It’s crunch time as shops run short of crisps

CRISP fans are in danger of having to go without their favourite snack as almost one third of shops have run short.

Crisps were the least available item in shops last week, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said, with 29 per cent reporting either low or no stocks of multipacks.

A key problem is a lack of supply from Walkers, which has cut production because of a computer glitch.

“A recent IT system upgrade has disrupted the supply of some of our products,” a company spokesman said. “Our sites are still making crisps and snacks but at a reduced scale. We’re doing everything we can to increase production and get people’s favourites back on shelves,” he added.

Niche products are more likely to have been affected as the company focuses on mainstream flavours such as salt and vinegar, cheese and onion, and brands such as Quavers and Wotsits.

Bryan Roberts, retail analyst of Shop Floor Insights, said there were “hideous

gaps” on supermarket shelves which shops are trying to fill with other brands and own-label crisps. “Crisps are one of the few categories where consumers care about the brand,” he said.

Britons spent £1.47billion on crisps last year, taking home 174million kilograms of the snack, Mintel figures show.

Crisp lovers are also paying more for a bag. The typical packet costs 6.9 per cent more last month than a year ago, according to official data.

However, while much of the economy is being swept by a wave of inflation, potato prices are down 3.4p per cent on the year.

The average kilogram of white potatoes costs 56p in the shops, down from 73p on the eve of the pandemic and a peak of more than £1 in 2013.

After crisps, the most severe shortage last week was paracetamol, with 17 per cent of shops running low, according to the ONS. Ibuprofen is next, followed by sparkling water.

Ten per cent of shops also said they had run out of frozen turkeys, with five per cent running low.