Chips not affected by potato shortage
Potato-chip supplies are unlikely to be affected by a national shortage of potatoes after all, the country’s two biggest supermarket chains say.
Foodstuffs spokeswoman Antoinette Laird said its supplier to Pak’n Save and New World supermarkets had not been affected, despite a statement on Sunday suggesting the company was struggling to meet demand.
Some Pak’n Save supermarkets had posted notices warning customers of ‘‘trouble stocking potato chips’’ due to a nationwide potato shortage.
But Laird said yesterday that the sign was wrong.
‘‘More information has come to light today. It turns out the store’s sign was incorrect. Their issue was actually due to an ordering error,’’ Laird said.
‘‘We hold a lot of product in our distribution centres and so we aren’t short at this stage.’’
Some growers were struggling with the impact of the weather, but the weather played a part in potato production every year, she said.
‘‘The grower community is highlighting a potential future potato shortage due to the bad weather we’ve had this year.
‘‘This has not impacted our business as yet, and we are working with our suppliers to minimise any potential impact,’’ Laird said.
A spokesman for Countdown also said the chain was not experiencing any shortages of potato chips.
‘‘Our suppliers have said that there could be fewer potato chips supplied in the coming months. However, we will work directly with our suppliers to manage this.
‘‘There is no impact on fresh or frozen potatoes, or other snacking categories.’’