French Fries Shortage Reported

• Cold weather has damaged potato yields in North America, which is now threatening the availability of french fries in the US, Bloomberg reported Monday.
• In some places, harvests were lost altogether, Bloomberg said, while frosts also stunted the growth of the long potatoes that are preferable for making french fries.
• The US Department of Agriculture said on November 8 that potato production for the 2019 crop year was forecast at 22.4 million tons, down 6% from the prior year.
• "French-fry demand has just been outstanding lately, and so supplies can't meet the demand," Travis Blacker, the industry-relations director with the Idaho Potato Commission, told Bloomberg.
• Cold weather from September to November affected potato yields in Alberta, Idaho, Manitoba, North Dakota, and Minnesota.

Source: US experiencing shortage of potatoes used for french fries - Business Insider