The price of Korean lettuce has soared
Affected by the cold autumn wave in South Korea, the price of lettuce, spinach, celery, cabbage and other vegetables has soared in recent days, and the price of a lettuce in a supermarket in Seoul has reached 9600 won this week. Local McDonald's has sold no lettuce in the past week, and some branches of the sandwich chain Subway have posted notices of "temporary suspension of salads", pointing out that the lettuce leaves in the sandwich can only be provided in quantities, not added.
South Korea's JoongAng Ilbo, North Korea Herald and other media reported that lettuce production has been seriously affected by the long-lasting rainy season this year, coupled with the sudden cold wave in October, the output has dropped sharply by about 70% compared with previous years. On October 27, the wholesale price of 10 kilograms of premium lettuce at Seoul's Cola Market was 40,836 won, up 10% from the previous day and 286% from the same period last year.
Compared with mcDonald's hamburger product photos with bright green lettuce, some customers took photos of the burger with only meatloaf and onions and uploaded them to the Internet.
South Korean netizens photographed McDonald's burgers without lettuce.
Subway, which specializes in sandwiches, also recently posted a notice in the store that "temporarily suspend the sale of salads", saying that the lettuce leaves in sandwiches can only be provided in quantities.
South Korea's McDonald's said on the 27th that due to the company's requirements for food safety and quality, it is impossible to suddenly change suppliers and cannot determine when it will be able to resume normal supply of lettuce. Local Burger King and Nonntelli products continue to serve lettuce. Burger King said that although the frost disaster caused problems in the supply of lettuce, the company can still get supplies so far and will do its best to ensure the stability of the supply chain.
Lettuce prices skyrocket every day, and in addition to causing headaches for chain fast food restaurants, small businesses that run hamburgers and sandwich shops are even more anxious. The owner of a sandwich shop sighed: "Yesterday the market sold (one) 4500 won, today it will become 6300 won", "Not a few hundred hundred won, a rise is thousands of won."
Not only lettuce, but also cabbage, spinach, broccoli and other prices are continuing to rise. Price movements in the third week of October at the Cola Market show that lettuce rose nearly fivefold from the same period last year; cabbage also rose nearly threefold. The circulation industry believes that vegetable prices will continue to remain high in the short term. It is expected that large supermarkets will also raise the price of some vegetables. This also bothers Korean housewives who are always worried about pickles and making side dishes. On the 27th in a supermarket in Seoul, a 65-year-old housewife sighed: "The price of lettuce and watermelon has risen again", "The price of vegetables has been rising, and now it has begun to worry about the kimchi season."