Japan’s potato chip crisis sends people into a buying frenzy

Posted by: admin , April 19, 2017

Japan is in the middle of a potato chip crisis after snack companies such as Calbee halted sales of some of its most popular brands following a bad crop in Hokkaido.
Popular chips such as Calbee’s pizza-flavoured chips have been sold on Yahoo (an auction website) for as much as 1,250 Yen (AUD$15), compared to their normal sale price of 200 Yen (AUD$2.50).
Japan’s potato woes are believed to have been caused by the number of typhoons that struck the Hokkaido region last year.
Regulatory restrictions in Japan limit the amount of imported potatoes that can be used in products.
Photos of near-empty shelves are now trending on Twitter.
According to a recent TV Asahi poll, the 1st and 2nd most popular snacks in Japan are made by Calbee, which is 20% owned by PepsiCo & has a 73% market share in potato chips!