Oh no… Australia has been hit by a serious potato shortage

Ah, the humble spud. Whether it’s turned into a crispy and delicious chip smothered in sauce or is mashed, fried, roasted or crisped up into a potato cake, the starchy vegetable is one of those things that makes life bearable, write Maya Skidmore and contributor Adena Maier in this news story from TimeOut.

That’s why we hate to be the bearers of bad news: Australia is currently in the midst of a potato shortage, and its end remains unclear, they write.

The one saving grace is that this spud crisis is mostly in relation to frozen products, meaning that you can still (generally) snag yourself a fresh tater in its purest form without too much of issue. It’s bad news for your local takeaway, though.

So, why is this tragic event taking place? Well, potato yields in New South Wales and Victoria have been seriously compromised over the past year due to (yep, you guessed it) a wetter-than-average winter and widespread flooding. 

To manage this crisis, Coles has set a purchase limit of two frozen potato products per person. Woolies, on the other hand, has not. Thankfully, there aren’t any purchase limits in place for fresh potatoes.

A source: https://www.potatonewstoday.com