(SPOT.ph) It's National Fried Chicken Day, but not all of us are lucky enough to be able to celebrate. Perhaps you've noticed that the fried chicken from your go-to fast-food spots—i.e., Jollibee and/or McDonald's—have been out of stock lately, depending on where you're located. Well, you're not imagining things, as the two companies have shared remarks about the ongoing issue in interviews with different news outlets.
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Could there be a chicken shortage going on?
According to a social-media post by INQUIRER.net, the Jollibee Group has acknowledged the short stock of chicken meals at a "small number" of Jollibee and Mang Inasal stores, given issues with their supply coupled with a high demand. Thankfully, they do say the "supply is already improving"—and that they're "working with suppliers to address the immediate demand." (Fingers crossed!) McDonald's has similarly acknowledged in a report by Bloomberg that while they're still serving chicken meals, "certain" stores temporarily aren't selling it at the moment for similar mismatches in supply versus demand.
The government has denied there being any chicken shortage, but it's worth noting that prices of the poultry have in fact risen in the past months—by as much as 25% for whole chicken prices, as per data from the Department of Agriculture. It's not just us, though—other parts of Southeast Asia are similarly experiencing price increases in the chicken department, and Malaysia even banned exports of the poultry at the start of June though this has since been partially lifted.
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