IT’S BAD NEWS for lovers of McDonald’s in Japan, as stocks of fries are so low that they can only offer customers small portions of their chips.

The shortage is down to a labour dispute in the US, according to Kotaku, which means that McDonald’s can not get its hands on US potatoes.

As we reported recently, McDonald’s had planned an audacious airlift of supplies over from the States, but this did not come off – leaving them in a tricky stock situation as the small-size-only rule comes in tomorrow.

Now, if you go into a McDonald’s in Japan you can only order a small portion of fries. There is simply no option for a medium or large bag. If you do order a meal that usually comes with medium fries, it’s 50 Yen off the regular price – which works out at a saving of around €0.34. Is that enough of a saving to satisfy the fry-hungry masses?

McDonald’s has over 3,000 restaurants in Japan, so this will hit some people hard.

McDonald’s Japan explained the grave nature of the fries shortage to Reuters today:

“Unfortunately, without this sales restriction step, we would run the danger of running out of fries at some of our stores around the end of the year or beginning of the new year,”

“Do you want fries with that? Only small available.”

Great.