Yes, it's an emergency for a world full of people addicted to fries and chips. Supplies for potatoes have become unbelievably scarce in some countries and fast food chains. Snacks made from potatoes are an American tradition, but they can be unhealthy. Not only does the insufficient supply of potatoes call for better ways of farming and portion control, but it also makes the mind think of better and healthier alternatives.
Some McDonald's locations in Japan stopped offering large and medium-sized fries in December 2021 due to supply chain issues brought by the pandemic and floods in the Port of Vancouver.
South Africa's bad frost and excessive rains made potato chip makers disturbingly short supply. While Kenya, last January, struck Kentucky Fried Chicken's french fries as the pandemic helped up containers full of potatoes for more than a month.
While KFC swapped maize-based ugali - in place of fries in combo meals, it didn't make the local farmers happy as it depended on imported goods. In contrast, the locals were in their harvest season due to global quality standards and food safety reasons.
Like any other crops, shortages can happen from time to time due to bad weather, labor disputes, and different uncontrollable scenarios.
The "Global Potato Shortage" might not be going away any time soon unless we can find healthier alternatives for fries as snacks. There are healthy Filipino snacks that people might forget due to so much love for French fries. Some of which may even be more affordable than the usual favorite.
Sweet Potatoes or Camote Fries
Sweet potatoes tend to have a sweeter flavor profile, but they would delight people more than the traditional love for potatoes with salt and some herbs. Do people need to read about alternatives?
Malaysia and Indonesia also temporarily stopped selling large-sized fries, while KFC Singapore had to promote Waffle Hash as an alternative. Potato wart fungus also hit Canada in November of 2021. Camote can be boiled, but if crisp is all you want, it better be fried for good reasons. Sweet potato fries can even go with the main courses like steak or the famous burgers.
Kangkong or Water Spinach Leaves for Kangkong chips
Another snacking bet for a crispy fried appetizer is the recently introduced Kangkong chips rich in Vitamin A and C, low-calorie, low-fat, and worthy of being addicted to. The flavor is neutral, so any dip of choice is perfect. Another thing, a local store can deliver this better alternative to one's doorstep. These leaves can be made into adobo and sauteed, and the nutritional value is still at its best.
New Straits Times had just alerted the public last April that potato shortage spread to South Korean fast-food chains, while McDonald's Philippines also announced last April 23 that larger fries would not be available, holding off medium, large, and BFF servings.
Bare Baked Crunchy Chips
This vegan snack released banana chips, coconut, apple chips, and carrot sticks. These are introducing fresh flavors and alternatives, but they are also healthy, vegan-friendly, and animal cruelty-free. All these stocks in one's storage area can already make granola with different flavors every morning.
Zucchini or Carrot Pasta
Tatler Asia launched a list of eight good snacks that might suit one's palate. Zucchini pasta can be made with a spiralizer. Toss it in a pan with any favorite sauce. Not the crispy type of snack, but it's light and flavorful. For the sauce, get some oil, fresh tomatoes, oregano, salt, and shitake mushrooms—no one should regret cooking this one. Not only does the sauce go with any pasta, but rice is also good, but it will no longer be a snack!
Let's go nuts
Swap any fried snacks with nuts! Just not when allergies chase you. Different kinds of nuts are now available online. These are better stored in glass containers to protect them from pests and moisture that can dampen and spoil them too soon. Yes, let's try to move away from potatoes for now.
The world is not only asking for food alternatives but also seeking to promote more crops that are shrugged off due to capitalistic reasons. The craze for any food that's out of the market now can create imbalances like this. The global shortage of potatoes? Who knows, it could even happen in a world full of fries? The shortage is also being brought about by frequent flooding in different parts of the world. This is no accident, considering that the world's temperature is getting hotter every minute.
Dried Mangos and Raisins
With nuts comes other flavors. The Philippines is home to the sweetest mangoes and is also becoming a good place for grape farming. More and more farmers and entrepreneurs are learning to farm at a younger age. We need more farms and farmers who would learn better strategies and are willing to extend their efforts to make the best of every season, cropping, and every type of produce.
Filipinos are hardworking people, and farming has been one of the most undervalued professions, despite its importance to each person born and to the country. If fries from fast-food chains are not available, Filipino farmers are still here to cover the need. Just us in any country, some of the listed snacks are also the fresh produce that is so readily available in stores nearby. It's usually all about the preparation. These snacks are best while watching your favorite TV shows or movie.
The global potato shortage is just one of the many problems people all have to face. The shortage made the price skyrocket, and so did the issues such as the pandemic and extreme weather changes. The Philippines, as a country so surrounded by bodies of water, with so many untilled lands for farming, needs to catch up on supplies and an improved food system to make sure that shortages do not extend to the staple foods.
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