Potato shortage sees Red Rock Deli chips price soar as Coles brings back frozen produce limit

The humble potato is in short supply in Australia, prompting a wave of side effects, from frozen fries that disappear in supermarkets to packets of crisps that run up to almost $7.

A shopper took to Reddit over the weekend to share a photo of a pack of sea salt-flavored potato chips from the popular Red Rock Deli brand priced at a staggering $6.65.

A quick scan of Woolworths’ online site on Monday showed they have a current standard price of $6.30 for a 165-gram pack, while Coles has them for $5.50.

There is a potato shortage which is affecting ‘processed’ potato products such as chips and potato chips more than fresh potatoes.

Commenters on the post were shocked by the sheer price of the perennial favorite, with some also noting that they were left empty-handed when they went looking for fries in the freezer aisle.

‘If it’s more than $3 for a package of chips, that’s a pass, it’s chips!’ one person wrote.

‘I went to the Coles in my area the other day. There were NO frozen chips,” said another.

‘Yes, the local Coles here only allows a maximum sale of two frozen potato products per person. I can’t have tots anymore either,’ said a third.

‘Yes! My cafe can’t make hash browns anymore,” added a fourth.

Coles reinstated purchase limits on frozen fries, including hash browns and French fries, last week.

The main competitor, Woolworths, however, will continue with no limits on purchases of potato products.

He is weathering the storm and expects the supply issues to normalize by mid-February.

Coles has set a limit of two packs per person on frozen chips and Woolworths shoppers have said they are hard to find.

Due to increased rainfall, cold weather and frost during what should have been the main growing season of spring and summer, the potato crop is very low this year.

Robert Cerchiaro, general manager of Gippsland-based Red Gem Growers, which has around 3,000 acres of potato farms in New South Wales and Victoria, said his crop is 25 to 50 percent lower than the last year.

“Now we’re getting into the summer harvests and they’re just not what you expected,” Cerchiaro, who supplies Coles and Aldi, told the outlet. Australian Financial Review.

Potato farmers divide their crop into processed and fresh categories, with the processed — what is given to the factory to be made into French fries — experience the greatest shortages.

A spokesman for industry body AUSVEG, Shaun Lindhe, said consumers can expect to notice product shortages or price increases in the coming months as the market navigates the supply gap.

The industry is already battling increased pressure from rising gasoline, gas and fertilizer prices amid inflation and global supply chain woes.

“The cost of fertilizer from farms, labor shortages and transportation costs, are factors that have amplified all prices in all sectors,” said Mouhamad Dib, director of wholesale supplier In2Food. food bomb.

Floods and frosts have caused a significantly reduced harvest, up to 50 percent less than last year.

Fast food giant McDonald’s introduced a limited Australian menu item this month – the chicken salt potato scallop – prompting a backlash from local takeaways already struggling to buy fries.

Chris Dimopoulos, owner of Blue Sea Fish Shop in Castlemaine, Victoria, took to TikTok to vent his frustrations.

“If you have 990 Macca’s stores in Australia and you serve, according to your own website, 1.7 million customers a day, if you sell one potato cake to every 10 customers, that’s 170,000 potato cakes that you’re selling every days”. ,’ he said.

“Now every fishmonger I know around here is struggling to get chips, potatoes, potato cakes.”

Dimopoulous said his shop makes its own potato scallops (above), but is struggling to keep up with ‘servings’ amid shortages.

“If they are going to sell 170,000 potato cakes a day in all their stores, there are not potatoes left for every mom and pop shop left in Australia.”

A commenter on the original Reddit post shared his advice for Aussies who need to satisfy their chip craving without digging into their savings account.

“I stopped buying chips at the two big supermarkets,” the commenter said.

‘Aldi seriously has the most underrated and best value chips out there. Try their brand Blackstone if you like Red Rock Deli, not only are they cheaper, they are also bigger packs.