Now Greggs is hit by shortages as supply issues continue (but your chicken bakes are safe)

First Nando’s, then KFC, then McDonald’s and now Greggs. Is any fast-food chain safe?

Apparently not. All of these chains have experienced shortages of supplies in the last couple of weeks, causing closures, limited menus, and general disarray.

Greggs is the latest outlet that has been affected so we will chew on that news first.

The bakery noted they were experiencing “temporary interruptions in supply for some ingredients” but added that its broad menu meant it had been able to mitigate the impact.

PoliticsHome had said the issue was connected to several items on its menu containing chicken – including the chicken bake, the chargrill chicken oval bite, and several chicken-filled baguettes – but Greggs has now reassured customers that the beloved chicken bakes are not affected.

A spokesperson from Greggs said: “There are no current supply issues with our chicken bakes and our customers can continue to enjoy these as they usually would.

“Unfortunately, like others , we’re seeing temporary interruptions in supply for some ingredients which occasionally results in shops not being able to maintain full availability on all lines. However, we have a wide range of choices in our menu for customers happy to buy an alternative.”

Meanwhile, milkshake fans across the land were disappointed yesterday, after learning that McDonald’s had run out of the ingredients to make them, and would also temporarily stop stocking bottled drinks in 1,250 of its stores across England, Scotland and Wales.

A spokesman for McDonald’s said the group is “working hard to return these items to the menu”.

He said: “Like most retailers, we are currently experiencing some supply chain issues, impacting the availability of a small number of products.

“We apologise for any inconvenience, and thank our customers for their continued patience.”

Chicken seems particularly badly hit, though. Nando’s had to close 50 of its stores last week for around four days, due to a chicken shortage, while KFC was also unable to stock some menu items.

Brexit and coronavirus – the two main characters in the latest series of ‘the world’ – have shouldered much of the blame. The former has caused immigration law changes making it harder to recruit lorry drivers. The latter means that some of those lorry drivers are being ‘pinged’ and made to isolate because of infection or exposure to someone infected.

There is a shortage of some 60,000 lorry driver, according to Road Haulage Association (RHA) estimates. Tory MP Andrew Bridgen, however, blames Tony Blair?