TOKYO: Processed chicken food products such as “karaage” fried chicken are in short supply at some convenience stores and family restaurants in Japan, following production halts in Thailand from around the summer amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Major convenience store and family restaurant chains are adjusting the volumes of products on sale to deal with the shortage in the run-up to the high demand season around Christmas.

Convenience store industry leader Seven-Eleven Japan Co. has difficulty procuring “karaagebo” and “nanachiki” produced in Thailand. The company has reduced supplies to some regions so that these products will be available to customers as usual again around Christmas, a spokesman said.

FamilyMart Co. has reduced supplies of its “Famichiki” across the nation and expects to be able to sell sufficient amounts of the product in mid-December.

Frozen food for households are in short supply as well.

Ajinomoto Frozen Foods Co. has since early October faced shortages of six products, including “the karaage,” produced at its plant in Thailand. The plant has returned to regular operations, allowing the company to restart usual sales by the end of November, company officials said.

Among restaurant operators, Saizeriya Co. is experiencing shortages of chicken wings. It has cut the number of “karami chicken” pieces from five to four per dish while the price unchanged, with no prospect of bringing it back to normal, company officials said.

Makoto Tani, chairman and president of Skylark Holdings Co., said companies are competing to procure chicken from Brazil, a major exporter.

By contrast, major convenience store chain Lawson Inc. uses domestic chicken for its “karaagekun,” as does Kentucky Fried Chicken Japan Ltd. for its products, so they have not suffered supply shortages.

An official at the agriculture ministry’s Meat and Egg Division said, “The spread of coronavirus infections in Thailand is affecting (Japanese businesses) with a time lag.”

The official is worried that the situation may become serious, as avian influenza outbreaks are hitting Japan at a time when domestic chicken prices are rising.

JIJI Press