Watching fruit rot

摘要

On January 22nd KFC announced that its Japanese stores faced a shortage of potatoes. McDonald's, too, rationed fries in Japan in December, despite an "emergency" airlift of nearly 1,000 tonnes of spuds. The cause in both cases: massive delays at America's West Coast ports. Cargo is piling up inside the terminals. Exporters and importers are bleeding cash. The North American Meat Institute says delays are costing meat and poultry producers $3om a week. Chelan Fresh Marketing, a Washington fruit supplier, has laid off a fifth of its workforce. It is "a huge mess," says Jon Wyss, Chelan's head of government affairs.