LONDON: Fast food chain KFC was forced on Tuesday to put cabbage in its burgers and wraps in Australia as the country struggles with a lettuce shortage due to the recent floods that destroyed lettuce crops. 

KFC Australia said on its website: “Due to the recent floods in NSW (New South Wales) and QLD (Queensland) we’re currently experiencing a lettuce shortage. So, we’re using a lettuce and cabbage blend on all products containing lettuce until further notice. If that’s not your bag, simply click ‘Customise’ on your chosen product and remove Lettuce from the Recipe.”

Social media users in Australia took to Twitter to mock the decision, while others welcomed this swap, citing that cabbage is an underrated vegetable. 

“Feels like a sign of the apocalypse,” one Twitter user wrote. 

Another humorously commented: “Has anyone else heard the shocking news!?!? Due to a massive shortage of lettuce KFC will now be using cabbage as a substitute — True story. The end of the world is near.”

Meanwhile, one user rejoiced at this swap, stating: “I can’t imagine that a majority of dishes don’t actually benefit from switching out lettuce for cabbage. Tacos are good with cabbage, salads are good with cabbage, KFC confuses me because coleslaw has cabbage. It’s a much better, more dense vegetable. Maybe this is a weird win.”

It is not the first time this year that the company has been hit with food shortages. In January, KFC Australia had to change its menu due to a lack of chicken, which was caused by a staff shortage at Australia’s biggest chicken supplier.

Supply chain issues have been impacting fast food chains across the world, especially as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

McDonald’s in the UK faced a tomato shortage in March, which heavily impacted its Big Tasty burger sales. 

In August last year, no milkshakes or bottled drinks were available in any McDonald’s outlets across England, Scotland and Wales for a brief period.