No-deal Brexit could cause another chicken shortage, warns KFC boss
KFC could suffer another chicken shortage if the UK crashes out of the EU without a deal, the fast food chain’s boss has warned.
KFC UK and Ireland managing director Paula MacKenzie told the BBC the supply chain is the “lifeblood of the business” and warned a no-deal Brexit could lead to further shortages.
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The comments came as MacKenzie reflected on a chicken shortage that led to most of its UK stores closing temporarily earlier this year.
“On a normal day if I had even five to ten stores closed, that would be cause for concern,” Mackenzie said. “So to be in a situation where up to 600 or 700 of our stores were closing, it totally redefined a bad day.”
MacKenzie said the chain’s 30,000 employees were working around the clock to get the business up and running again. “You can’t understand how awful that was for a business,” she added.
The chicken chief is one of 12 high-profile retail bosses who have written to MPs to warn of the impact of a no-deal Brexit on the food industry.
“Our supply chains are closely linked to Europe – nearly one third of the food we eat in the UK comes from the EU,” the bosses wrote. “This complex, ‘just in time’ supply chain will be significantly disrupted in the event of no deal.”
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MacKenzie said that while most of KFC’s chicken is sourced from the UK, other products, such as chips, come from Europe.
“We do have to think what is actually possible to stockpile in the UK,” she said. “We like others on the high street will be OK for so long, but if there’s mass disruption for everyone then at some point it does run out.”