To find out how, watch the video below!


Credit: Akis Petretzikis.

No loss there !!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Zoya and Ricci
Aussie farmers have been warning us for months that a national potato shortage is on the horizon, and it looks like the situation has finally come to a head.

Huge amounts of crops were wiped out by wild weather earlier in the year, leaving farmers struggling to make ends meet.

Now, a crowd-favourite potato item has been hit hard by the shortages: Potato chips!



Supermarkets are reporting that their chip stock levels have been impacted by adverse weather, causing popular brands like Smith's, Twisties, Sunbites, Burger Rings and Tasty Toobs to disappear from shelves.

It's understood that the issue is affecting major grocery stores, including Coles, Woolworths and Aldi.


View attachment 7445
The weather and supply chain issues have resulted in a surprising product shortage at supermarkets across the country. Credit: Getty Images.



PepsiCo Australia – which manufactures some of our country's most beloved chips – said it could be several months before supermarket shelves return to normal.

'High levels of rainfall have impacted some potato crops, and while we are managing potato supply, we have been working closely with our retail partners to ensure our brands continue to be widely available,' said a spokesperson for the company.

'Consumers can still have confidence that their favourite chips will be available at their local retailers in the coming months.'



Restaurants have been telling customers for months that they may have to pay more for the salty snack due to the current potato problems.

There aren't 'enough potatoes to go around,' as one Adelaide restaurant owner put it, because farmers in NSW and QLD were unable to harvest the crop because of the flooding.

Due to the nationwide shortage of hot chips, one pub in NSW even went so far as to post a sign on their door announcing that they were 'unable to offer bowls of chips and loaded fries' anymore.


View attachment 7446
Shoppers are saying that several brands of potato chips are 'disappearing' from supermarket shelves. Credit: news.com.au.



In the meantime, shoppers may want to consider other snack options as their favourite brands become increasingly unavailable.

This is just the latest in a long string of grocery items that have been affected by the weather crisis, which has included a nationwide lettuce shortage as well as chickpeas and various cold and flu items.
Key Takeaways

  • Supermarkets are facing shortages of potato chips due to adverse weather conditions in Australia.
  • This is the latest in a long line of grocery items that have been affected by the weather crisis in the country.
  • Shoppers on social media have been poking fun at the situation, with some declaring it 'the last straw'.


We don't know about you, but here at the Seniors Discount Club, we absolutely love our chips! They're the perfect snack food, especially when they're nice and hot.

But unfortunately, it seems like our favourite salty treat is going to be in short supply for a while. Here's hoping that the potato situation improves soon and that our favourite chips will be back on shelves before we know it!

If your usual go-to brand isn't on shelves when you next pop in to do your weekly shop, don't panic – there are plenty of other delicious options available. Or, of course, you could always just make them yourself. To find out how, watch the video below!


Credit: Akis Petretzikis.

Don't know why they do the American names for this food?🙄

Chips are fried in oil and are potato stick shape🍟 And it's CRISPS that come in packets. They're not even the shape of chips.😕
 
I believe the shortage means those available potatoes are being kept for the meal table & not being turned into Crisps. I personally have no problem there.
 
Last edited:

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