Supermarket shelves have been stripped of popular brands of potato chips, while fish and chip shops are now struggling to get certain brands with the wet weather and supply chain issues affecting supplies of the humble spud.
Earlier this year growers warned the country faced a national potato shortage after wet weather wiped out crops, and prices for fertiliser, fuel and transport skyrocketed because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
And this week PepsiCo Australia, which produces popular chip brands like Smith’s and Red Rock Deli, warned stock levels could be affected for several months.
“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,” a spokesperson for PepsiCo said.
“Consumers can still have confidence that their favourite chips will be available at their local retailers in the coming months.”
The company’s other brands, such as Doritos, Twisties and Sunbites, had not been affected by the shortage, the spokesperson said.
Most major supermarkets were reporting shortage of potatoes, including Woolworths, Coles and Aldi.
“Due to supply chain issues affecting suppliers, some brands of potato chips may be unavailable,” a spokesperson for Coles said.
A spokesperson for Aldi said “volatile weather conditions” had become an ongoing issue in supply chains and that they were working with suppliers to manage stock levels.
The potato shortage had also affected hot chip supplies with fish and chip shop owners warning they have had to change products.
Owner of the Chicken Shack in Plympton, South Australia, Daniel Diamanti said at the start of October his supplier told him he would not be able to get the chips that he usually uses. He said he had to swap to lower-grade chips for that weekend.
“At the moment, we’ve got our chips back but it’s going to be an ongoing occurrence,” he said.
“One of the obstacles is floods, but it’s not the only one.”
Diamanti said supply chain issues mean he may not be able to consistently get the chips he uses until January next year.
The national communications manager at AusVeg, Shaun Lindhe, said the current delay was being caused by constant rain, which made the ground too wet for harvesting.
“It has been a wet autumn, wet winter and wet spring,” Lindhe said.
“If the ground is too wet to get machinery on, it can delay things like planting and harvesting. That’s then leading to a tight supply market for processed potatoes.”
The current flooding in New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania could make the supply issues worse, he said.
“In terms of the current reports around the weather impacting supply, there’s been some damage to infrastructure and roads which is making it challenging to get the products to market,” Lindhe said.
“The current floods will have an impact on some crops but that won’t be immediate. We might see some more strain on supply in the coming months.”
