Japan spud shortage spurs potato chip crisis

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A potato shortage in Japan has led to a potato chip crisis. Since April, potato chip addicts have been going through withdrawal (or hoarding of the coveted goods) after the sale of about 40 brands of Japanese potato chips came to a temporary or permanent halt due to the domestic potato shortage, The Paper reports.

Potato chips are sold out in many supermarkets in Japan/ Photo from Twitter

The problem first began on April 10, when Calbee, one of the most prominent snack companies in Japan announced that 33 brands of their potato chips would be either temporarily halted or removed permanently from shelves.

Calbee released a notice on its official website of products halted for sale. /Calbee website Photo

Another popular potato chip manufacturer Koikeya followed suit, halting the sale of nine products.

Last August, a record-breaking number of typhoons hit north Japan’s Hokkaido Prefecture, where major potato fields are located. The rain and floods caused severe agricultural damage, resulting in the potato shortage. As Calbee and Koikeya both boast selling chips grown in Hokkaido, it's no surprise the manufacturers were seriously affected.

As soon as loyal customers heard of the news, many rushed to convenient stores and supermarkets to stock up on their favorite chips. A few shops set a purchase limit, while online auction websites took advantage of the demand, selling popular brands like Calbee’s lightly salted chips or pizza-flavored chips at the massively inflated price of about 140 US dollars.

Some shops set purchase limits. /Photo from Twitter

On Twitter, Japanese netizens posted up photos of empty snack shelves across the country, making the phrase "potato chip shock” trend, and spark hot debates on the social media platform.

One netizen showed empty snack shelves at a nearby convenience store. /Photo from Twitter

According to CCTV, the two potato chip makers grew concerned about product availability last year. Calbee had even proposed importing more potatoes from the US but failed, due to protests from Hokkaido farmers.

Also, Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries advocates domestically-made food products, thus imposing heavy tariffs and strict protection regulations against imported food products, including potatoes.

In China where potato chips are increasingly consumed, “potato chip shock” stirred discussion among netizens on Weibo, China’s equivalent of Twitter.

“I just bought two kilos of potatoes, maybe I should go sell them in Japan,” @doudoudaxianzi commented.