Fast food restaurant chain, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), has revealed that there is an opportunity to source potatoes locally after a public uproar.
According to reports, KFC has plans to source potatoes from Kenyan farmers after delays in delivery from its overseas suppliers.
CEO Jacques Theunissen was quoted by The Standard as starting that the fast-food franchise would still demand high-quality potatoes when they start sourcing locally.
He also emphasized that KFC has been at the forefront of working with Kenyan suppliers for other ingredients.
"At KFC Kenya, we work with a number of local Kenyan suppliers to serve our customer's locally-sourced produce and ingredients in our restaurants.
"There is an opportunity to source the potatoes from a local supplier that meets the global KFC quality and safety specifications in the near future,” he stated.
Theunissen added that the potato shortage KFC was experiencing in Kenya would be resolved by Wednesday, January 5, adding that scarcity of potatoes had been occasioned by the Covid-19 crisis.
“It has to do with delays in shipping lines due to the Covid-19 situation. Ships have been delayed for more than a month now, but we are working hard to restore as the first containers are arriving in the port tomorrow (Wednesday)," the CEO stated in a previous interview.
Kenyans on social media caused a stir questioning why the fast-food chain imports potatoes yet there is a production surplus in the local market.
“It has to do with delays in shipping lines due to the Covid-19 situation. Ships have been delayed for more than a month now, but we are working hard to restore as the first containers are arriving in the port tomorrow (Wednesday, January 5),” Theunissen stated.
A 90kg bag of potatoes recently hit an all-time low of between Ksh450 and Ksh600 in Molo, Nakuru County.
Potatoes are estimated to contribute more than Ksh50 billion to the Kenyan economy.
