McDonald’s supplier halts milkshake mix deliveries as Subway also reports food shortages Business News

McDonald’s was joined by Subway and Wetherspoons in tackling food supply to stores, with a shortage of truck drivers causing disruptions to continue.

Dairy giant Arla said it was asked to stop sending mixtures of milkshakes to McDonald’s, after supply chain issues blamed on Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic left the fast food chain unable to sell milkshakes.

The dairy cooperative said it was also affected, being forced to cancel around 10% of its deliveries to 2,400 stores across Britain.

The Subway sandwich chain also confirmed it was suffering from shortages of some fresh produce, but insisted any disruption to what could be offered to customers was minimal.

Likewise, Wetherspoon pubs are bracing for supply shortages, a spokesperson said. The independent.

The milkshake problem first became apparent on Monday when the company stopped selling the drinks, along with many other bottled drinks, across all of its 1,250 restaurants in Britain.

Now, a spokesperson for Arla has confirmed that McDonald’s asked him to temporarily stop production of his milkshake blend while he struggles to resolve a series of issues.

“We are working closely with McDonald’s to ensure that we support them in their management of the supply chain issues facing retailers across the UK,” the spokesperson said. “We are ready to support McDonald’s as soon as milkshakes return to the menu.”

In addition, Arla has also been affected by the shortage of truck drivers, which is believed to be the result of both the Brexit deal and the self-isolation of people during the pandemic.

Fruits and vegetables, things we are used to having fresh and having a few days before Christmas, might not be available in the quantities we are used to

The cold chain federation

“Although this disrupts our supply chain, we have continued to collect milk from our owners and are working closely with our logistics partners and customers to minimize the impact in stores,” the spokesperson added. .

“The impact of the driver shortage problem is rippling through our deliveries of fresh milk to stores, where, on average, we are unable to provide around 10% of the approximately 2,400 direct store deliveries we make every day. . “

In addition to producing many of its own branded products, Arla is also a major supplier of dairy products to all major UK supermarkets.

A spokesperson for Subway said the company had “minor shortages in the supply chain regarding some fresh produce,” but said disruption to customers has so far been minimal. “We understand that supply chain pressure is something that a lot of the industry is experiencing right now.”

All Wetherspoon pubs have enough food and drink to stay open and offer full menus, a spokesperson said The independent, but problems may loom on the horizon.

“We are aware of possible shortages on certain products and in these cases we are working with alternative suppliers,” added the spokesperson.

Last week, Nando’s was forced to temporarily close some 50 restaurants after a chicken shortage.

In an effort to tackle the problem, the government has said it is streamlining the process of obtaining a heavy truck license for new drivers and has temporarily relaxed the rules on how long drivers can go before. to have to take a break.

Arla said the driver shortage was a problem in the industry before Brexit and the pandemic, but had been dramatically exacerbated. It planned to open a driving academy program at its five depots, using apprenticeship tax funds to support and train new drivers.

Tom Southall, of the Cold Chain Federation, said the issue will likely persist for some time and could disrupt the Christmas negotiation period.

“Fruits and vegetables, things that we are used to having fresh and having a few days before Christmas, might not be available in the quantities we are used to, especially products that cannot be frozen. “, did he declare.

“Large food chains must prioritize certain products over others. Companies have to make some very tough decisions about what to offer, what to get through their supply chains, and what to offer their consumers. I think we’ll see this for a while.