KFC Australia replaces lettuce with cabbage due to shortage

KFC Australia was forced to serve food items with cabbage instead of the usual lettuce because of the unexpected shortage of the said leafy vegetable. Lettuce has always been a key ingredient in most of the menu, but the fried chicken fast-food chain had to make some changes after it ran out.

According to CNN Business, the Australian unit of KFC informed its customers that it will be using cabbage in some of the food items as the recent floods destroyed lettuce crops. The company released the notice through its website this week.

The restaurant chain said that diners who do not want the veggie substitute could also request for their order to just be served without it. The lettuce shortage comes amid the growing supply shortage of various items around the world.

Most recently, fast-food chains have been limiting the servings or offering substitutes for french fries as the potato shortage continues due to delivery delays, adverse weather conditions, and the war in Ukraine. Aside from KFC, McDonald's, Burger King, and other major brands have experienced this issue.

The fried chicken house explained that there has been a shortage of lettuce due to the high waters in Queensland and New South Wales. Then again, it was clarified that only KFC outlets in those states are affected and include Victoria and Tasmania as well. Customers can expect the Zinger burgers and Crunch Twister wraps to be served with cabbage until the lettuce shortage is resolved.

"Due to the recent floods in NSW and QLD we are currently experiencing a lettuce shortage. BBC News quoted KFC Australia as saying in the notice. "So, we are using a lettuce and cabbage blend on all products containing lettuce until further notice."

The restaurant added, "If that is not your bag, simply click 'customize' on your chosen product and remove Lettuce from the recipe."

Meanwhile, this is not the first time this year that KFC has made some changes to its menu due to shortages. Earlier this year, the company experienced a chicken shortage because its supplier was short of staff. There were not enough workers to process and deliver the chickens due to the spread of the Omicron COVID-19 variant at that time, and the restaurants were affected.