Some McDonald鈥檚 stores in the Philippines are unable to serve chicken because of a surge in demand, while supplies don鈥檛 meet the standards.
鈥淲e continue to serve chicken鈥 but there are 鈥渃ertain鈥 stores that temporarily don鈥檛 sell chicken, Adi Hernandez, corporate communications director at McDonald鈥檚 Philippines, said in a phone interview.
While the government is right in saying there is no shortage of poultry supply, the restaurant operator has to uphold certain standards for its products, she said.
Whole chicken prices in Manila have risen 25% to P200 ($3.75) since the start of the year, according to data from the Department of Agriculture. Food costs are rising across Southeast Asia, hitting domestic supplies and exports. Malaysia recently banned chicken exports due to rising local prices, squeezing poultry supplies in neighboring Singapore.
The Philippines expects chicken production to decline as feed becomes more expensive, with higher humidity that鈥檚 not favorable to growers also compounding the cost issue, United Broiler Raisers鈥 Association president Elias Jose Inciong said in June. 鈥 Bloomberg
